What Type of Photographer Are You?

The first thing to consider is to ask yourself what kind of photographer you are. In other words, HOW do you intend to use your digital camera? Select the type of photographer you are from the table (The Six Categories) below.

The Six Categories

1. Point-and-Shoot = You want a digital camera that automates everything. You 'point' and 'shoot' the picture -- the camera does the rest.

2. Beginner Amateur = You are starting out in photography and this is probably your first digital camera. You need something that is relatively easy to use to start out with. You may or may not want to get serious about photography later on, so you want a camera that will let you try a few things without getting overwhelmed. Your digital camera will have Auto mode, plus a few controls to allow some learning and experimentation.

3. Serious Amateur = Well, you're hooked! Photography is fun, and digital photography has opened up new horizons in seeing and artistic expressions. You want to learn about f/stop, depth of field, and freezing action; how to apply the rules of good composition, proper exposure in different situations, and faithful color reproduction. You do not want to be restricted as to who, when, where, what, and how. You want to learn, imagine, and create. Your digital camera will allow you to explore and experiment: you're ready and not afraid to learn what all those controls are for, experiment with them to see the different images you obtain, and start to discover your own likes and dislikes, as well as your preferred photographic style.

4. Advanced Amateur = You've been at it for years now, and you know both your own personal strengths and limits, as well as the strengths and limitations of digital cameras and image editing software. You've learned to not only follow the rules, but also when to break them. You know the type of photography you like best. Your digital camera should give you total creative control as well as the best image quality possible. You want a digital camera that you can customize to work the way you like to work (and, in many cases, it does require you to customize its settings before you can obtain quality images from it). But, you can also work around the limitations of a digital camera; it is, after all, just a tool to you.

5. Family dSLR = As easy to use as a P&S but with the image quality, speed of operation and flexibility you would expect from a dSLR. A Family dSLR is as full-featured as any digital SLR and will take you as far as you want to go. It is Point-and-Shoot simple in use -- not in features.

6. Professional = You are a pro. Only the best will do. Buy whatever you want from any of the categories -- and why are you even reading this?

(taken from Photoxels)