A great article is 20 Photography Tips For Beginners by Spencer Cox on PhotographyLife.com. In fact this is a great site for many photography tutorials or articles. And not just for beginners - good tips extend to all levels of expertise. Following is a list of contents.
A summary follows. I have any of my additions in italics.
1. Education First, Gear Second
Famed National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson once said “If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.”2. Shoot for Yourself, Not Everyone Else
To that end, if you’re shooting for Shares—or likes, or +1s, or comments, or whatever—you're doing it wrong3. Limit Yourself on Purpose
Setting limitations on yourself—whether it’s gear or time of day you’re ‘allowed’ to shoot or even limiting yourself to ONLY black-and-white for a month—is one of the best ways to grow. Master one at a time4. Find Your Niche
You can’t master adventure, travel, street, and wildlife all at once… or possibly ever. It’s always better to go narrow and deep than wide and shallow.5. Slow Down
Shoot as if you only have 36 photos at your disposal.
Only disadvantage as I see it is missing out on that split second shot.
As long as you choose who to listen to - many people are technology freaks who dazzle you with numbers and technical jargon that you may find is beyond your current understanding.. Seek out the innovators and the rule breakers if you want to allow creativity to reign.
6. Get Connected, Join a Community
Photographing in isolation can be great, but having a group of photo lovers handy to point out mistakes you might have missed or offer perspectives you may never have thought of is incredibly useful.As long as you choose who to listen to - many people are technology freaks who dazzle you with numbers and technical jargon that you may find is beyond your current understanding.. Seek out the innovators and the rule breakers if you want to allow creativity to reign.
7. Practise, Practise, Practise!
Ask about practice techniques, research great free educational resources, or engaged photo groups, or life-changing photo tours.Finally for those who are ready for some more advanced techniques the following video addresses some I've not seen before and the presenter "gets on with the business" and doesnt spend 20 minutes telling you who he is or what he's going to address :-)
Thank goodness for digital. I can take 30 photos and get two really good ones without spending a fortune. Another piece of advice I usually give people when taking pictures of people is to take 3 steps forward.
ReplyDeleteor sometimes 3 steps back :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd you're absolutely right! One cannot develop without practise, what is more, it's important to study and practise in different niches. By the way, it's a great chance to get inspired.
ReplyDeleteFor example, designing clothes I take flashes of inspiration from watching nature. Sometimes I leave home with a camera, so later I can also apply my creativity to photo editing. The last thing I discovered for myself was HDR photo software https://aurorahdr.com. I used to see such beautiful pics but I thought it was Photoshop. No matter how hard I tried I failed to get such stunning results with it. So, eventually I find my new hobby by practising another one.