Photography is an art I love because it helps me capture memories of family, friends, and even places I visit. In my early days doing photography, I experienced some challenges, especially with quality. I was constantly looking for basic lighting techniques in photography, as well as exploring different niches to find out what worked best for me. In this piece, I will share some tips that helped me advance in photography. Some have come in so handy that, even when I think I am good enough at the art, I find there is much more to learn.
Invest in a Good Camera
Good photographs start with a decent camera. Despite my good photography skills, I find it hard to deliver good pictures when using a low-quality camera. The first step I took to improve the quality of my work was buying a good camera. When deciding on the camera to purchase, research widely about cameras and read reviews of different cameras. When I got a quality camera, my photography changed for the better. I am a Canon EOS person but I wouldn’t want to push any model on anyone.
Take Online Lessons
Taking online photography lessons helped me a great deal. Before I enrolled in the classes, I always thought I was doing the best there was. These classes enlightened me about capturing moments in a way that many other photographers may not see. Mistakes I used to make became a thing of the past. One platform that helped me during my learning days is YouTube. The channel Quantastic is especially helpful with tips on stuff like editing and camera settings. These days, there are even more online platforms for learning, and some are suited better for other subjects than others – if you’re wondering “Is Skillshare actually good?“, especially when it comes to learning photography, you can click and take a look at a review.
Avoid Camera Shake
In my beginner days in photography, my biggest challenge was taking blurred photos. This is a common problem getting in the way of good shots for most people. To overcome this, I always ensure that I hold my camera using both hands. One hand should be on the camera’s body while the other should be on the lens. Also, I make sure that the shutter speed of the camera is appropriate for the lens.
Use the Flash Appropriately
Before I take any photo, I have to consider factors like the lighting of the place. Light is an essential tool for photography that has to be used appropriately to bring out quality images. Inapt use of the flash makes pictures look unnatural. For example, when I’m taking a photo indoors, I prefer not to engage the flashlight. There are camera settings, mainly a high ISO and slow shutter speed, meant to take photographs with no flash. This may be different for various places depending on the room lighting.
Learn Your Camera’s Manual Settings
Cameras have many features that are difficult to understand especially for newbies. This was also a challenge for me but I was able to work on it with the help of some friends who had made some progress in photography. I relied on them to learn how to go about with the settings. There are several ways one can learn about their camera. There is always the internet which can help you to understand the camera’s settings. Reading the camera manual is also helpful.
Practice Photography Frequently
I did not learn photography mainly through theory. Doing most of the fieldwork made me the photographer I am today. Learning from online platforms helped me gain some knowledge but engaging in the actual photography helps one get better. By doing this, you will learn some of the possible mistakes and challenges to find practically making it easy to rectify them.
Know Your Camera Lenses
Cameras come with different lenses. To better your photography, ensure you have a good understanding of all the lenses and where to use them. I make sure I use the recommended lens for each photograph because they determine the type of picture. I get amazing shots mainly because of understanding the lenses.
Learn How to Use Photo Management Editing Software
Storing and managing photos can be done easily with photo management software. There is plenty of free software available online and some of the top ones mentioned in https://serp.co/top-picks/best-free-photo-management-software/ can be considered. Besides organizing the photos, editing plays great importance. Some photos are good when presented naturally while others need a little editorial work. To better my photography, I had to learn about photo editing. Also, consider the best editing software. This has helped me to tweak some photos to make sure the outcome is amazing. You can learn basic photo manipulation online through videos and reading relevant articles about editing.
Learn From Other Photographers
Watching and learning from other established photographers is a thing I never outgrow. It impacted my photography in that I took a thing or two from their style. Learning from others does not necessarily mean that you copy all that they do. From their photography style, I came up with my unique ways of capturing moments while still following the tips learned.