Whether you desire to take technically complex pictures that require a great deal of equipment – or you desire to take a simpler, more minimalist approach – there is one tool that you absolutely can’t do without. Without question, you’re going to need a camera.

The type of camera I suggest you use is what is commonly called a “35 millimeter digital SLR”. This type of camera is used by most professionals and serious amateurs (and an increasing number of “soccer moms”).

Before the digital revolution, this type of camera was simply called a “35 millimeter SLR”. If you’re curious, SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Feel free to immediately forget that little informational tidbit. In fact, I strongly encourage you not to get excessively entangled in the technical aspects of photography. It’s better to know a few technical things and be able to execute them well than it is to know a lot of technical things but be unable to use them in ways that will produce better pictures.

The main reason that 35mm SLRs are most often used by serious photographers is because it gives the user many options. An SLR allows the user to vary different aspects of the camera to help create unique images. Let’s go over a few of these options:

INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES
An SLR allows you to easily remove and replace the lens at any time. For example, a wide-angle lens can be taken off and replaced with an extreme telephoto lens in just a few seconds. Admittedly, the high quality of zoom lenses that exist today make lens interchangeability a less important factor than in the past. However, it is still a very good idea to have a camera that provides you with the option of interchangeable lenses. I discuss this topic in more detail in my ebook, “Money Shots: The Insider’s Guide to the World of Nude & Erotic Photography (available for purchase and immediate download at http://moneyshotsbook.com).

EXTERNAL LIGHT SOURCE COMPATIBILITY
An SLR allows the user to easily connect to a wide variety of external light sources. Along with the “on-camera” flash that most SLRs feature, an SLR has what is called a “hot shoe”. This feature allows the user to attach an off-camera flash. Off-camera flash is often preferable to on-camera flash because it can produce softer and more flattering light (especially noticeable when photographing people).

In addition, SLRs can be synchronized to external (“studio”) flash heads. If you are serious about photography, chances are that you will eventually want to experiment with external flash sources. It is often the best way (and sometimes the only way) to create beautiful lighting.

EXPOSURE CONTROL
An SLR enables you to make changes regarding the exposure of your photographs. A “point and shoot” camera does not allow you to do this. A photograph’s exposure is determined by two factors: shutter speed and aperture size. Without going into too many details, these two factors work together to create an ideal exposure. “Shutter speed” refers to how long the aperture is open at the moment of exposure; “aperture size” refers to how wide the aperture is open at the moment of exposure. These two factors are intertwined in the creation of a photograph.

An SLR gives you the ability to alter exposure variables to create different types of pictures. For example, if you are photographing a subject that is moving quickly, you may want to use a fast shutter speed to capture the subject in sharp focus (eliminating any blur due to the subject’s speed). On the other hand, you may want to bring attention to the speed of a subject by intentionally including blur. In this case, you could use a slower shutter speed.

Controlling the aperture size allows you to make significant changes regarding the “depth-of-field” of an image. For example, if you want to emphasize a person’s face in a photograph, you might want to have the background a bit blurred to create more emphasis on the face. This can be done by using a wide aperture setting.

It’s important to note that most SLRs can also be set to “automatic” mode. In this mode, the camera will automatically calculate the correct exposure for you. Setting the camera’s mode to “automatic” will usually result in correctly exposed photographs. However, using this mode takes away a great deal of your creative control. In other words – when set to “automatic” – the camera is making the creative decisions, not you. Unfortunately, cameras are not known for possessing high levels of creativity.

Specific camera models change far too quickly for me to recommend any specific camera to you. My advice would be to stick to a major brand and focus mainly on the camera models that are geared toward “serious amateurs”. This type of camera will give you everything you need to create exceptional and professional pictures. You don’t need to be tempted to buy a top-of-the-line “professional” camera. Not only would you be paying thousands of dollars more, but you would also be paying for features that you will probably never need.

Author Bio: Michael Charles is a professional photographer based in Los Angeles, California. He is the author of \”Money Shots: The Insider\’s Guide to the World of Nude & Erotic Photography\” (this book is available for purchase and immediate download at http://www.moneyshotsbook.com). For over a decade, Michael has shot exclusively in the world of nude, erotic, and adult-oriented photography. His work has been featured in hundreds of national and international publications and appears on a wide variety of prominent websites. For a complete course on the techniques, styles, moneymaking secrets, and amazing fringe benefits of nude and erotic photography, visit http://www.moneyshotsbook.com.

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