Friday, February 17, 2012

First time dslr user

One month ago it was the first time to put my hand on my first dslr camera (Canon 500D) but i for two weeks before i put my hands on it i was preparing myself for it and how i will deal with it specially because the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution was days away.. 
I used to spend hours and hours in front of my computer checking youtube.com review videos and teaching videos..
I swear to god i was like a BIG donkey when i was watching these videos because most of them were extremely complicated and full of strange terminology.. but at the end of the day the only thing i understood was that this kind of photography is all about the LIGHT!
Yes the light.. it's as simple as the English alphabet.. even easier as the English alphabet consist of 26 letters but this consist of only 3 letters! (Shutter speed - Aperture - ISO) and if you knew the definition of each one of these you will be able to produce great shots.. believe me just try to make it as a homogeneous mix!
Don't bother yourself by comparing your camera with others because if you did so i can grantee that you will show us just lame photography and you will be blaming your poor camera!.. it was never about the equipment it's all about the man who is holding it.. 
Whatever the body you bought.. My advice: you’ve bought an expensive and rewarding piece of kit… Don’t just treat it like a point-and-shoot (on automatic settings). Invest in learning about exposure and always shoot RAW if you can (think of it as your digital negative)!
I know it's not easy not to panic especially when you take your toy out to a massive protest for the first time.. it happened to me when i was trying to be a pro in the million man march 25Th of January 2012.. but guess what!..  i just put the camera on the P mood and auto focus (AF) programs and started shooting whatever i see in front of me and i got good photos as a start i guess :) Check them here 25Jan and the rest of my photos here Sabry Khaled Photography 
what i'm trying to say is make your life easier.. and dun think about all the crappy discussions about the different shooting moods and what is pro and what is not!..  so you don’t have to think so much about the settings when you are busy taking that shot.
I cant forget the great tip from one of my favorite photographers or my favorite teacher Hossam El-Hamalawy when he said "Don't be lazy and use the zooming capability in your lens.. just move your ass and get into the zone to get your shot"
Such a great advice!.. and after i used it i can grantee that anyone will use it will get a kicking ass shoots.
another tip from El-Hamalawy was about whether the photography is neutral or not.. the fact is that this kind of art is not neutral at all! because it reflects one eye's point of view.. so if you are trying to capture a portrait for a smiling happy man you can show the ugly side of the smile!
Another thing which is extremely important and will help you a lot is to take your camera out with you everywhere and be ready all the time and just press down your shutter button and capture the moment.. because when you are in the street it's the place where there will be always something happening for you to shoot so just get out there and spend lots of time shooting..
You should educate yourself about photography without a personal teacher.. be your own one!
Read about the Greatest photos in history and you will realize that they just came like that because the photographer was there and spent time and effort.. Read about the photography as science..
Believe me if you just relax when you hold your toy and make it one piece with your body avoiding zooming you will have a great shots!
I'm not saying that am a professional photographer as am away from being one.. but i just wanted to share a very interesting experience with you.. believe me you will have a lot of fun and you will be extremely happy when someone says "Nice one man!"

Good Luck.

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