taking professional pictures

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

You don't need a DSLR to take a **** photo. First off you have to know what you are doing first. Take some photography classes and learn the basics of using a camera. If you actually want to get good, start off with an older manual film camera (Cannon AE-1's are really good, and pretty cheap). Learn the basics and go from there, and good glass is one of the best investments you can make in a camera too (besides knowledge).

Indeed. Most of those DSLRs are sold with crappy "kit" lenses that aren't fast enough to really be useful in no-flash situations, and using fill flash is no substitute for not having a f1.4 or at least f1.8 normal length lens.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Photography-Third-Revised/dp/0316373052/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233163453&sr=8-1

That's a pretty good book for basics of photography...yes, the title is Black and White, and it does have some stuff on developing you won't need in digital, but I thought it had a really good coverage of the basics...once you know how aperture, shutter speed, and DOF are all related, you'll take better photos //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Ken448 10+ year member]

macro mode on the camera (little flower looking icon) and build a light box.. line a cardboard box with white paper after you cut the top and front off. OR curl up a peice of paper (or posterboard) from the floor to the wall and set object on paper. Shoot away! Dont get close, use camera zoom or digital zoom!

 

[Bender. 10+ year member]

Good lighting. The first pic you posted was taken with 1/13 second exposure time which caused the blurriness.
These were taken with a camera that's worth $50 now. And an external flash.

nice gun