As a beginner starting out the first thing you do is run to research what equipment you need to get started because you know that you need more than just a camera. To be a photographer requires more gear than the simple camera no matter how much we often wish it didn’t.

So my first rule of thumb is do not put yourself into debt to be a photographer. You do not need to run out and buy top of the line everything to be a good photographer because mastery is always going to be more important than the latest and greatest gear.

So where do you start? Well with a camera.

I personally favor DSLR’s because of their exceptional battery life however mirrorless are fast becoming a photography staple and many manufacturers are phasing out the DSLR. Whether you go full frame or crop sensor is really up to your budget. Full frame generally cost much more than crop sensor. However whichever you choose be aware that as you buy lenses they will function differently on each sensor type or require an adapter to be used.

Here is the thing with the camera, it is a tool and picking one that functional but affordable is the best practice because you are going to want to invest your money into your lenses. Lenses are the bread and butter of photography. You want to shoot in bad lighting? You need the right lens preferably one that is capable of opening wide, wide open to let in as much light is as physically possible.

What Lens should you start with?

Many camera kits come with some nice standard plastic lens 18-55mm, 75-300 mm but even though they are incredibly inexpensive they are very much starter lenses that leave a lot to be desired. My favorite lenses are so expensive and I know they are not what beginners can afford but there is a secret — you do not need these price zoom lenses.

The secret my friend is prime lenses. They are cost affordable, and they allow you to shoot a wide range of things in bad lighting or good. The down side to these lenses you are going to have to physically move you body close to your subject to get the shots. But a nifty 50, 85mm, or even the 35 mm are great starter lenses that you can use in a variety of situations.

Then there are the telephoto lenses which for me as an action photographer are my go too’s and favorites. the 70-200mm or the 28-135 mm lens. These allow you to be further away yet get a nice zoom on the action while preserving the clarity which is something you will notice can’t easily been done with a cell phone.

Choosing a Memory Card.

Memory cards seem like such a simple item for photography after all how complex can they be? Well the truth is they are more than just storage size. These little storage devices also offer speed os use that will make a huge difference in your work depending what you photograph. Not to mention the brand will make a difference as well..

Higher end brands are more common to be used by photographers shooting events like the olympics these brands are the ones with memory cards that can cycle photos faster for me I lean toward Lexar or Prograde with a 300 mb read rate at least a 260 mb write rate. This card is fast, fast, fast and perfect for action photographers. Next important bit is choosing size at minimum I recommend 32 gb however 64 and 128 are popular.

Other gear to consider.

There is so much gear out there that figuring out what you need to start is a challenge. Especially if you do not know what you want to shoot. If you want to shoot landscapes make sure you get a semi decent tripod, if you want to shoot studio you will need off camera flash and at the very least a neutral backdrop, and of course you need a decent camera bag but you do not have to go all out and buy something incredibly expensive just functional.

There is so much gear out there it will take forever to go through it all and just getting started it is easy to. get over whelmed. Starting with the basics of a camera, lens, a memory card and a decent bag is a great starting point. Find what you like to shoot and grow from there. There is countless articles out there about gear so when you have a direction you want to go the advice is out there waiting for you.