What is required to make a photograph is a camera and film. To my opinion, a camera is just a helping hand, and a good camera is certainly no guarantee that you will produce good photographs. It can merely relieve the beginner from difficult lighting settings, depths of field and the like. As I rate myself as a beginner and as a starting amateur (I doubt if I ever reach that status) I do not spend too much on expensive camera equipment. It is not worth the money. What it actually boils down to for making a good photograph is composition and a good doses of luck. Luck for having a perfect lighting environment, weather conditions and an interesting object to take a photograph of. For that reason I chose the Nikon F60. It is easy to handle (probably the first in the Nikon history), lies good in the hand, is build to last and is not too light (as is its competitor, the Canon 500N). It comes with many settings and pre-defined configurations, like sport, portrait, landscape and night). You can do everything automatic, manual, or anything in between.

Remember, a camera is just a helping hand. In the early days people could take extremely good photographs with primitive equipment (and a load of money to pay for all the mistakes) because they knew it was all in the composition. After all, Photography is Art.

So, to complete my equipment listing, I have two zoom lenses, a Nikkor 35-80 mm and a Tamron 80-210 lens to cover most of the range of hand-held photography. If you want a longer focal point, you will need a sack of beans or a tripod. A useful tip to protect your lenses and to get somewhat better contrast and color is to use a standard UV filter on the lenses at all times.

The following photos are some examples I am proud of. Since I know little of photography, it must have been luck for being at the right time and on the right spot! Use the buttons under the picture to slide forward and backwards.

If you wish to know more about the camera equipment and reviews:

The Nikon F60 online brochure.

Photo Net has all you need to know about photography. Including reviews.

For those interested at making better photographs, check out these wonderful sites:

Kodak guide in taking great pictures.

Nikon photo world.