5 Techniques I Wish I Knew Before I Started Photography
In Photography, one always looks back and sees how he or she could have done a better job in capturing a photo.
What could you have done better at your first sunset or portrait session?
I was once in your shoes and boy did I contemplate so much after taking photos in the beginning. I still do it from time to time, but practice makes perfect.
Here are 5 techniques I wish I knew before I started photography in no particular order.
Photography during the day
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to not go shoot during the day, but when the sun is beaming brightly, it will be very difficult to capture some photos.
When I first started shooting, I was out and about in the middle of the day trying to get some shots because I didn’t know any better.
When you are out on a hot day, especially in South Florida, you will regret stepping outside with that heat.
Go during the right conditions, sunrise or sunset and if it’s overcast or snowing during the day, by all means go for it.
Buying gear without doing research
One thing is for certain that you will want a DSLR camera and probably won’t know much about it except the shutter button.
My first DSLR was the Nikon D90 and I was filled with excitement that I had purchased my first camera. However, I had no idea what I was getting myself into and all I shot was auto. I didn’t do any research as to how many megapixels it had, was it an entry or pro level camera, or if it had any previous shutter counts.
It’s important to do some thorough research and see what camera you will need for the type of photography you want to get into and your budget.
I didn’t learn my lesson the first time and bought a Canon 70D until I had to buy my current camera, the Canon 6D.
Take your time and go online researching cameras and other gear.
Shooting JPEG
You probably heard it over and over again.
Shoot RAW! Why?
RAW files keep more details in photos, you’ll be able to adjust the exposure in LightRoom, and if you want to print your work, RAW is the way to go and well get less banding in the photos.
Need I say more?
Well I’ll say more, I was shooting JPEG all the time until I figured what the magic of RAW files can do for your photos.
It took me about a year to switch it up and never looked back, until now, ha!
Shooting horizontals all the time
This isn’t as bad as the other things I mentioned, but just shooting horizontals all the time tends to get a little boring.
Depending on the type of lens you have, capturing vertical photos gives you new perspectives as in either giving you more foreground or background.
You can’t go wrong either way, but vertical photos tend to look better when viewing them on your phone.
Constantly capturing the same subject
This probably doesn’t get talked about much, but I’ll just mention it because I was always at one spot at a location capturing the same subject.
I rarely moved around while I was shooting at the beach.
My perspectives didn’t change much unless I came back to the same location at another day.
I recommend moving as much as you can to get a new perspective, especially if it’s at a popular location.
Even if it means getting low to get a great depth of field or finding new leading lines.
Final thoughts
There’s always something new to learn in photography everyday and that is the beauty of it.
Do the research and you’ll be capturing amazing photos in no time.
