Rather than overload my loyal readers with yet more information than they both need right now, I thought I’d do a very quick recap (very quick!) and reminder about the first challenge.

If you’re reading this for the first time then welcome! You can read all the posts in the series so far by looking at the category archive for Beginner Photography.

So far we’ve got:

Article 1 - Introduction to the series and choosing a point & shoot (P&S) camera.
Article 2 - What to look for in a P&S
Article 3 - Some of the most commonly used photography terms.

My dad suggested that I’d missed “Exposure” from the list. I felt at the time (and still do) that the “exposure” can get particularly technical and really isn’t necessary. As long as you remember that if someone asks what the exposure of a particular shot was then they probably mean what shutter speed and aperture (both in the article) you used. I also realise that I haven’t mentioned white-balance. This is something that will be addressed in next week’s article.

Challenge Number 1.

First announced in article 3 (above) the challenge is simple:

Your task, should you wish to accept it is to take a photograph of a car. It doesn’t have to be a special car, it can be your daily ride. What I do want though is for you to take it from a different angle. Be it on the ground, directly over the top, really close up or really far away.

Once you have taken your photo, process it on your PC, take note of the shutter speed and aperture of the photo and upload it to a photo hosting site 3 and then leave a link to it in the comments with a short description of what you did to take the photo and what you think is good or bad about it.

No evaluation of your photo will be done unless you specifically ask for it! This is about self improvement by trying and doing rather than competing with other photographers. The photo must be an image taken for the tutorial and not a stock image that you have piled on your computer!

So, let’s see what you can do! I will be playing along and using my Point and Shoot camera so that we are all on a level playing field. Of course, if you don’t own a P&S but have a funky DSLR that’s fine too!

Tags: Beginner Photography, challenge, P&S, photography, point and shoot

If you’re in the market for a point and shoot (p&s) camera then there are a few things you need to know before you buy. The number of makes and models of p&s is bewildering. Use these tips to help you decide your requirements and eventually choose the right camera for you.

1. Budget. This has to be the number one consideration (unless you are a millionaire!). Deciding how much you can afford to (and want to!) spend will set you in the right price range for the camera. Don’t forget though that you will need to factor in for things like memory cards, a case and batteries (if the camera uses AA type rather than proprietary batteries). If you can be a little flexible then all the better. For example, you set your budget at £200 for everything you want.

Dependent on the make and model that you choose you will (unless you can get a deal) need to budget for a memory card. The memory card is what will store your images and the larger the capacity the better. Figure to get at least 1gb cards, 2gb is preferable.

So, let’s start with the Camera. Say £170 (eg for the Ixus 75 I mentioned in the last article). Memory cards for that camera are called Secure Digital or SD. The 1gb minimum I mentioned above is £15 at Jessops for the basic card. I will be talking about memory cards in more detail in another post.

Ok, a case. Although the camera comes with its own case, it’s more for dust protection than bash and bang protection. Lowepro make awesome camera bags and cases and as an example, the Lowepro Rezo Pouch 15 (left) will take the Ixus snugly. That’s another £15.

By my calculations that’s £195 of your £200 budget gone. You haven’t got a tripod yet! Whilst the tripod isn’t necessary, without one it’s almost impossible to take photos in the dark, something the Ixus is perfectly capable of doing.

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With my knowledge of photography (not a master, just a semi-pro and well practiced photographer!) I and my love of sharing my knowledge I thought I would start a new series (probably weekly) on photography for beginners. This week, the absolute basic, choosing a point-and shoot camera.

So you want to take better photos? Never even tried more than the out-of-focus snapshot before? Fear not! The advent of the affordable digital camera makes better photography a skill within the grasp of even the hardiest luddite. The simplest cameras are quite obviously the point and shoot cameras.

Point and shoot (p&s from now on) cameras are cheap - £20 upwards - efficient and easily used units. They do exactly what the name implies. You point them at your subject, press the button and using trickery or voodoo or something the photo appears on the little screen on the back. But does this make a decent photo? Not necessarily. It may well be over (too bright) or under (too dark) exposed, badly framed, heads or feet cut off or colours might be all wrong.

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