How to Take Better Pictures- Part 1: Picking the Right Camera

How to Take Better Pictures Series
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

As many of you probably know by now, in November of last year I began my photography business, Becca Sue Photography. This past year has been a complete whirlwind! I never thought I’d be where I am now in my photography journey, and it’s so cool to see one of my lifelong dreams actually getting lived out. Surreal, actually! Isaac and I were talking about it the other night, and we are both blown away with how far it’s come. I can’t help but grin from ear to ear when I see a booked calendar, amazing clients and swoon worth pictures. I know it’s by the Lord’s grace I have gotten to where I am now, and I can’t wait to continue to use my business for His glory. 

Also, in the past couple of months a lot of you have been commenting on the pictures you’ve seen on the blog. It’s exciting to see how as I’ve begun to learn how to take good pictures, it’s also helped me in my food photography, personal family pictures, and (of course) pictures of Lillie. ;)
So today I decided to start something a little different, and share some things I’ve learned along the way. This will be a 3 part series that will show you how to take better pictures, from picking the right photography equipment, to lighting to simple camera settings that will totally change your game. Who’s ready to get started?

As always, if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below! I am more than happy to answer any question you may have. 

How to Take Better Pictures
Part 1: Picking the Right Camera

The first step towards taking better pictures is investing in some good, high quality photography equipment. It’s time to ditch the point and shoot that you have probably been using for the past few decades, or get out of automatic mode on the fancy DSLR you got for Christmas a few years ago (keep an eye out next Friday for my camera settings post that will show you how to move into manual mode!). 

If you are wanting to take your pictures up to the next level, but don’t know where to start, I gotchu covered! I bought my first DSLR when I was a sophomore in college and immediately saw an improvement in my pictures. Then when I moved from automatic to manual, holy moly I finally started seeing the pictures I had been wanting to take for YEARS but never knew how! And today I’m here to get you started on the right foot. Because in order to start using manual mode, you first need to get a DSLR camera, and that’s where this 3-part series is starting. 

But… Where do I start?

When it comes to camera shopping, I totally get it. It’s overwhelming! What brand do you go with? Which model do you want? What features are you looking for? And the list goes on. I’ve broken my suggestions down by the following categories to hopefully make the decision a little easier for you: Budget Picks, Bang for your Buck, and Becca’s Picks. 
*Please note that all these suggestions are Canon, because that is the only brand I’ve shot it. I have loved every camera of theirs that I’ve used, from my point and shoot, to my now full frame professional camera!*

Side note: DSLR stands for digital single-lens reflex, and has bigger sensors and interchangeable lenses unlike a point and shoot camera. Check out this post to read more about the difference between the two types of cameras!

*Also, if you don’t have any lenses yet, please make sure you are getting a body AND lens! The Canon EF-S lenses only work on crop sensor models, but Canon EF lenses are compatible with full frame models and most crop sensor ones.*

Budget Picks

Here you’ll find some more budget friendly DSLR cameras that will get you started in the world of nicer cameras. While these cameras are great for personal use (especially moms or bloggers), they hold a lot of limitations if you are wanting to pursue photography in a professional manner. I used my budget DSLR camera for the first 5 months of my business and did fine, but definitely saw an increase in quality of pictures when I upgraded cameras. Either way, these cameras are good quality for the price, and the Rebel line is definitely a great place to start. : )

Bang for your Buck

These cameras are a little more expensive than the budget picks, BUT they have SO many more features that set them apart. They are all crop sensors (read about those and how they’re different from full frames here), which means they will be less expensive that the professional grade ones with similar features. My husband is my second shooter for weddings and actually uses the 80D! It’s an awesome camera, and definitely one we will keep for years to come. 

Becca’s Picks

These are all cameras I’ve either used in the past, have my eye on for future upgrades, or wish I had bought when I could. Yes, that price tag on some are a little scary, but that’s what you get when you start going into the more professional quality cameras out there. ; ) And they also come with my stamp of approval (although all the cameras I mentioned here did…) and I know you’ll love them as much as I do! 


 

Well… There you have it! Hopefully this has helped make your camera shopping a little bit easier, and as always if you have any questions, feel free to let me know! Also, make sure to tune in next week when I break down your camera’s manual settings to help you get out of shooting in automatic. : )

Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
Do you own a DSLR camera? If so, what do you use?
What is the hardest thing for you when it comes to taking good pictures?