By Rajul Kulshreshtha
MD, Kinetic India
For someone who bought a DSLR only because it looked cool, I think I have come a long way. From just dabbling with it as a hobby, I have grown to love photography. It has been a huge effort, but a constantly rewarding one. This article is a quick insight into that journey, and may serve as a minor and relatively easy guide for those who are mesmerized by DSLR, and want to lay their hands on one.
First, do read the manual very carefully. This is one product where the manual actually helps. Keep a dictionary handy just in case! All features have a role to play, so do try and remember as many as you can. I did one chapter a day and that helped.
For those who get past the manual, do look at the Internet for some more gyan on photography. There are tons of sites, but my favourite is adorama.com. Simply because it provides easy-to see and understand tutorials. Look and see work for me.
I found it a real struggle to come to terms with aperture. Not so much with the concept, but with the way it was represented. This might sound silly to you, but it was not easy. Try this. Smaller f number means a large aperture and vice versa. It may sound easy now, but was it tough to get hold of! Incidentally, the f stands for focal. Speed was easy to tackle. Simply put, a high shutter speed will freeze action and a low speed will blur action.
However, ISO was a nightmare. But I finally got it after much research and thanks to adorama. ISO is the sensitivity of the camera to light. If all this sounds like jargon, I will simply tell you how it works for me. When it is dark, you boost the ISO number of the camera and when there is good light, lower the ISO number. The number can range from 100 to 6400, or even more depending on what camera you are using.
These three concepts kind of complete the famed Photography triangle. Once you master these, and believe me, it can take some time, everything else is a combination of the said three. The quality of your photos will, of course, depend on how you use these in combination with each other, and also on the kind of lens you use. This is where things get expensive. There are lenses for all reasons and all seasons and all price points. I am now lusting after a lens worth Rs 1.5 lakh, but that is another story:)
So be careful how you choose your camera as well as your lenses. Believe me, you will want more than one once you have mastered the ‘three concepts’. Do carry out your own research on cameras and lenses before you buy them. Try flipkart.com if you want them delivered to your house.
I started out with a Nikon D40x but have now graduated to a Nikon D-7000 and have invested in a few lenses. I enjoy shooting in low light. But that is still a WIP and I think it always will be. Happy shooting!
Feedback: anujk@affle.com
