Photography Equipment
Photography Equipment: The Most Important Tools in Photography brought to you by Whatupay.co.uk
When the term photography is used, people tend to think first of pictures processed at the corner drugstore, school pictures, or perhaps a family portrait. This kind of photography is called “continuous-tone photography” and is an important part of the world. However, the applications of photography are much more far reaching than continuous-tone photography.
The basis of photography is a chemical change caused by the action of light on a light-sensitive material. It is generally agreed that visible light is electromagnetic radiation measured in wavelengths emitted from either a natural source (the sun) or an artificial source (an electric bulb). When radiation strikes an object, it is either absorbed or reflected. It is the reflected radiation that causes a chemical change on a piece of film.
In order to start as a photographer, you must first have the correct equipment. To know more about the available equipment and accesories, here is a list to help you on your way:
1. Camera - It is a light-tight box that holds the film. It is a means to focus an image on the film. It is also the device that will control the amount of light that reaches the film. Cameras come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but they all have the same characteristics and controls. It has lens, which is an opening through which to pass and aim the light.
2. Film - All photographic films use some type of light-sensitive material called an emulsion to record a visual image. The characteristics of the light-sensitive emulsion as well as the quantity and quality of light reaching that emulsion will determine the sort of visual image recorded on a piece of film.
Most film emulsions are formed from a silver halide suspended in a gelatin compound and silver chloride are less common and are almost always used in combination with silver bromide to produce different film characteristics. Whatever their chemical differences, all films are structured in the same general manner.
3. Lens - Lens comes in all sizes, depending on the size of the camera. However, an f/stop number will always pass the same quantity of light on any size camera lens. In photography, it is necessary to be able to move the lens so the reflected light from the object will be sharp and clear on the film — this is called focusing. If the image is not in focus, a blurred picture will be produced.
4. Additional memory stick - There is nothing worse than being caught with a full memory stick when you are somewhere without your computer to download your digital photographs to. They come in many sizes from small, usually around 64MB or less, to very large 512MB or larger. For most of us, somewhere in the middle is fine.
5. Tripod - A tripod is probably a more useful digital camera accessory than you might first think. You might be surprised how many times you find yourself in a situation where the level of light just isn't high enough and a flash would ruin the shot. Probably even more likely is the number of times throughout your photographic journey you will want to take a group photo.
Wouldn't it be nice if you were in that photo? Well, with a tripod you can be. Almost every camera made these days has at least a basic delay function to allow you time to position yourself in the photo. You don't necessarily even have to go in for the full size unit. There are a number of table top versions available that work perfectly for most occasions.
6. Camera bag - Even if your new camera came with a small carry bag, you will probably soon find yourself in dire need of more space than the original one has. As you accumulate more digital camera accessories, you will need someplace to keep them. Batteries, a small battery charger, lens filters, additional memory sticks, the list goes on. You will definitely need plenty of pockets in your camera bag to hold all your new gear.
These are just some of the many types of equipment you will need in photography