3 questions to ask yourself before buying a camera

My trusty Canon sd870 which went everywhere with me and served me quite well for a couple years.  This is its burial photo.  

What kind of camera should I buy?  

I get asked this question A LOT.  So I thought I should address it here.  

There are a TON of cameras out there.  To help you narrow down your search you should ask yourself these 3 questions.  

1.  What do I want to use this camera for?

Defining WHY you want a camera is an important step.  

If you want a camera just to share the events of your life with family members on the internet, you probably don’t need the most expensive DSLR camera for that.  An smart phone like an iphone might be the best camera for you because of its easy integration to facebook and twitter.  

But if you are wanting to take landscape shots and print them 30x40” an iphone probably won’t do the trick.  You will need a high megapixel DSLR to be getting the quality to print that large.

Identifying the main reason you want a camera is an important step.  

2.  What is my budget?

This is a good determining factor too.  You can want the most expensive DSLR all day but if you only have $500 budgeted than you should NOT go into debt to buy a $3000 camera.  

Also don’t forget to include the cost of some necessary camera accessories.  

3.  What are my friends using?

No you’re not going to buy a camera to fit in with your friends but... if your friends have canon cameras and you buy a canon, then your friends should be able to give you first hand knowledge when you have a question.  Or if you have a Nikon DSLR you might be able to borrow and trade lenses with other Nikon users for a weekend to see what other lenses are like before you make the investment to buy one. 

What else do you think are necessary considerations when buying a camera?  

3 Reasons why you should be using INSTAGRAM!

Instagram | Waikiki, Hawaii | Iphone3gs 

I recently started using instagram.  I’ve downloaded this app a few different times before actually signing up and using it.  What sold me this time is a good friend of mine told me it was like facebook without all of the complaining.  I was sold.  

Instagram is an app for your  iphone.  I don't know if it works on other smart phones or not, I assume it does.  I have an old iphone 3gs that I don’t use as a phone anymore, so its my glorified Ipod touch.

Here are 3 reasons why you should be using instagram if you can.  

Using Instragram will... 

1.  get you exercising your photographic mind.  

Instagram is fun, so you’ll be taking photos a lot more and THINKING about taking photos more.  Subconsciously you will be asking yourself, what is interesting around me that I can take a photo of and share?  Practice makes perfect so this is a great way to get you working, thinking and developing your photographic eye.  It will even help you improve on simple composition.  

2.  put you in community with other photographers.  

Instagram is a COMMUNITY, so you will be following other photographers.  You will be exposed to some great photography and creativity.  Seeing other peoples work always serves as an inspiration and is a great way to get your creativity flowing!  

3.  allow you to share your life in a fun visual way.  

Instagram is a fun way to share what is going on in your life with other people.  What good are your photos if no one sees them?  You can sync it to Facebook and Twitter so you can easily share what you are doing with your social network.  


Did I mention it's FUN?!  Photography should always be FUN!  

Do you instagram?  Leave your instagram name in the comments and follow us! --> @jimjessbaker