A path to better pictures

John Nack (Google, formerly Adobe) linked to this great article by Stu Maschwitz, "How to Take Good Photos for Under $1,000." My favorite line:

The oldest advice about photography is still the best. A “fast 50” is the cheapest, best lens. On your inexpensive DSLR, 50mm is a portrait lens, which means it’s good for taking pictures of people—which are the only pictures anyone cares about.

It's a good collection of sensible advice and you should absolutely read it... especially if you are a designer that ends up having to take a lot of pictures.

A couple of comments:

  • His recommendation to buy a fast 50mm lens is a great one. Yes, zooms are convenient, but shooting with a faster lens is wonderful, especially if you can use natural light and not use a flash. Plus, the 50mm lens is affordable.
  • I wouldn't throw away the kit zoom. But lens quality does matter.
  • Yes, shooting in RAW is worth the extra file size. If you want great results, shoot in RAW.
  • He mentions that Lightroom will cost you about $100. But if you have Creative Cloud, it's one of the apps that Adobe included in the subscription.

When I first started shooting, a 50mm lens was always included when you bought a camera. Now, it's all about zooms. I'm planning on upgrading my camera system soon and I'll definitely take some of Stu's advice.