Photo+Basics

Film vs. Digital

 * In the days of film photography, every picture cost money and space. Money because a picture taken could not be undone, and space because (unless you rolled your own film) most rolls of film only held enough for 24-36 shots.
 * As I type this, I have next to me a 7.1 megapixel camera with a 1 gigabyte memory card. I can fit well over 500 photos on a card the size of a postage stamp, and if I don't like them, **I can delete them and it doesn't cost me a penny**.
 * This means that as teachers we don't need to be conservative with the number of pictures we take. We can literally take hundreds of pictures at one time and just keep the best ten shots, rather than trying to make each picture a "keeper."

Mega-what?

 * **Megapixels** are a unit of measurement (equal to 1 million pixels) used to compare the amount of detail the amount of detail a camera can put into a single picture.
 * It is **not to be confused with a megabyte**, which is a unit of measurement reserved for RAM and storage devices like hard drives.
 * Without going into specifics, a larger the number of megapixels usually correlates with better quality photos. This is not always the case, as camera lens quality and other factors are also important.
 * Depending on what you want to do with the photos, even a 1 megapixel camera can be useful in the classroom. A 3 megapixel camera can make good quality 8"x10" prints, depending on the camera.

Giga-what?

 * A **gigabyte** is a unit of measurement (equal to 1,000 MB, or megabytes) used to compare disk space on hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, RAM, and so on.
 * Many of the new memory cards can hold up to 8 gigabytes worth of photos. Chances are you don't need that much storage (yet), but that means that the smaller memory cards are now much cheaper. As I said before, I can fit over 500 7.1 megapixel photos on a 1 gigabyte card. I could probably get away with a 512 megabyte card, but I got a good deal on the card I have.

Low Light

 * Inside every digital camera is a tiny chip that takes light and turns it into a digital signal, just like how film took that light and turned it into a negative.
 * The names and technologies of these chips can vary, but the desire for smaller cameras (like the kind that's probably in your phone right now) means companies are making smaller chips.
 * A smaller chip absorbs less light than a larger chip can in the same amount of time. The bottom line here is many digital cameras perform poorly in low light situations, and by "low light" I mean "indoors."
 * This can be countered by using a flash and/or keeping the camera stationary (see below).

Tripods, Monopods, Etc.

 * **Tripods** are the most common way photographers keep their cameras still. Bargain hunters can find used tripods at flea markets and the like, but there are other options.
 * **Monopods** are just like tripods, except (as the name implies), there's only one pole. This is not as sturdy as a tripod, but much less bulky and still better than just holding a camera in your hands.
 * **Bean bags** aren't just for throwing around. A large bean bag can be used on any flat surface to hold a camera still long enough to take several good pictures.
 * **Tape** has even been used with decent results - most often outside by taping a camera to a street sign, pole, tree, and so on. Gaffer's tape is recommended as it doesn't leave a residue, but a cheaper alternative is painter's tape.

Delay

 * One of the pitfalls of the more inexpensive cameras is the amount of delay between when the button is pressed and when the picture is taken.
 * Expensive cameras won't have this problem, but for the cheaper ($500 or less) models the amount of delay will vary.
 * This isn't a concern if taking pictures of things that are still (student art, buildings, etc.), but if you want or need to take action shots, it's recommended that you go to a store that has cameras on display and try them out. Even if you buy them somewhere else for less, this is a good way to prevent "buyer's remorse."
 * Online camera reviews can be useful, but remember to take them with a grain of salt.

Storage Devices

 * SD, XD, Memory Stick, etc., these are all different kinds of miniature flash drives that can store information - including your photos.
 * There is some debate over which kinds are best, but it is recommended that you decide on a camera due to its quality, not the media it saves information on.
 * All things being equal, if you already have spare cards from a previous camera you can pick a new camera that uses the same type, but cards are cheap(ish) these days.
 * The one exception to this rule is any camera that saves photos on a CD or DVD. These are, in most cases, not re-writeable technology. This means that one of the major benefits of digital photography (taking as many photos as you want without worrying about the bad ones) is lost.
 * (If the storage device your camera uses can double as a coaster, use a different camera.)

More Information

 * [|Tips From the Top Floor] - an award winning blog, podcast, and wiki on everything that has to do with digital photography.
 * [|PhotoCast Network] - A network of podcasters that focus on digital photography.