Beginners Practical Tips For Better Photos
Picking up a camera and starting out in photography can be a little overwhelming. What camera do I need? What do I photograph? Where do I begin? Its a good place to be when you are comfortable heading out with your camera and training your eye to seek out the photo you want, along with feeling relaxed and confident into unleashing your creative flow, no matter your chosen genre. So I’d like to help.
I run group workshops and dedicated 121 sessions and just love sharing my passion for photography and the things that I’ve learnt and implement in my photography daily. I decided to write this blog to also assist you, with my beginners practical tips for better photos.
Tip 1 - Make time for photography & create regularly
Go out with your camera every day! It really is the best way to improve is through developing your skills and just getting used to holding and using your camera every single day. Try to create regularly by implementing something into your daily routine - go out before work, take your camera to work and use it on your lunch break , stop somewhere on the way home - build it into part of your day! Looking back to my early days in photography I’d go out for sunrise pretty much every single day because I loved it so much and I just slowly learnt along the way.
Tip 2 - Chase great light
Early morning or evening are best for this - the moments before sunrise, the light as the sun rises and kisses the land and objects in its path, and the same at sunset, but the other way around of course! Great light will show your subject in their best possible way and with excitement and drama. Potentially taking a good image and turning into something more impactful - I promise you it will make you more excited about an image by the inclusion of great light!
Tip 3 - Shoot what you are passionate about
If you feel passionate about your subject and the photographs you are creating then this will not only truly come through in the images but I assure you, you will struggle to run out of inspiration!
Tip 4 - Get inspired
Following on nicely from the above… Inspiration can be found everywhere! You can find it in other photos on social media, famous photographers, from books, from places, what’s around us when we are out in nature. We take inspiration from many sources and pull them together to create something quite unique to us. My main inspiration comes from the ocean. After growing up by the sea and having many fond memories at the beach, this led into my adulthood and I love to go sea swimming and just spending time listening to the waves, the gulls overhead, it truly embraces all of my senses! I’m usually found either at the shoreline or in the deep obsessing over the movement and the details the ocean presents to me. If you don’t know what inspires you yet, think about places you love to be, what relaxes you? What makes you smile? These places or subjects will be a great start!
Tip 5 - Your best camera is the one you have on you
Whether you are creating photographs with a phone or a camera, - you don’t need to spend £££££ to get good results! It’s very easy to get caught up with the idea that the best gear will get you the best images. Whatever camera you use, it is your tool to create the images of the way you see things - it’s all about your creativity and not if you’ve got a second hand camera for £50 or a brand new top of the range £10k camera. Honestly, don’t let this hold you back from going out and taking photographs!
Tip 6 - Get to know your camera
Once you know where the settings are and what they do, put them into practice and experiment to see what they do - eventually it will become more natural to use and you can focus more on your subject and composition and spend less time worrying about settings. I love to shoot with full manual control because I like to control the light, but that being said, aperture priority can be amazing to use because it takes some of the settings worry away. You choose the aperture and your camera will automatically set the shutter speed and iso based on the amount of light coming in to the sensor. Or you have the option for auto ISO, taking that worry away from you - OR shoot in auto! Honestly, thats what I did for the first year I had a DSLR camera! It took me a while to learn the settings and breaking it down in an easier way for me to understand. Try auto and see what happens - it can come in helpful as a beginner as you can then see the settings the camera chose to make an image and potentially you can learn from this! But regardless of the stage you are at - just get to know your camera and it will eventually become a part of you. Mine certainly has! :)
Tip 7 - Experiment with techniques
Finding enjoyment in experimenting and learning is super exciting, especially when you come across a style or technique that you love. That will also help you find a way to discover yourself artistically - a point will come that it clicks and you realise your clear path to what you enjoy most out of photography. Our interest changes over time, mine has over my lifetime of photography - so its great to keep experimenting - photography is a continual learning journey.
Tip 8 - Don’t put pressure on yourself!
It’s not about likes on instagram or whether you sell any prints or not. It’s about the experience and being in the moment and enjoying photography - it’s SOO important to remember this!
In summary just have fun with heading out and playing with taking photos and you will find your flow. The best way of building a sustainable creative process is to make it light, make it fun, make it about play and just enjoy it!
If you are out taking photos and so caught up that you don’t realise a couple of hours have slipped away then you are on the right track! we should all spend more time doing things that make us forget about time!
I really hope my tips will have helped you in some way and you are now feeling inspired to go out with your camera - Now go and have some fun!
Oh and while I’m here just to let you know I offer 121 sessions so if this is something you’d like to chat to me about then I’m here for you and I’d LOVE to share my passions and tips with you! If we can meet up in person then this is great, but I also offer Zoom sessions for anyone further afield - so no matter where you are, don’t hesitate to reach out either via my website, email or social media channels.
Happy shooting everyone!