Here are 10 tips for new photographers that you should be aware of!
This video will be a great resource for new photographers who are feeling overwhelmed by all they need to know. I will share with you some simple tips to help improve your photography and provide you with some suggestions on what you can learn next.
You can watch the video below if you’d rather listen than read. Scroll down to read…
It’s good either way!
You’ll love my 90-Day Photography Blueprint, which outlines everything you need. It’s absolutely free! Click here to download your copy.
You got it? Let’s dive right in…
Keep the background clutter-free and simple.
You can pick any background, but make sure it doesn’t distract from the subject. Try not to use distracting backgrounds or objects growing out of the subject’s head. Also, make sure that there are no objects in the background which may draw the viewer’s attention.
When possible, use natural light.
You will get SO much more out of using natural light.
You can either use the windows of your home or go outside to enjoy the natural light.
When you first start, you should avoid using unnatural lighting sources such as overhead lights or household lamps. However, you can use them later as light sources!
It’s best to start shooting indoors, as you can control the lighting more easily. Then, you can branch out to shoot outdoors and add artificial light later.
Find your camera’s manual.
You should not even try to learn photography from your camera manual. It is useful for knowing how to use your camera. Many people, including myself, will tell you how to use manual or aperture priority modes or change the focus point. But they are unlikely to be capable of doing that for your particular camera.
Your camera manual will be worth its weight in Gold!
When someone asks you to select the focal point on your camera, you’ll want to know exactly how to do it. Find your camera’s manual and learn how to adjust your shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, and focus point.
Close up
We see this a lot with new photographers who point their camera at the subject and leave a large space around it. You can do this when the picture is appropriate, but you should always consider whether the subject is taking up the majority of the frame.
Learn how to blur the background.
Portrait photography uses the blurring of the background a lot.
When you sharply focus your subject, everything in the background is blurred. This helps to blur distracting elements from the background and pulls our focus directly onto our subject.
The sharpness is immediately noticeable because it’s the only sharp thing in the picture.
It blurs anything distracting to help bring our focus back on the subject.
You won’t use this technique in every photo—you wouldn’t do it in a landscape shot, for instance—but blurring the background can help you focus on your subject.
Don’t always put the subject at the centre of the picture frame.
There are times when putting your subject at the centre is a good idea. We get symmetry, which is great, but we also end up with a static image.
We can create a dynamic image by moving the subject from the middle of the frame.
There are many compositional guidelines or rules that you can use to help decide where your subject should be placed in the frame. The easiest for beginners is the rule of thirds.
Imagine your frame divided into nine equal sections, as shown in the example below. Your subject should be placed along the lines or where they cross. You will get a dynamic and more interesting picture.
Take photos without fear!
You can take photos for free if you own a digital camera! If you have a digital camera, you won’t need to pay to get your photos printed. You can upload the pictures onto the computer to delete the ones you don’t want.
Use this to your advantage by trying out different angles.
We take pictures from the same angle as usual when we are just starting.
What do you see from this angle if you lie on your stomach in the dirt? Or, you can get up above your subject to shoot them down. What is it like from above?
As you change your angle from the “normal” view or from where most people are looking, you will get a much more interesting picture.
8 – Don’t get disheartened
Tip eight, however, is different. It’s more about your mindset than it is about photography. The tip is not to get discouraged.
As I watch people get into photography, I see that they are full of energy and enthusiasm. But as they progress, they learn that there is so much to learn ….., then ….., and then …… Before they know it, they feel overwhelmed and struggle to capture the images they envision in their heads.
I want you to know that all photographers who have ever lived and taken photos felt discouraged at the beginning. No one was born knowing how to operate a camera or take good pictures.
There are many different aspects to photography. It’s a great hobby. But you also have all these pieces of the puzzle. When you first start, it’s hard to see the whole picture because you only have a few pieces. But every new thing you learn will bring you closer or add another piece to that puzzle.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the results that you desire in your first few weeks. Just keep trying! The more you practice and the more muscle memory you develop when using your camera, the better your images will be.
As you progress, you WILL get better. I promise. If you want to be guided through the process step-by-step, then check out my auto-to-awesome program!
Do not stay in AUTO.
Repeat: We don’t even want to use semi-automatic modes like aperture or shutter priority on our camera. We don’t even want to use semi-automatic modes such as aperture or shutter priority.
We want to learn how to use manual mode. Someone somewhere will say, “Oh, but I know a famous photographer who uses aperture priority mode.”
You are right. But they will know how you shoot in a manual. Once you understand your camera’s behaviour in different situations, you can decide if you want to use a semi-automatic setting like aperture priority or switch to manual. The important thing is that you’ll have this knowledge.
You’ll find that it is much easier to start with and then gradually take control of the camera, one step at a time, just like we do in my strong>Auto to Awesome/strong>strong> c/strong>ourse. It’s much easier to begin with. Then, you can take over the camera one step at a time, as we did in my Auto to Awesome course.
You should also avoid other AUTO modes. You don’t have to use auto-white balance or let your camera choose the focus point.
You should start with everything set to AUTO. That’s fine. In fact, it is the best place to be. Then, slowly move away from the AUTO mode until you can take full control.
Learn the exposure triangle.
You’ll learn how to take images using the three elements of exposure: shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. These three components work together to control exposure, or how dark or light our images look.
The triangle is a way to describe how the three functions work together.
Here, you can learn all about the exposure triangular.
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