5 Things Beginner Photographers Should Do!
You just picked up your first DLSR or Mirrorless camera. You look at the camera and you are overcome with excitement, but it hits you like a ton of bricks, ‘what the heck do all these buttons do?!’ and ‘why aren’t my photos works of art?!’ Keep reading to learn a few tips on how to improve your photography!
Touch Every Button!… Then keep doing it.
Not sure what something does? Turn it on and take a picture. Did anything happen? Maybe, maybe not. Just keep looking around, reading up on, and get familiar with your camera. You’re probably realizing pretty quickly that there’s A LOT more to cameras than your iPhones… this is a good thing.
Understand how the ‘exposure triangle’ works.
To shoot better photos understand how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO work together.
Images blurry? It probably has something to do with shutter speed. Try making it a faster shutter (maybe 1/160).
Want a creamier background? Try lowering the aperture closer to 2 (maybe in the 1’s for fancy lenses)
Images dark? Try bumping up the ISO… but be careful, this is artificial light and the higher the number (3200+) the more grain that is introduced.
Understand how these 3 pieces work together!
Watch videos/read books.
YouTube University is amazing. There are so many great photographers out there that are just spewing knowledge… and it’s FREE! Anything from how your camera works (see point 1), to better composition, to color grading (Lightroom and Photoshop). Get lost in learning.
Find people who will help.
No one picks up a camera on their first try and produces exhibit-worthy photos. Chances are the best of the best had people help them and teach them their own thought process on what they are looking at and how they want to capture a scene. Hold on to them and don’t let go until they are practically annoyed. Ask questions, and LOTS of them!
Have fun!
You just got your first camera. You clearly bought it for a reason. Have fun with the process, find people to learn from, research things that interest you and take LOTS of photos. The more you shoot, the more you understand your camera, and the better photographer you will become… Have fun and enjoy the journey!