Budding photographers have a lot of questions after they have decided to enter the enormous field of photography. Photographers need a lot of skills and knowledge to produce beautiful and perfect images. It is quite natural that beginners will have questions that may sound “stupid” to other people. But knowing the answers to these “stupid” questions is necessary to snap the perfect images professionally.

Some commonly asked beginner questions about photography include:

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What kind of camera and lens does a beginner photographer opt for?

Different photographers will answer this question differently each time you ask them. But as a general rule of thumb, DSLR cameras are considered the best choice for budding photographers. These cameras grow with the photographer, making them a good companion throughout the journey. Several popular brands produce good-quality DSLR cameras, like Nikon, Canon, and Sony. There are numerous models that offer easy-to-use auto mode and effortless switching between auto and manual mode.

The lenses in the starter models are typically 18-55 mm. Nikon models also have VR Image Stabilization. If you shoot primarily indoors, have a smaller frame, or desire a zoom, you might want to invest in lenses other than the kit lens. However, it is better to first learn the operation on a simpler and cheaper model before going for a lens equipped for finer operation. Beginner photographers can also opt for cheaper models if they have a constrained budget.

What are the different types of lenses and what are their purposes?

Your needs for beginner photography should be easily covered with a kit lens. But these kit lenses have some disadvantages, like inferior optical quality, average image quality, poor build quality, and narrower aperture. Once you have started to understand a bit more about photography, you can expand your tool kit to include lenses other than the kit lens. Some common camera lenses and their uses are:

• Wide Angle: It is used primarily by landscape photographers. Typically, about 12 mm to 24 mm in size, this lens is meant to photograph or cover a wider area.
• Marco Lens: Essentially a magnifying lens, it is used to take close-up pictures of tiny objects. It can be used to catch the minute details missed by the naked eye.
• Fisheye Lens: It produces a broad, hemispherical image that is useful for taking panoramic or sports photos.
• Telephoto: It is a powerful zoom lens. It ranges from 70 mm to 500 mm.

What is the difference between JPEG and RAW?

The key features that differentiate JPEG and RAW are quality and file size. The majority of the camera’s data is preserved in RAW images, although the files are substantially bigger than those in the JPEG format. You can take the images in RAW if your equipment can handle it and you possess the tools to edit the photographs. In case you are taking a lot of images and wish to retrieve them right away, JPEG might be the better choice. The key deciding factor here is what you require.

Why do the photos I take have an odd color tint?

An improper white balance is most likely the reason for the odd blue or yellow color tints in your photographs. White balance is merely the color of light. There are numerous light sources available for photographers, both natural and artificial. These light sources emit different colors. It can be either warm, indicated by yellow, or cool, indicated by blue. Human eyes can “detect” and accommodate different colors of light, so we do not perceive them similarly. But cameras are quite different from human eyes. They must “predict” the temperature of the incoming light and adjust as necessary. Any minute error in this process can give your photos an odd color tint.

Why is the image subject out of focus and soft?

A lot of factors can cause the subject to be out of focus, but for newbies, a slow shutter speed is usually to blame. If your shutter speed is slow, it produces “soft” images because of motion blur. This is especially true when you are taking photos indoors in AUTO mode. As a result, always attempt to ensure that the shutter speed is adequate. As a rule of thumb, it is better to go for a shutter speed of no less than 1/125 for photos of people. But opt for a much larger shutter speed for shots of motion-packed events like running around. This issue is highly pronounced when you try to take photographs of kids who have a hard time staying still. So, even if they sit pretty still, remember not to use a shutter speed below 1/250.