Very basic guidelines for photography
"The best camera is the one you have with you" - someone who doesn't mind being quoted, hopefully
0. I can't stress this one enough: lighting most certainly matters more than the camera quality itself (honestly any DSLR newer than 2008, a point & shoot made after 2010, or maybe even a smartphone from 2020 will suffice - even if you don't aim at the outdated lo-fi look), and possibly more than you assume. Quick tip: consider soft lighting for safe portraits and hard flash for dramatic shadows.
1. Parameter cheat sheet:
darker, less grainy ← ISO (sensitivity) → brighter, more grainy
darker ← EV (affects values below *) → brighter
brighter, prone to blur ← shutter speed → darker, less shaky
darker, sharp everywhere ← aperture size → brighter, blurs background etc
wider, more distorted ← focal length → narrower ("zoomed"), straighter
* - PASM modes mean you control nothing (P), Aperture/Shutter speed, or everything (M), while EV controls all else.
2. Learn the basics of composition, but if you're lazy just read about the rule of thirds, subject looking direction, converging lines, and don't crop at joints if there's no good and obvious reason.
3. Photographing black and/or white fabric, snow etc. tips:
* shoot so everything else (i.e. skin) looks normal on the camera but use RAW to be able to brighten the shadows on black clothing or darken the highlights on white clothing with Lightroom (or darktable) - THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL AND WILL NOT WORK OTHERWISE IN MY EXPERIENCE;
* remember that your camera compensates to gray by default. Snow is white, so you want to actually "overexpose" a bit so it stays white instead of becoming "neutral" gray! Same thing (but inverted) when trying to shoot with a lot of blackness in the frame - you want the camera "think" you're underexposing if you actually want the photo to be dark because it features black.
4. Your auto camera pics might be blurry when it's darker because it expands the exposure time instead of making the ISO higher for example - try using something like a tripod if you can't change this setting. Remember - you might be able to brighten or denoise an image a bit, but you can't really un-shake it. Also, it's hard to be a good model and a good photographer at once, especially without a lot of practice and decent gear - don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone has good angles and bad days. And remember to try breaking the rules creatively after you grasp the basics! Long exposure allows "painting with light" for example.
PS: don't try to shoot your model facing strong sunlight if you want their eyes to be open lol
PPS: I am in no way a professional, but this kind of a cheat sheet was something I really used to look for, so I hope it can at least help to start if you don't know where to!
PPPS: analog camcorders are very often in a horrible condition nowadays, but digital (even tape) ones might still hold up, so consider getting, for example, a MiniDV one (and a cheap composite-to-USB grabber) instead, if you're after the 90s tape video look
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