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Great! You Bought A Camera Kit – What Are Two Things That Can Make A Difference?

Canon SL1 Kit from Adorama

Image Above From Adorama - I bought my first piece of gear from them over 30 years ago.

The Canon SL1 currently holds the record for the world's smallest DSLR. As of this post, the kit above is $599 which is about as reasonable as you can currently get with a camera body, two lenses, a camera bag and some other accessories.

Whether you choose to buy a Canon, Nikon, Sony or other brand camera is not the point of this post. The purpose of this post is to get the newbie thinking beyond "I own a nice camera. I'm now a photographer."

There are two core issues that I see with numerous new photographers:

Canon 600 EX-RT - Picture From Adorama.com

Canon 600 EX-RT Adorama.com

1) They do not own an external hotshoe mountable flash (pictured left) and have zero clue how to use one. Furthermore, they do not see the value in using a flash both indoors and outdoors.

Since I could practically write a book on this issue alone, I will default to sending you off to do additional research. Start by watching YouTube videos on flash photography. Simply search "flash photography" to get started.

The flash (or speedlite) pictured on the left is the Canon 600 EX-RT which currently costs $469. However, you can get the Yongnuo 600 EX-RT (Chinese Version) for $120 currently off Amazon. I shoot with the Canon's, but I know someone who has the Yongnuo's.

2) They do not understand camera settings.

I encourage any photographer to dive into the dial settings, read the boring manual, test the different settings and play around with the menu. There is likely a menu setting that will put everything back to default.

There are multiple other things that I could write about, but the two things above will make a huge difference in the results of the newbie photographer that just bought "a nice camera." Photography is not simply about buying a kit and putting the camera on auto mode.

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David Williams

Short Bio About The Author: I'm David Williams a professional commercial photographer focusing on corporate and business clients with some personal branding, lifestyle photography in the mix. My love for photography began in late 1981 while still in High School. I started making money with his camera in 1982. Brenda, my wife, and I started working together in photography in 1988 shortly after we met. Brenda and I married in 1989 and have two adult daughters. Please be sure to get a quote for services if needed. Call or Text: 919.723.8453. Please reach out to connect with me on LinkedIn.

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