How do I start taking pictures?

 

Each of us at least once filmed or photographed something on the phone. However, many people want not only to take pictures for memory, but also to get beautiful high-quality pictures, enjoy the process of taking photos, and when uploading photos to the Internet, have a lot of “likes and comments with reposts”.

What do you need to do to become a photographer? Where is the best place to start? Many people ask these questions every day. To get started, we will give you some general tips to help you avoid making common mistakes from the very beginning, and dispel a few common misconceptions about photography.

Perhaps, photography can be called one of the most popular hobbies of people of different professions and ages. Love for photography is able to unite representatives of seemingly directly opposite spheres of activity. And this is not surprising, because photography allows you not only to "freeze the moment", but also to demonstrate your unique view of the world.

In an enthusiastic impulse to take up photography, many of us buy expensive smartphones, cameras, and related equipment. But then, everyone develops in different ways. Someone takes great pictures with a phone, while others will not master a promising camera in any way. “I don’t know how to start taking pictures,” - you can hear from a person who wants to shoot, but is in some hesitation and confusion. We will fix it now!

Five tips for a budding photographer

• Council number 1. See good photos, paintings, movies!

The main problem for novice photographers is not the lack of good photographic equipment or even the lack of some special skills. And in - the lack of artistic taste. Therefore, develop a good artistic taste in yourself, see photos of famous photographers, visit exhibitions. Analyze the work of real masters: why did the artist or photographer decide to show exactly this and in this way? How does composition work? How did the author work with light? Etc.

Visiting exhibitions, viewing galleries of famous photographers and artists on the Internet is what will give you good baggage for your personal creativity. And vice versa: it is better not to watch bad, mediocre things.

• Council number 2. Travel more

As we know, lying on the couch at home won't make good photos! Walk your camera! Travel, walk, visit interesting places: exhibitions, festivals, sporting events. Thus, you will become a witness of interesting subjects for shooting, and gain the experience necessary for shooting in various conditions. If we talk about landscape photography, then it is generally unthinkable without travel. By the way, as well as a portrait: after all, often for shooting a good portrait you need to find a beautiful place, a good background, and only then take a beautiful photo of the model.

There is also a purely psychological aspect: in a journey, regardless of its distance, a person gains impressions, inspiration, and is charged with creative energy.

• Council number 3. Be self-critical

To make progress in your photography, and to increase the number of beautiful pictures, you need to be critical of your creativity. Do not rest on your laurels, be able to see flaws in your work, even if everyone praises them.

For example, by analyzing your photos, you realize that you could have shot even better. And try to do it the next time you shoot. Believe us, you will get great pleasure from correcting your own shortcomings, and your pictures will become more and more beautiful!

• Council number 4. Learn a photography technique

Any creativity starts with a technical foundation. Photos are no exception. To write books, you need to learn the alphabet, grammar, and spelling of the language. Of course, modern cameras have excellent automation, which will allow you to get good shots with the press of a single button, without thinking about any settings.

However, those who shoot in auto mode know that automation is often mistaken: either the brightness of the picture is not the same, or the colors are not the same, or the sharpness is not there. To fully control the process of shooting and not depend on the quirks of automation, it is worth learning the rather simple technical fundamentals of photography.

1. How is the image formed in the camera?

2. What is exposure?

3. What is white balance?

4. How does focusing work?

Understanding how everything works and the ability to customize the camera will allow you to take high-quality pictures and have full control of the shooting process "from start to finish".

• Council number 5. Do not buy a camera “for growth”.

Many people buy the most advanced, professional tool as their first camera. However, one must understand that a professional tool also requires professional skills. If you stand behind a lathe (which you have never stood behind), then most likely you will not produce a single part. Fortunately, a professional camera does not injure anyone, but it is designed for trained users. Novice photographers are better off looking at models that are easier to learn.

Misconceptions you may face

• Misconception # 1. “A good camera takes good photos”

This is not true. Good photographs are taken not by a camera, but by a photographer. Many people, before taking pictures on their own, think that professional photographers get good, high-quality shots due to the use of expensive equipment. However, the camera is only a tool. How to use it, the owner decides.

If a person who does not know how to paint is given the best, most expensive brushes and paints, the result will be exactly the same as when using the simplest and cheapest. Good brushes and paints will show all their capabilities only in skillful hands. It's the same with photography.

• Misconception # 2 "Taking pictures is easy!"

Like many creative pursuits, photography seems very simple until you do it yourself. For example, when playing musical instruments, dancing, singing ... You look at a professional dancer and think: “How simple and natural he is! It seems that this is not difficult! I can do the same! ” But when you try to do at least a couple of dance moves on your own, it turns out that it's not so easy: at least you need special training.

It's the same with photo: despite its seeming simplicity, it is quite difficult to photograph well. After all, this requires a lot of knowledge and skills both technical (how to set up a camera, for example) and creative (how to compose a shot, how to choose the right lighting). Sometimes we are talking about issues that seem to be indirectly related to photography. For example, how to plan a tourist trip to get a lot of good shots; how to make a child sit still while being photographed ...

It takes a lot of effort to photograph a beautiful landscape. It is necessary not only to be able to photograph but also, in fact, to get to the very place of shooting.

On the other hand, when you have the necessary experience, it is really easy and pleasant to take pictures. The camera does not interfere with getting good shots, and the composition is built intuitively. But for this you need to train, study, gain experience.

• Misconception # 3 “To learn how to take pictures, you just need to learn the technique and press the buttons on the camera correctly”

Shooting techniques and parameters are only a part of the required skills. And by the way, the part is the simplest.

• How to adjust the exposure?

• How to control focus?

• What is white balance?

All these technical issues are solved easily and simply, and with regular training, they are fixed and remain with the photographer forever. This is the arithmetic of photography, two plus two. But photography is, first, creativity. The creative component is much more complicated and not so unambiguous.

-How to compose the shot?

-What to show on the photo?

-What kind of subject is worth photographing?

These and many other creative issues are of constant concern to photographers and are addressed with varying degrees of success. Of course, it's worth starting from scratch to study photography.

Now that you have read all our information, you have learned how to start taking photographs, what problems you may face and have found answers to many other questions thanks to our article.