With all the available camera gadgets today on the market, anyone can take pictures but only few can be a photographer. Only those who want to take their photos seriously can become a photographer. Look back and see how you take your photos. When you see yourself looking for another perspective, if you are chasing moments to record, if you are looking for lights for your photos, if you are learning how to compose, it's time to jump-start your photography into another level.
How to do that? Before anything else, let me say to you that photography is an expensive hobby. What am gonna list down below are budget-friendly steps to boost your photography hobby.
So guys, here are my ways of taking photography to the next level.
PART ONE: THE SELF
PART ONE: THE SELF
This part refers to yourself, to what you can do before and during your photography journey.
1. MAKE A LIST
1. MAKE A LIST
Make a list of what you want to capture. People, Emotions, Objects, Flowers, Landscape and so on and be faithful to it.
2. RESEARCH
Nothing beats searching for ideas and information to gain knowledge. The Internet offers a lot of opportunities to learn photography. Lots of photography websites, blogs, videos, and articles online can be accessed without a sweat. All you have to do is read/watch and understand. Once you had your research, apply it in your photo sessions. Make a research about Compositions, techniques, styles and other approaches to photography: Portraits, Macro, Fashion, Glamour, or Landscape and many more.
3. MASTER ONE BUT BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF OTHERS
Photography has many approaches/styles. To name a few:
Most hobbyists' common mistake when it comes to photography is they go ahead of themselves buying lenses and accessories only to find out that they don't need those lenses and accessories. I am not excusing my self with this. I was hoarding photography accessories before; spend a lot of money buying what other photographers have then later I realized that what I bought were not for me. LOL!
Example, if you are a landscape photographer, 85mm, f2.8 prime lens is not your best choice. Simply because it's a portrait lens. What you need is a wide angle lens, filters, and a tripod.
5. MASTER YOUR GEAR
Most DSLR or Mirrorless Cameras come with a kit lens. This lens may be limited but I assure you kit lenses are powerful lenses. Start mastering this lens before buying a new lens. This was my mistake before. I failed to discover the capability of kit lenses because I listened to some photographer wannabes. I immediately purchased a telephoto lens and used it most of the time.
When I started using my kit lens again, I found my style: Range-50. I called it range-50 because I shoot with my kit lens at 50mm. today, I am using a 50mm f1.8 prime lens for an upgrade because as we all know, kit lens isn't that good in terms of aperture, but thanks to my kit lens, I discovered my style.
PART THREE: PRACTICE
6. KEEP SHOOTING
If you aim to be the greatest athlete, practice every day. In photography, you must shoot and shoot and shoot every day. But being wise enough, if you are still learning composition, how to capture the light, start with your smartphone because at this stage, using your DSLR will be impractical. Why? your DSLR shutter count matters (click here).
But I am not saying you shouldn't shoot with your DSLR, use it also so you can be familiar with its settings. Shoot in different conditions, and familiarize lightings: Hard light, soft light, and little light.
7. PRACTICE A PERFECT PRACTICE
There's a saying "Practice makes perfect" and it is so true but sometimes during your practice, you shoot and shoot and shoot but you realize you are still taking the same style of images. After taking a photograph, study it. Read your photos. How do the light and shadows play in your image? How is your composition? Is it sharp or blurry? How does your image convey a message? Improve your shot s by remembering all your "find-outs" from your previous image.
When you perfect it, never stop practicing a perfect practice.
8. CHALLENGE YOUR SELF
(For Grace's Maternity Shoot, Click here)
Even in the stage of practicing photography is so much fun already. No boring moments because you are pushing your self into creativity when you are bored. Challenge your self: join photo contest (I never win but I won by enjoying taking photos), make photo challenges goal every day.
I tried many challenges but I fail in the long run, but I never stop creating another challenge again and again. For 2018, as part of my New Year's Resolution for this year, I challenged my self to shoot every day and post my photos on this blog every week (Click here).
9. SET GOALS
You are into photography because you want to record moments then later you found out that you need more for the sake of the art. You aim higher. To do that, set goals.
10. NEVER STOP LEARNING
Even if you are a master photographer or professional photographer, never stop learning photography. Discover more styles, capture more beauty.
There are lots of ways to jump-start your photography hobby. What I mentioned above are based on my personal experience and research. If you want to add something, feel free to share it in the comments section.
3. MASTER ONE BUT BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF OTHERS
Photography has many approaches/styles. To name a few:
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Composing of: Landscape, Seascape, cityscape, wildlife photography
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Wedding Portraits, Narrative Portraits, Indoor/Studio Portraits, Street Portraits, Glamour, Fashion, and Boudoir Photography.
(For Karla's Maternity Shoot: Click here)
MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOJOURNALISM
Master one approach that you really like BUT also learn other approaches and combine them later if you are good enough with the approaches.
PART TWO: MATERIALS
4. KNOW WHAT YOU NEEDED THE MOST
Most hobbyists' common mistake when it comes to photography is they go ahead of themselves buying lenses and accessories only to find out that they don't need those lenses and accessories. I am not excusing my self with this. I was hoarding photography accessories before; spend a lot of money buying what other photographers have then later I realized that what I bought were not for me. LOL!
Example, if you are a landscape photographer, 85mm, f2.8 prime lens is not your best choice. Simply because it's a portrait lens. What you need is a wide angle lens, filters, and a tripod.
5. MASTER YOUR GEAR
Most DSLR or Mirrorless Cameras come with a kit lens. This lens may be limited but I assure you kit lenses are powerful lenses. Start mastering this lens before buying a new lens. This was my mistake before. I failed to discover the capability of kit lenses because I listened to some photographer wannabes. I immediately purchased a telephoto lens and used it most of the time.
When I started using my kit lens again, I found my style: Range-50. I called it range-50 because I shoot with my kit lens at 50mm. today, I am using a 50mm f1.8 prime lens for an upgrade because as we all know, kit lens isn't that good in terms of aperture, but thanks to my kit lens, I discovered my style.
PART THREE: PRACTICE
6. KEEP SHOOTING
If you aim to be the greatest athlete, practice every day. In photography, you must shoot and shoot and shoot every day. But being wise enough, if you are still learning composition, how to capture the light, start with your smartphone because at this stage, using your DSLR will be impractical. Why? your DSLR shutter count matters (click here).
But I am not saying you shouldn't shoot with your DSLR, use it also so you can be familiar with its settings. Shoot in different conditions, and familiarize lightings: Hard light, soft light, and little light.
7. PRACTICE A PERFECT PRACTICE
There's a saying "Practice makes perfect" and it is so true but sometimes during your practice, you shoot and shoot and shoot but you realize you are still taking the same style of images. After taking a photograph, study it. Read your photos. How do the light and shadows play in your image? How is your composition? Is it sharp or blurry? How does your image convey a message? Improve your shot s by remembering all your "find-outs" from your previous image.
When you perfect it, never stop practicing a perfect practice.
8. CHALLENGE YOUR SELF
Even in the stage of practicing photography is so much fun already. No boring moments because you are pushing your self into creativity when you are bored. Challenge your self: join photo contest (I never win but I won by enjoying taking photos), make photo challenges goal every day.
I tried many challenges but I fail in the long run, but I never stop creating another challenge again and again. For 2018, as part of my New Year's Resolution for this year, I challenged my self to shoot every day and post my photos on this blog every week (Click here).
9. SET GOALS
You are into photography because you want to record moments then later you found out that you need more for the sake of the art. You aim higher. To do that, set goals.
10. NEVER STOP LEARNING
Even if you are a master photographer or professional photographer, never stop learning photography. Discover more styles, capture more beauty.
There are lots of ways to jump-start your photography hobby. What I mentioned above are based on my personal experience and research. If you want to add something, feel free to share it in the comments section.
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