Okay! this is one question that I find very questionable if I can say that. Most people ask this one question and some don't even know that they are different kinds of photography out there. Oh Yes! there are and you can be a master of a couple if not all (depends though - when you know you strong points that it).

In Nigeria here, people just go the stores and pick up any camera off the shelve (NIKON and CANON mostly), probably read through the manual or not and call themselves photographers but there is a lot that goes into this.

Back to what kind of photographer you are or want to be. In our context here (Nigeria) people go into one kind of photography mostly...yes you got that right WEDDING/EVENT Photography. This happens to be the tread now because truth be told, you can make money from it as long as the variable as at your side. However, you can still command more cash with the other form of photography given all the variables.

Once you understand the concept of photography and start shooting, you will naturally bend to your own form. When you get better, you will be able to merge more forms. Explore more, look at what people have shot, ask questions, play with your camera and don't worry much about scratches on the body but mind the lenses though.

Here is a list of SOME kind of photography:

1. Wedding / Event Photography
2. Portrait Photography
3. Landscape Photography
4. Baby/ Family Photography
5. Wild life Photography
6. Sports Photography
7. ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY
8. Aerial Photography
9. Macro Photography
10. Flower Photography
11. Food Photography
12. Street Photography
13. Cloud Photography
14. Fashion Photography
15. Advert Photography

These here are a few. Hey! did you guys notice #7 ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY (my favorite). I will be talking about that in coming posts.

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

Nice right up bro! I also want to venture into this business... .. I'm a student, who loves to run business alongside with studying!... Pls bro! I want to buy my first camera! I have heard that CANON is the best of all and one should go for the professional brands.... Pls what CHEAP camera would you recommend for me!... I onl have 50k.....pls reply soon!

@jonescyras. No model of camera determines the quality of pictures taken per say. Having said that, NIKON, CANON,SONY, FUJI etc. These are all good cameras with fantastic quality production. I am a Nikon shooter and it has worked for me very well.

Buying a camera is not as daunting as it may seem. What you should focus on now is the kind of photography you are interested in and the lenses you need that will help you achieve your goal. Let me put it this way, your form of photography will determine the lens you buy in most cases. The camera body type (NIKON, CANON and the rest also play a role also) but this should not be your concern for now.

The type of camera you need with respect to your budget is most definitely not a "point and shoot camera"(those camera that you cannot change the lens) that is if you want to have high quality pictures and a professional touch to your photography . You should be looking for an entry level DSLR camera...like NIKON D60, D90. I think it is about 70-90k. This should serve you well because it has most of the config a PRO camera (NIKON D700, D600, D800)has. Bear in mind that Canon also have good entry level DSLR cameras too. I wouldn't quite advise the SONY, FUJI because they don't have a market here in Nigeria which makes their parts expensive. So your best bet is NIKON or CANON.

Hope this helps. If you need more info, comment and I will get across. Spread the word.

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

Thanks Sir(I guess)....my photography will base on events(wedding,naming,and other ceremonies n occasions)!.... Your post gave me a strong confidence on going for DSLR camera... I had wanted to consider SLR camera maybe due to my ignorance! Now, you made me know that DSLR is better than SLR. And on this facts, I have seen one on jumia
http://www./EOS-1100D-Digital-SLR-Camera-62134.html
Pls have a look at this and tell me if it will be of good outcome!!!.....pls reply soon!

@jonescyras I have looked at the camera and it is a good one. The configurations are quite reasonable and the ISO is good as well. For your form of photography (wedding,naming,and other ceremonies n occasions), this should suffice, though it did not state the lens it comes with.

However, these entry level DSLR cameras come with lens 18-55mm f3.5-5 which is slow but a good lens still.

You can go for this.

See the picture attached below. I shot this with an 18-55mm f3.5 lens so yes you are good to go.

Hope this helps and congrats

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

Thanks bro!... Like you'v said that 18-55mm f3.5 lens is slow!.... which MM do you think will be faster!.... And besides, what does MM mean in cameras...what feature does it give?....thanks

In a word, MM shows the focal length. 18-55MM is the distance. Meaning you can zoom from 18-55 millimeters.

The focal length would be the distance between the lens and the back of the camera where the image is formed.

F3.5-5 is the APERTURE of the lens which is determined by the amount of light that your lens can accommodate and translate to the back camera. I don't think you will have issues with this lens. It is good trust me.

If you find yourself in low light conditions, popping your ISO will accommodate. I will recommend you buy a flash gun (flash) to help with your photography since Nigeria's are not big on creative photography in a sense.

I am not much of a flash person because I like to use natural light as much as possible to give the natural look or to be creative with what I see through my lens. Having mentioned that, I ALWAYS have my flash gun in my kit (who knows when you need it - right )

Your lens is a good one for now. Don't worry about it. Concentrate on understanding the concept of photography and usage of your camera.

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

Thank you sir, you have really been of help!.....sorry I ask too much questions sir....my last questions are
1.....Is it possible to replace the MM lens to an higher one(upgrade) perhaps buying a new one lens......and is it possible to merge two lenses together on a camera?
2....As I'm new in this stuff. I will like to know the cons(problems) or I should say fault that MAY pop-up while using this device?.....or I should call it MAINTENANCE
THANKS

Oh yes!!! It is possible to replace the MM (as you put it) on the camera but by buying another lenses. You have different types of lens which can be used to achieve different outcomes. e.g

Prime Lenses (these are fixed (35mm)i.e you CANNOT zoom - the contrast of these type of lenses are best. However, the limitation with these is the fact that you have to move around more often in other to get the desired shot)

Zoom Lenses (these lenses have the zoom capability like the 18-55mm which allows you the convenience to stay in one place and zoom in and out as desired to get that shot but the contrast isn't as good as the before mentioned)

So yes you can buy lenses with different focal lengths (CANON lenses only if you buy a CANON).

In engineering, it is said that no machine is 100% efficient, so issues may occur but very rare if you are careful with your gadget and not treat it like a toy. Regular maintenance should be done, like cleaning the lens with the right kit, charging and changing the battery, avoiding moisture etc

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

Thanks...but As I'm new in this stuff. I will like to know the
cons(problems) or I should say fault that MAY pop-
up while using this device?.....or I should call it
MAINTENANCE
THANKS

Please refer to my last post

Keep shooting

Vzoren Photography

jonescyras: I had wanted to consider SLR camera maybe due to my ignorance! Now, you made me know that DSLR is better than SLR.

Dude first of all the OP of this thread NEVER said a DSLR is better than an SLR. Have you even thought about what those letters mean? You said you're a student right? So where is your very basic research skills? There's always a thousand people coming here and saying the same "I heard they said this one is better." or "Which one should I buy?" No one can ever answer that question but you. And if you can't answer such simple questions or figure anything out for yourself then you really have no business whatsoever going into photography because your reason is "Oh, they said... So let me like a sheep follow the crowd." smh.

VillageBoi:

Dude first of all the OP of this thread NEVER said a DSLR is better than an SLR. Have you even thought about what those letters mean? You said you're a student right? So where is your very basic research skills? There's always a thousand people coming here and saying the same "I heard they said this one is better." or "Which one should I buy?" No one can ever answer that question but you. And if you can't answer such simple questions or figure anything out for yourself then you really have no business whatsoever going into photography because your reason is "Oh, they said... So let me like a sheep follow the crowd." smh.

I saw your trend...nice way of trying to inspire people. Well done bro

akam36:
I saw your trend...nice way of trying to inspire people. Well done bro

I'm not trying to inspire anyone. We too ask dumb questions online when said same person can use this 'brain' we all claim to have and at least do some extremely basic research.
Had it been a set of sensible questions then fair enough but the same questions appear in every other thread. They can keep on ping-ponging here instead of figuring out that there is actually something called 'Google' for starters. smh.

And yes, I no get interest in 'Let's follow the herd people'. Why does he want to go into photography? His answer will be as 'meh' as anything.

VillageBoi:

I'm not trying to inspire anyone. We too ask dumb questions online when said same person can use this 'brain' we all claim to have and at least do some extremely basic research.
Had it been a set of sensible questions then fair enough but the same questions appear in every other thread. They can keep on ping-ponging here instead of figuring out that there is actually something called 'Google' for starters. smh.

And yes, I no get interest in 'Let's follow the herd people'. Why does he want to go into photography? His answer will be as 'meh' as anything.

I don't expect you to take this personal......I'm ignorant when it come to taking about camera..... and so do many people.......
I had made an initial searching on arts/photography forums online!..... But seeing his topic here on nairaland gave me the pat to asking more... N besides the talk is between the OP n I......
......

jonescyras:

I don't expect you to take this personal......I'm ignorant when it come to taking about camera..... and so do many people.......
I had made an initial searching on arts/photography forums online!..... But seeing his topic here on nairaland gave me the pat to asking more... N besides the talk is between the OP n I......
......

It ain't personla dude. You're a student right? There are basic things you should be able to find out on your own. This is a 'public' forum, incase you have not figured even that out, feel free to PM the OP if you want to chat privately. There is not a single thing you've asked here that you could easily get th answer to.

One of the main things you wanted to know is what camera to buy. That really is up to you and factors important to you. The first factor is always budget and you've said that. The next factor is what kind of photography you want to do and you have already mentioned that to be weddings and 'other' events.

Taking these two factors; your BUDGET & WEDDING photography... How would YOU go about things? What do YOU think you need to do? How would YOU make this work for you?

Simple fact - be it photography or film, things go wrong in the field all the time or problems crop up that you need to solve then and there. Are you able to?
I'm not here to sweet talk you. I'll nudge you to think for yourself... if you can; and if you don't like it then tough!

Fact - The Nigerian visual industry (film, photography, graphics, animation and so on) is at least 95% utter rubbish because we are just LAZY as hel.l. (not just physically but most especially mentally lazy). The 'visual' section where you can get the best stuff is actually 'photography'... Why? Because people that go into it generally have no choice but to learn wtf they are doing (it is mainly a solo type of venture, they have no one to point the blame to and they cannot for anything even blame equiment! Brilliant photogaphy can even be made with a pinhole camera or even match box and the OP has mentioned at least a couple of types of photography where that would work.

Don't get me wrong, even in Naija stills photography there's a dime a dozen out there that are rubbish. So you want to be babysat and spoonfed like the bulk of our filmmakers do to the audience? Or do you ant to start thinking for yourself how to make yourself a cut above the 'norm'? That's up to YOU but you're going to have to use that grey-matter.

So again... can you?

PS. I'm more into filmmaking but photography is just as similar. We live in such a blessed age - there isn't anything to do with these two subjects that isn't online right now. Just look out there and you'll find it. From the very basics of learning photography to very complex things. If you're in any way serious then go and figure out things. It's really not that hard to.

Amateur Photography .

Hi!
I do landscape, portrait, events, architecture, nature, product and other creative niches. Get me on @timagex photography on IG....

Nice writeup. I'm a photographer. I do landscapes, nature, portrait, events, street, food and other interesting genres. I currently shoot with a nikon d40x. My page is @timagex photography on IG. I follow back.