What is Photography and What is a Point and Shoot and a DSLR?

What is Photography and What is a Point and Shoot and a DSLR?

     What is photography? Well this question can be easily answered. Photography is the art or practice of taking and processing photographs. Photography uses light to capture its images. This is all very easy and common knowledge and you're probably wondering when we're going to get into the good stuff, but in order to get into the good stuff, we have to learn some basics. Nowadays, people can capture images through many devices. People can capture images through cameras, phones, ipods, ipads, etc. However, the most common instrument used in capturing the best quality of images is through the camera. There are two (2) types of cameras. There is the Point and Shoot camera, and there is the SLR camera. 

     *Point and Shoot- Most people are more familiar with these types of cameras. These cameras are more compact digital cameras that are way more automatic than an SLR camera is. By automatic, it means that it can focus on the subject by itself and you don't have to adjust anything as much as you would with an SLR camera.

     *SLR- SLR stand for single lens reflex. This pretty much means that what you see is what you get. Early SLR cameras were filmed based, so the "newer" SLR cameras are called DSLR cameras in which the letter "D" stand for digital. SLR, or DSLR cameras, has way more control than a Point and Shoot camera. You have to be in control of camera.

DSLR cameras normally has these features:

     *Removable and interchangeable lenses 

     *A reflex mirror

     *DSLR cameras are designed to have far more manual control other than the point and shoot

Below are some photos of the different appearances between a Point and Shoot camera and a DSLR camera:

"Does a Point and Shoot Camera Still Make Sense to You?." Digital Photographer School. Digital Photography School, n.d. Web. 15 Dec 2013. <http://digital-photography-school.com/does-a-point-shoot-camera-still-make-sense-for-you>.

"The Four DSLR Camera for Every Budget." Gizmodo. Allure Media, n.d. Web. 15 Dec 2013. <http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/11/the-four-dslr-cameras-for-every-budget/>.

Please note that not all cameras look like the ones that are shown above. There are so many different types of cameras that exist. The ones above are just used to demonstrate the main differences between a Point and Shoot (First Image) and a DSLR (Bottom Image).

Now you might be wondering, which camera is better? Well it depends on what you are going to be shooting the photos for. If you're going to be shooting photos with friends and family and have fun with it, then the Point and Shoot will work fine. However, if you want to shoot more professional shots like senior photos or photos for a contest or anything, then the DSLR is a better way to go. 

Some things that makes the DSLR better for these types of photos is that they have a higher megapixel count, better color control, and much sharper images. However this doesn't mean that you can't get any good photos with a Point and Shoot camera. You can get so many amazing shots without having a DSLR camera. Below is an image that I took with my Point and Shoot camera before I got a DSLR camera:

Now this was taken with my Point and Shoot camera. It didn't turn out so bad, you can really see detail in the bird's feathers. However, if this image was taken with a DSLR, then this image could be uploaded and printed into a HUGE size without making the image look like a bunch of pixels unlike the Point and Shoot camera. This is because a DSLR camera has a higher megapixel count. There will be more detail on the megapixel count later. I hope you found this helpful and enjoyed it! :)