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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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