My Take: How To Get Into Photography

I was recently asked, "I'm just getting into photography, how can I really get the most out of it?" Below is my answer to that question, which is really my progression and how I delved more deeply into photography. One thing to remember while reading the rest of this post is to realize that it takes time to produce truly good photographs, from the learning of techniques, to setting up and taking the photos, and finally to editing. 

To start things off, you need to understand your camera. Read your camera's instruction manual, no matter how thick. You don't need to memorize everything in the manual, but at least get a grip on what your camera can do and how it works. Also, learn about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and how those 3 things affect a picture. Finally, go through different photographer's portfolios, noticing what you like and checking out the EXIF data for those photos. This will allow you to understand how the settings on the camera affected the picture.

Next, take lots of pictures, because no one takes a perfect picture every time. At the beginning, as you're still getting used to changing settings on the fly, your picture taking time will be slow. Do not worry about this, many people think that quantity is better than quality. There needs to be a solid balance between the two. Go ahead and take the couple extra seconds to properly change your settings and get the subject in focus. After a photoshoot,  I tend to use about 10% of the photos I take, which I think is a decent percentage. So, out of 100 photos taken, I edit and use 10 decent to great photos. This is just an example, as that percentage will fluctuate depending on the photographer's skill level. 

One time while out taking pictures with a friend, he and I were both in odd positions taking photographs. A passerby stopped and asked, "Why are you taking photos of those things? You look silly!" Our response was simply "You've got to look silly to get that great shot!" and then showed him the photos we had just taken. Just remember to not be afraid to look stupid when getting that one shot you think will look great. People might laugh, but you'll get the shot and that's what counts. And you might have a funny story to tell afterwards.


Always take your camera with you everywhere you possibly can. You'll never know when either the fancy will strike or you see a perfect set up. I missed many beautiful photo opportunities because I left my camera at home when I went out. Even if you don't see that perfect photo opportunity, it is also good to try and photograph something we see every day. Eventually, you are going to start noticing little things here and there you didn't notice before. 

Hey look! A street curb!

There are many styles of photography, try your hand in each. Read up on them, try your hand, make mistakes, fix your mistakes and try again. It is also good to look up examples of the style of photography you are going to attempt to photograph. For instance, if you were going to attempt HDR photography, I would suggest you look up Trey Ratcliff and his awesome HDR photos. By dabbling in the different styles of photography, you will figure out your style. I've noticed, personally, that once I figured out my style, my photography improved.


As soon as you can, understand what the RAW image format is and how it will affect the editing portion of your photography. I strongly urge, that if you have Lightroom or Photoshop, you immediately shoot in RAW. The RAW image format typically saves more of the data from the sensors in an unedited form. This will allow you more control of how you edit your photos, which will improve the quality of your work. I sadly shot for almost a whole year in Jpeg, instead of RAW. While the photographs were still good, I just did not have the same control on the editing side as I would like.

Why take photos if you're not going to show them to others? Remember to share your work! You can read all the websites and tutorials and whatnot to learn about the different styles of photography and you can take hundreds of thousands of photos, but if you never share your work, you'll never learn from those who are better than you. I've found the photography community to be very encouraging and they critique, not criticize. 


Some suggestions for sites to share your photos on would be Google+, Flickr, and 500px. Participate on these sites, share your work, and comment on other's photos. Google+ is more social networking geared and photographers on there tend to use it as a mini-blog of sorts. If you want a site dedicated to photos, use Flickr or 500px. Flickr is a great site for a beginner to showcase their work. 500px is geared towards those who have worked on their style and only post their best photos.

Finally, have fun! This is a hobby you can have the rest of your life. With it, you will capture memories and moments that you can always revisit. Very quickly you will come to realize that photography is a very rewarding hobby.


If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me on Twitter @JonathanFMiller.


Enjoy!
JFM