Step One!

So many choices!

The first step for any aspiring photographer is to purchase a camera. Sounds simple, right? Well.. yes! Yes it is! And no. But first the yes: Yes it is easy to pick up just about any camera and start clicking away. And, with a basic understanding of lighting and composition, anyone can achieve some pleasant results. A photographer absolutely, positively does NOT need a $3,000 SLR to be a great photographer. For example, here is a modest collection of a few well composed photos snapped with ordinary, everyday cellphones. Generally you wouldn't want to shoot with something as limiting as a cellphone, but the point here is that any camera, whether it's a cellphone, point and shoot, or SLR, has the ability to capture stunning images. The best equipment in the world isn't going to turn a poorly composed image into great one.

But with that being said, investing in a modestly priced SLR is going to go a long way in providing the user with a piece of equipment that has the availability of a more complex set of features that will allow him or her to expand horizons as they grow as a photographer. The "automatic" setting might be great for when first starting out, but eventually that setting will show its limitations and things like aperture, shutter speed and ISO will need to be adjusted to get that perfect shot.

I've gotten ahead of myself, though. Lets step back to that "no" I mentioned earlier. The most daunting task that someone will face when searching for a camera is choice. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Kodak and Sony all have over a 150 models to choose from, with Olympus topping out at 204. Not to mention the various lenses to choose from if you buy a SLR. My best advice here would be to first decide what type of camera to get (point and shoot or SLR), and then settle on a price range. Once that decision is made all I can recommend is to READ. Read books, blogs, personal reviews, professional reviews, tests, specs, statistics, anything and everything that is going to familiarize you with the equipment you're investing in. It's a confusing world at first. With time, though, terms like megapixels, max resolution and ISO will slowly drift into your brain and become a norm. I promise, you'll get there.

Other than that, I would say to ask around. If you have friends, family, or co-workers who own cameras, ask about their experience. The main thing to take away here is that you don't need something super fancy. You should own something that you're comfortable with and that never limits your potential growth as an aspiring photographer.

Here are a couple of website that provide great information that might help in your quest to find the camera that's right for you:

Digital Photography Review

The Digital Picture