Photography Tips For Beginning Enthusiasts

A year ago, I finally bought a digital SLR camera of my own. No more checking them out at school or borrowing them for a weekend. The Canon EOS Rebel T5 (and all of the incredible accessories in the Amazon bundle) was a late Christmas present to myself. That, combined with a Photoshop Creative Cloud subscription (only $9.99 per month!), gave me the tools to really practice and improve my photography skills.

During the past year I have learned so much more about photography by going out and actually doing it than I could have just reading books from the library. Believe me, there were sessions in which I learned the hard way (overexposed portraits when playing with the white balance) and continually improved (gaining sharper portraits by playing with the aperture and shutter speed), but each session helped me learn more about the manual settings and how they interacted.

To help other budding photographers along their journey, I am offering some of my favorite tips!

Photo challenge.

1. PRACTICE, no matter what type of camera you have. 

Before I had my DSLR, I continued to practice with my iPhone and Fujifilm point-and-shoot. For my iPhone, I looked up different photo challenges to practice looking at the world in new ways. Then, to practice editing, I used Tadaa and Instagram to explore the ways filters can adjust the tone of the photo. 

Taken with a point-and-shoot.

With my point-and-shoot, I practiced using good outdoor lighting and the available camera settings. No matter what camera you use, you can still capture amazing portraits. DO NOT be limited by the tools you have; instead, get good at using those tools to unlock your talent.

2. Soak up as much new information as possible.

This pose suggested by the groom.

Whether you read tutorials on Pinterest, save favorite photos from Instagram or go outside and just practice manual settings, find every opportunity to learn from experience. After a bad session where almost all of my portraits were overexposed, a friend of mine recommended always shooting in RAW and JPEG. Let me tell you, it has been one of the best pieces

of advice I have ever gotten.

Another way you can learn and explore is by incorporating ideas from your clients. Some of my favorite poses and portraits have been recommended by the person I am photographing! Each new pose adds to your pool of knowledge and helps you deliver an idea to your client.

3. Put yourself out there.

After moving to a completely new place, I had very few people I knew who wanted "practice" portraits. In order to practice and improve my skills, I advertised my free services on several platforms: message boards on The Knot, ads on Craigslist and new friends at work. Although the postings did not bring hoards of new clients, I was able to practice family sessions, a fashion shoot and professional head shots.

4. Use your friends and family for practice.

Brother-in-law's reception.

Obviously, it is never good to use people; in this case, though, it is a win/win situation. You get to practice taking portraits on manual settings AND your friends and family get keepsake portraits.

Another angle to consider is to offer to be the photographer at special events, like weddings and birthday parties. It makes a great gift and you can build your portfolio at the same time. There really are an unlimited amount of life events to consider: engagements, family, maternity, kids, parties, LinkedIn profile pictures, dog portraits, concerts, etc. etc. etc.

How do you get comfortable asking for these opportunities? Express your photography interest, share your current work and always have your camera ready.

5.Be sure to check the surroundings in all portraits.

I cannot count how many times I have taken a great portrait, then found an object supposedly coming out of my subject's head when I went to edit it. Another example is having a wonderful expression on the subject's face, but the camera is zoomed in too far. When you do not leave extra space around the subject(s), it makes it difficult to frame later! Think about the entire product, from camera to wall. It is much easier to move an object when you are shooting or zoom in later than try and fix it after the fact.

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Be sure to comment if you have any other great tips for beginners or for me.

Books Are Tools...Use Them!

Have you ever read a book, attended a workshop or taken a development webinar and learned a lot...then never again used that new knowledge?

I cannot be the only one to experience this conundrum. My favorite part of personal development is the revitalization I feel when I finish the training; on the other hand, my least favorite part is never using the material I learned in real life. After investing dozens of hours a year in personal development, this paradox is extremely frustrating. So I am going to change it.

Today I am sharing a list of the personal development books I have read the past twelve months and the specific ways I am using (or plan on using) them in my personal and professional life.

First, some general insights from this experience:

• It drives me crazy when people say you need to "make time" for things. You cannot physically create time, so what we really need to do is reallocate time. My work commute is an hour each way, so the past year I have made it a point to listen to books on my drive home. (My drive to my territory in the morning is pleasantly occupied by The Kane Show and NPR during Kane Show commercial breaks.)
• The library is still relevant! Not everyone may love the library like I do, but here is why you should check it out (pun intended): FREE BOOKS. Sure, technology has changed, but the library has been keeping up. Not only do I check out physical books, but I also get audio books for my car and eBooks for my iPhone. 
• Do not expect to retain everything from every book. Instead, find the relevant ideas and zero in on the implementation of those concepts.

Without further ado, here are my book recommendations, complete with Amazon summaries and how I have used them or plan on using them in my life!


Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley

"Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types."  But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every  one of us is creative.  In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative that draws on countless stories from their work at IDEO, the Stanford d.school, and with many of the world's top companies, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential in our work lives, and in our personal lives, and allow us to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems.  It is a book that will help each of us be more productive and successful in our lives and in our careers."

This book is great for a team because it reinforces that EVERYONE is creative. I gained two big concepts after reading this book: encourage others to pursue their creative efforts and fearlessly implement/test new ideas. First, many people believe they are not creative because that is what they were told at one point in their lives; I have started making an effort to not only support people in my company when they have ideas but to also follow up with them. Second, the book is adamant about following through with your ideas. A hundred people may have the same idea you do, but the innovators separate themselves from the rest by creating a prototype and testing it until the "aha" moment materializes.

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office 101: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel

"The New York Times bestseller, which for 10 years has been a must-have for women in business, is now completely revised and updated. In this new edition, internationally recognized executive coach Lois P. Frankel reveals a distinctive set of behaviors-over 130 in all-that women learn in girlhood that ultimately sabotage them as adults. She teaches you how to eliminate these unconscious mistakes that could be holding you back and offers invaluable coaching tips that can easily be incorporated into your social and business skills. The results for hundreds of thousands of women have been career opportunities they never thought possible-at every stage of their career, from entry-level to the corner office! Stop making "nice girl" errors that can become career pitfalls."

Taking the assessment and reading this book helped me identify ways I could increase my confidence and become a stronger leader. Two mistakes I commonly make are asking permission and using minimizing words (such as "maybe" and "I guess"), which fall under the "How You Sound" category. I plan to do a better job of sounding more confident and self-assured, especially when talking to managers in my company.

Duct Tape Selling: Think Like a Marketer - Sell Like a Superstar by John Jantsch

"Many of the areas that salespeople struggle with these days have long been the domain of marketers, according to bestselling author John Jantsch. The traditional business model dictates that marketers own the message while sellers own the relationships. But now, Jantsch flips the usual sales approach on its head.

It’s no longer enough to view a salesperson’s job as closing. Today’s superstars must attract, teach, convert, serve, and measure while developing a personal brand that stands for trust and expertise. In Duct Tape Selling, Jantsch shows how to tackle a changing sales environment, whether you’re an individual or charged with leading a sales team."

Even though I do not work in inside sales, I found a couple of extremely helpful tips in this book. One tip that I implemented immediately was building my brand. In order to gain respect for my position as a sales consultant, I needed to become a respected expert in my field. For my career, I created a quarterly newsletter for my clients, filled with third-party information aimed at growing their businesses. For my personal life, I decided to start blogging again. (Welcome to the result of that! Be sure to check out Grumble's other articles.)

Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshead

"In Fascinate, advertising and media personality Sally Hogshead explores what triggers fascination—one of the most powerful ways to attract attention and influence behavior—and explains how companies can use these concepts to make their products and ideas irresistible to consumers. Marketing professionals of every ilk will find much of use in the pages of Fascinate."

Is it too much to say I was fascinated by this book? Too bad, I was. With the seven triggers, I evaluated the brands I represent at work to see how my company uses the triggers in marketing. Additionally, I used the triggers to figure out how I wanted my photography hobby to be perceived, and it generated dozens of fun ideas to work on this year.

The 5 Love Languages of Appreciation at the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White

"The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White, applies the love language concept to the workplace. This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry."

If you've read The 5 Love Languages, then the terminology and concepts in this book will be very familiar. The reason I like this book is because using the languages of appreciation do not require everyone at my company to know this book (although it would help!). I can show my appreciation for others on my own and create a better, more positive environment for my whole team. This year, I plan on making it a point to reach out to at least one person on my team each month to express my appreciation.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

"For more than sixty years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. Now this previously revised and updated bestseller is available in trade paperback for the first time to help you achieve your maximum potential throughout the next century!" 

There were too many applicable concepts in this book to count. As a salesperson, the principles outlined by Dale Carnegie are so important when dealing with relationship-based consulting. Even though I already do many of the actions Carnegie outlined, it was good to put them into terms and categories. I know this book is almost 70 years old (the references to telegrams are hilarious), but the basics will remain true even 70 years from now. At my April meeting, I am going to print and share these principles with my team.

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington

"As more and more people are coming to realize, there is far more to living a truly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and capturing a corner office. Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success -- money and power -- has led to an epidemic of burnout and stress-related illnesses, and an erosion in the quality of our relationships, family life, and, ironically, our careers. In being connected to the world 24/7, we're losing our connection to what truly matters. Our current definition of success is, as Thrive shows, literally killing us. We need a new way forward."

I loved this book for many reasons, but one of the tangible recommendations I got out of it was volunteering. Thrive recommended a website called Catchafire, where you can offer your expertise/talent/skills to an organization in need of that particular skill. As a result, I partnered with an amazing organization based in Kenya called LivelyHoods to create a Communications Manual for their team.