Intro
Photography is one of the most wonderful forms of art. You get to capture a moment only you can see and feel telling captivating stories visually. One downside though is that it might be a hobby that comes with quite a hefty price tag, but if you’re down for investing your time, money, and passion, the fun is about to begin. With that being said, it doesn’t mean having to spend every penny on equipment and not being able to eat for weeks. With there being options like checking out sites like www.shoppok.com or asking a friend if you can borrow equipment (until you can buy a camera), there’s no reason to be out of pocket, especially as a beginner.
Here are six tips that will guide you through your learning journey if you’re still a beginner who wants to get started.
Invest time in learning
Many people would get bored easily or might find things overwhelming in the beginning, especially when it gets to getting the exposure right. You might get lost with stops at first, but by time, you’ll find yourself setting things up automatically; just like driving. If you’re not a big fan of reading, then you might consider enrolling in a photography course. However, based on personal experience, no course will teach you everything. You can really get the grip of the basics on your own; it’s doable all thanks to Google and Youtube tutorials. You can even find an online course instead which will cost you $13 only on Udemy, or cost you nothing at all on Coursera.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Once you get to know your basics, you need to start implementing immediately. Just like I said, photography is just like driving, the more you practice, the more you get better at it. Practice is the key to being a great photographer because even if you’ve been doing it for years if you compare your work now a year later, you’ll definitely notice a change. And of course, you’ll always keep learning along the way.
It’s also important to remember that depending on your subject matter, your photography style will also change. As this guide to shooting cars from All Car Leasing explains, there are certain techniques that will be different based on whether the car is moving or still for example.
Set your camera on manual mode
With all due respect to those who shoot on automatic mode, that’s just like driving a bumper car instead of a real one. That’s not photography when you let the camera set everything for you and even limit your options. Set your camera on manual mode, experiment, fail, and make mistakes. This is how you really learn and this how you make great artistic photos.
Watch and learn
Since you’re into photography, there must be someone you look up to. Follow the work of your favorite photographers and pay closer attention this time. Don’t just check out their work for admiration, but instead, learn and draw inspiration from them. Randomly pick photos and try to guess how they were captured in terms of lighting techniques, composition, or any camera tricks.
Experiment
As you practice, experiment with different photography styles until you find your calling. Not because you’re into landscape photography you’ll be into portraits. People have different tastes and preferences, so as photographers.
Focus on lenses more than cameras
One of the biggest misconception almost everybody falls for is that it’s all about the camera. Well, yes, a good body is a great deal but what’s even more important are your lenses. So whether you use fixed lens for sport/nighttime photography or a standard lens, it is important to know how to use it best for the photos you hope to capture. That’s my dear friend where all the magic happens! One of the most important elements of a good lens is its aperture. If you stick to the standard 18-55mm that comes with the body, you’re really limiting your options. Yes, this zoom lens is good as it provides you with focal length offering you both normal and wide angles, but it has a slow aperture of F 3.5. You could solve this problem at the beginning with a 50mm lens. Prime lenses are more expensive but this one is relatively cheap in comparison to others. They also don’t offer you flexibility but the quality and fast aperture are worth it.
