We’ve Only Just Begun

/ Richard R. Barron

I have another Intro to Digital Photography class starting Monday, and I always get a little buzzed about it in advance. I think about arriving, writing my name and website on the dry erase board, looking around. I see people look up at me in anticipation, some of them with questions on the tips of their tongues.

Most of the people in my classes are equipped with this type of gear: a "kit." This is my wife's Nikon D3000, an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6. In the right hands, a kit like this is capable of amazing things.
Most of the people in my classes are equipped with this type of gear: a “kit.” This is my wife’s Nikon D3000, an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6. In the right hands, a kit like this is capable of amazing things.

Their cameras are old and new, expensive and austere, well-used and right out of the box. (Sometimes they are still in the box.)

On my way to cover basketball in Tupelo, Oklahoma a couple of nights ago, I spotted a colorful sunset and some trees by the roadside, and decided to add this 14x teleconverter to my 300mm.
On my way to cover basketball in Tupelo, Oklahoma a couple of nights ago, I spotted a colorful sunset and some trees by the roadside, and decided to add this 14x teleconverter to my 300mm.

Their experiences are as diverse as their cameras. Maybe they got that camera for Christmas. Maybe they shot film years ago and are just now deciding to enter the digital age. Maybe they have kids who they want to photograph. Maybe they want to make extra money with their cameras. Maybe their bosses want them to shoot photos for the business.

One thing they will have in common: they want to learn.

The Intro classes are nuts and bolts. How often should you charge the battery? What kind of media card do I need for video? What’s the best lens for shooting seniors and babies?

No matter what you are shooting, remember that no picture is worth the risk of injury or death, and you should always make safety a priority. I always, for example, pull all the way off the road when I stop to shoot something, as I did a couple of nights ago.
No matter what you are shooting, remember that no picture is worth the risk of injury or death, and you should always make safety a priority. I always, for example, pull all the way off the road when I stop to shoot something, as I did a couple of nights ago.

One of my goals in the Intro class is to take the magic and mystery out of photography, to let all my students that it doesn’t take a $10,000 camera, and it isn’t rocket science. Photography is fun, powerful, and exciting. You can do this. You can make beautiful pictures.

The 300mm plus a 1.4x converter equals 420mm, which really fills up the frame, adding real drama and beauty to things like sunsets.
The 300mm plus a 1.4x converter equals 420mm, which really fills up the frame, adding real drama and beauty to things like sunsets.