Beginners' guide to photography Part 1 - choosing and using a camera

Words and Pictures Michael Jenkins

At a friend's wedding about twenty-five years ago, I mentioned to the professional photographer that I wanted to buy a new camera so that I could take better photos.

'Cameras don't take photos,' he replied. 'People do. Learn to use your Kodak Instamatic first. Then, when you can take good pictures with that camera, go out and buy the best you can afford.' It took me some time to figure out what he meant. The camera only records the picture that the photographer makes. It's up to the photographer to create the best picture possible.

Choosing a Camera
So if you already have a working camera, don't rush out and buy a new one. When you are ready, consider the possibility of part-exchanging your old camera. Some camera shops offer this service and they have the knowledge and experience to help you choose. As a young person, you probably have only a limited amount of money to spend. By part-exchanging, or buying a used camera, you can get a better camera at a lower cost.

If you do not already own a camera, I would suggest that you look for at least a 35 mm SLR camera. It might cost a little more, but the advantages are worth it. Having said that, if you can only afford a compact camera, that will be fine, although for the price of a new compact you might be able to pick up a reasonable second-hand SLR, such as a Praktica or a Zenit. Both of these have good features for a beginner or for a young photographer.

My thirteen-year-old son has just 'inherited' my old Zenit EM. My wife bought it for me twenty-five years ago to replace the Kodak. It has a very basic light meter that measures the light reflected from the scene. All the settings have to be made manually. Although you can now buy fully automatic cameras, it is good to learn how things work manually first.

SLR means Single Lens Reflex. It comes from the fact that the camera has a view of the subject through a single lens and this view is reflected to the viewfinder. Before the SLR was invented, there had to be two lenses, one for the photograph and one for the viewfinder. The reflex refers to the mirror that does the reflecting. It flicks back, or reflexes, out of the way as you take the picture. If you've ever cut off someone's head in a photo, you will understand the advantage of seeing the same picture in the viewfinder as that recorded on the film.

Get to Know Your Camera
First, then, look at your camera. What type of camera is it? If you have really generous parents, you may have a nice new digital camera or a reasonably good SLR film camera. You might have a range of lenses to go with it. Or you might have a basic compact camera.

It doesn't matter what camera you have. The camera doesn't take pictures. You make the picture what it is. So, what does your camera offer? I would like to try making suggestions that can improve your photography whatever camera you are using.

Therefore, read the instruction manual for your camera. Learn what each button and dial does, what adjustments you can make and what effects these will have on your photographs. I cannot do this for you. There is such a wide range of cameras available that it would be impossible to give details on each of them.

• If your camera has a self-timer, use that. Fold up your coat or rucksack and rest it on a firm surface. Then, position your camera on top. This has an advantage over putting your camera directly on a solid surface in that you can adjust the camera's position before activating the self-timer.

Try some of these suggestions. They should help you to almost instantly improve your photography by cutting down on the number of blurred pictures you get. Also, by stopping to think about the stability of your camera, you will have more time to think about the image you are creating.

Remember, cameras don't take pictures. People do.