Phones, Cameras and Tripods: The Gear I used when I first started Photography
- Jan 30, 2023
- 3 min read
What’s the best camera to get started on your photographic journey? The camera you have right now! Whether it’s your phone camera, a ‘Point and Shoot’, or a DSLR, the best way to start photography as a hobby is by using the equipment you already own. This week, I will share with you the gear I used when I first started taking interest in photography, what gear I transitioned to when I first upgraded my equipment, and explain how the improvement in my photography did not come from a change in camera.
2015-2017: The iPhone
I decided to take photography at GCSE and for those two years I completed the course using just my phone outside of the classroom. Occasionally, we had the opportunity to use some of the school DSLR cameras during lessons, however I had no idea how to use them, and using a phone was much more convenient as taking the cameras home was never an option. If you cast your minds back to 2015, you can imagine the type of phones that were on the market at the time. At the time I had a trusty iPhone 5s, which came with me everywhere, including course field trips. Below is one of the first images I shot for my GCSE!
My GCSE course had a heavy focus on experimenting with different editing, which made the biggest difference to my photography within these two years. Aside from this, I spent the whole course photographing everything, which is one of my top tips that I shared in the blog last week. By the end of my GCSE, these were the images I shot. There is a slight improvement with composition, but the main difference came from experimenting with editing (and being a little too heavy handed with the black and white!).
2017-2021: My First DSLR!
For the first six months of my A-Level in photography, I continued to use my phone camera, but after learning all about the effects of shutter speed, ISO and aperture, I started to consider buying my first DSLR. It was the first time that I felt I was being hindered by my equipment, which I think is a key thing to think about before you make any upgrades. Only after being educated on the possibilities beyond what my phone was capable of, did I decide to upgrade. My parents kindly gifted me my first DSLR, a Canon 1300d, which I used right through until halfway through University! As you can see below, the first images I shot with this camera were pretty, but I relied heavily on the automatic setting on the camera, and they feel a little flat.
My A-Level course was one of my favourite subjects and is the primary reason I decided to go to University to study it in more depth, after my dance injury. Whilst at college, I was educated in not only the technical aspects of photography such as the exposure triangle, and composition rules (rule of thirds, leading lines etc.), but also the history of photography. Here are some images I shot throughout A-Level, that reflect this new understanding of composition and the ways in which light can affect an image.
As well as applying theory and technical rules to my photography, A-Levels also encouraged experimentation. I really wanted to try light painting, so I bought an inexpensive tripod from amazon to secure my camera to, and had a go!
The main reason I am sharing the gear I first used, and showing the progression in imagery during that time, is to help you visualise how my improvement in photography didn’t come from the camera upgrade. As we can see, the first images I shot with my DSLR were similar to those I shot with the phone! Instead, the improvement came from education, understanding how my equipment worked, and a lot of practice and experimentation. So whether you have a phone or a camera, get to know your equipment, read about phone or digital photography, and most importantly, start putting that knowledge into practice!
I will leave a few links below for those who are interested in similar equipment to the first camera and tripod I used. My first DSLR is no longer available to buy directly (second hand is just as good!), but if you desperately want a new camera to start with, or want to buy your first camera, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Canon 4000D. It is easy to navigate, pretty lightweight, and has a built-in flash if you ever want to experiment. Be mindful that there are other brands available such as Nikon, Olympus etc. that will all have beginner-level cameras, so do your research, and invest in what is right for you!
Canon 4000D: https://store.canon.co.uk/canon-eos-4000d-black-ef-s-18-55mm-iii-lens-bag-sd-card/3011C014/
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