When starting as a photographer, your photos or your creations may not look as beautiful or as professional as you expect them to be. It is not a reason to get discouraged. The following are some tips that can help become a good photographer.
- As a photographer, it is obvious that gears are needed to get images. It is true that high-end gear will produce better images but under the one condition that it is properly used. Just to say that the focus should not be on expensive gear, start with what you can afford and try to use it for the best result that you can get.
- Photography is about capturing light therefore it is to the photographer’s advantage to study lighting and to know different lighting whether it is natural light or artificial light. Light affects the quality and expression of an image.
- It is not a so good advice that you should learn your camera before start taking photos. You can still go that way, but it will delay your productivity. What we think is a good approach is to start using your camera (even it auto mode) but at the same time learning it settings and other functionalities.
- Get to know the behavior of the lenses that you can use on your camera. It will help you use the appropriate lens at the right circumstance. It will also help you know invest wisely on useful lenses based on your shoot’s types.
- Learn how to compose your images. Use basic objects (pen, fruits, …) as your photoshoot subjects. Use your friends, family for practice. One of the many ways to practice composition is to put your subject at the same position and produce many images of that same subject at different angles and at different focal lengths.
- Understand different images formats. The two main formats are JPEG and RAW. Know what their differences are and choose the format that satisfies your expectations.
- Learn how to perform basic edits. This involves knowing how to use colors and applying these knowledges through a photo editing software. There is no need to be wanting to star with so complex photo editing software, start with basic and why not, free apps around you.
- Compare your works with the work of other photographers. Try to always produce the better photo you can. Challenge yourself with other photographers’ work. Set higher expectations based on what you see from other photographers.
- For a beginning, do not limit yourself to a single photography type or niche. Explore many types of photography and try to focus on the one you feel comfortable with if necessary.
- Know your importance and value as a photographer. Knowing the value of your work will help you deliver better results but also enjoy it. If doing photography as business, knowing the value of your work will help you set your prices accordingly.
- Always consider yourself a learner. Always repeat these processes. Do not stop practicing.
These 11 points can help you get good at photography. These are just some suggestions, there are many other approaches out there. Enjoy being a photographer!