I can't even remember the number of times i've been asked about my camera gear on instagram, so even though I still consider myself pretty amateur I wanted to compare how my photography journey started to where it is now! I'm proud of all the progress i've made and really hope to inspire you to start! Photography can be an expensive hobby, but I'm also a believer that you don't need the most expensive gear to create beautiful content and capture stunning photos. I haven't upgraded my gear in 6 years now and still am improving, so here is where I started and some stream-of-conscious thinking along the way.
What do I use? Sigma 30mm f/1.4
How i got started with learning
I started my photography journey during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was stuck at home with a new puppy, all alone and bored since I couldn't travel outside of working. I decided then and there I'd finally start to learn how to use my camera. I bought it previously for some international trips, but I just shot in auto and never learned how to properly use it. The first thing i did was sign up for a local photography class. Since this was the pandemic, the stay at home orders kept changing so the class switched to remote which worked out. The class size was small, about 4 of us, and the teacher used to be a college professor and has traveled the world practicing photography. He made a guide for each of our different camera models and we had homework every week where he reviewed our work and critiqued it/offered suggestions. I was struggling with learning how to focus my lens, so the class was really helpful so i could ask all the questions!
Year by year comparison
Year 1 (2019)
Taking lots of pictures of cityscapes/travels, using auto setting, no editing style just lots of heavy contrast and saturation/color, no consideration of lighting. Lots of exposure and lack of adjustments in editing, very light editing in general.
Year 2 (2020)
I started taking portraits of my dog as the subject, learning how to use focus zones, slowing way down, learning aperture priority mode. I also decided to leave Virginia and just be in beautiful places, since that does help make your images "better". I do think you can find beauty anywhere, but sometimes it may take moving somewhere new to make you appreciate a space and explore it meaningfully. When you move somewhere new you're also taking yourself on a journey to step through somewhere you may have never been before, which opens up your eyes to look more deeply into your surroundings and dream a bit.
Year 3 (2021)
I started exploring night photography, takings lots and lots of photos of different landscapes and unique places across the mountain west then pacific northwest on first move, I started using a consistent preset for editing to create a theme, but still photos seem over-exposed a bit. There was a little heavier contrast and whites, but the color palette was slowly coming together. My photos still didn't feel soft though and truly a reflection of the style i wanted. I was just having fun exploring new places (I roadtripped across country and moved to seattle for the summer) and taking photos!
Year 4 (2022)
I decided to take content creation more seriously. I planned a huge trip across Colorado (planning around photo spots) and then planned a solo trip down the California coast (using my tripod to capture photos of myself with sora). I wanted to really emphasize and lean into a specific style for my instagram. I downloaded planner apps like preview to help visualize things better with colors around each other. I focused on really beautiful, dreamy background, softness, and warmth.
Year 4 (2023)
I kind of took a break from photography in the first half of the year (personal stuff dealing with), slowed down, stopped bringing my camera along to everything because i felt uninspired, lost some inspiraiton but found it again by the mid/end of the year and managed to still create here and there, but significantly less. The photos i did create I was really proud of, but i was really struggling with motivation (and mainly focused on creating tiktok content/videos at the time which probably added to the depression)
Year 5 (2024)
I continued experimenting with framing, really finding my preferred editing style, really practicing night photography. Still lots of color like year 1 but way softer/brighter/more whites and warm and cool adjusted as needed. I focused on framing more, really considering lighting/time of day/weather, taking photos and editing feels natural and comfortable
Who This Lens Is Perfect For
Beginner Photographers: Great for those upgrading from kit lenses. I never use my kit lens anymore. This lens really shines on portraits and landscapes in natural lighting outside, but I wouldn't recommend for indoor photography.
Content Creators: Ideal for bloggers, Instagram photographers, and vloggers due to its versatility and aesthetics.
Travel Photographers: Lightweight, compact, and excellent for capturing diverse shots while on the go.
Portraits and Landscapes mainly
I mainly shoot in A mode (aperture priority) because it's most convenient and easy for me. I don't like dealing with setting focus modes.
Astrophotography
This is done in M mode (manual) because you have to handle the setting the focus manually to produce clear captures. The stars are distance infinite, so you need to set the distance to infinity first, then bring down lower once you find a star to focus the shot on.
Why It’s the Best Value for the Quality
Pros:
Sharpness and Image Quality
Real-life examples: Share photos that showcase its sharpness and detail.
Comparison to kit lenses and more expensive alternatives.
Low-Light Performance
How f/1.4 makes a difference in dim environments.
Personal anecdotes or examples of night photography, indoor shots, etc.
Beautiful Bokeh and Depth of Field
The wide aperture helps isolate subjects and create artistic backgrounds.
Show example images highlighting the creamy, blurred background.
Build and Design
Discuss the lens’s compact size and weight, making it a great travel or street photography lens.
Talk about durability and whether it holds up in various shooting conditions.
Price Point
Offers near-premium image quality at a mid-range price.
Mention cost savings compared to lenses with similar specs from major brands like Canon, Sony, or Nikon.
Cons:
Fixed focal length (not as flexible as a zoom lens)
Autofocus can occasionally be slower (depending on the camera model used)
Lack of weather sealing
