How to Get Started With Photography

Many of us have drawers, basements and attics filled with equipment from failed projects. Don’t allow your photography journey to end like that.

We are drawn to photography for various reasons. Some love the art. Some love the technical stuff. Many love spending time in nature with a camera. Others use the camera to document their life.

Regardless of your photography motivation, here are tips to make your journey sustainable.

Be modest, not cheap

Don’t buy every type of gear when you’re starting.

For nature photography enthusiasts, a flash is typically unnecessary. A flash might be useful if you focus on portraits or weddings. If you find out you like macro photography, you can buy a lens for that later.

Discover your photography style by taking it step by step.

Get yourself a decent camera with one or two lenses. A cell phone is not a camera. It’s a computer that comes with a built-in camera.

Don’t wing it

Be aware of what you are doing.

Don’t believe that photography is solely an art form focused on emotions and improvisation.

Far from it. The foundation of photography lies in skill, techniques, and principles.

Gain knowledge from books, YouTube, and real-life individuals. By doing this, you learn to capture moods, and situations, and create works that evoke thought and emotion.

When you learn something new, don’t assume you can do it. Practice, practice, practice. It should become second nature to you.

Be flexible. Literally.

Have you seen those photos of dogs with their owners standing upright and pointing cameras down at them? The photo is underwhelming, with just teeth, eyes, and floor tiles visible.

Good photos demand crawling, climbing, and walking around. Don’t be lazy.

Furthermore, weather and light conditions are important. So be willing to be flexible with your time.

Be courageous

Don’t be afraid to venture into portraits or street photography if you’re comfortable with nature photography. They will challenge you and help you grow as a photographer.

A photography course can offer great benefits. I attended one where we hugged strangers on the street! Confront your fears.

The technical stuff

Start with Auto mode instead of jumping straight to Manual mode. Embrace the automatic and semi-automatic settings in your camera.

Aperture, ISO, and shutter speed form the “exposure triangle” and work in harmony. Gradually improve your understanding and skills until you are comfortable with Manual mode.

Train until the camera settings are no longer holding you back.

Capture photos in RAW format. The files are bigger than JPG/JPEG, and there are reasons for that. RAW files offer more headroom for editing later.

But remember: Editing won’t magically transform a bad photo into a good one. It will take a good photo to the next level.

Finally — organize the photos on your hard drive. It can spare you countless hours of frustration! That job becomes much easier with software like Adobe Lightroom.

Have a great time on your photographic journey!

You can find some of my photos here.