Tips on starting Photography

Its 2013 and you’ve decided to take up something. And that something could be photography.

So, now what? I remember at the time I was 14 and there was this deep seated need to take a nice picture. And by ‘nice’, I really wanted it to evoke a response when I see it. It could be excitement, or awe or a story I could connect with from the picture. I saw nothing.

I continued to take pictures with my dad’s film camera. And at that age, money was hard so I could only take so much. The frustration was overwhelming and seeing how expensive film was at that time, I gave up soon enough. I’ve never really thought about it, but the emotion must have carried over till I graduated from the polytechnic.

It wasn’t until I decided to join a commercial studio that the lightbulb went on. It was an arduous trek to say the least. Much sweat and tears over 9 years of learning. Even till now actually. And there’s more to learn.

Here’s a few tips on how you can get started.

1. Use what you have.Anything you can grab your hands on. It could be a point and shoot camera. The camera in your phone. A film camera; although this process would be more costly to practice on than their digital counterparts.

2. Photograph what You Love. I can’t stress this enough. You will do much better if you start photographing the things that you love. It could be an object, a person, a scenery. Anything that captures your imagination.

3. Take lots of pictures. This is pretty self explanatory. Don’t stop. Keep whipping out your camera. It could be for the simplest thing.

4. Select a handful of photos from a batch everytime and share them online. When you share your photos, there are feedbacks from other people. It could be positive or negative. Take the comments with a pinch of salt. Why a handful you might ask? Why not all? Well, not all pictures make the cut. That’s why its important to be selective. It keeps you focused on the subject or theme of the shoot when you do this.

5. Be in a photography community. This could be joining a photography club or forum. Joining a photo sharing site like Flickr or Instagram. Even Facebook has some photography community. You can pick up some useful tips from other enthusiasts or professionals.

6. Borrow books/magazines on photography. There are many ideas out there that you can glean of other people’s works. Absorb as much as you can.

7. Visit museums and anything art or creative related. You’ll be surprised how other creative activities can help expand your photography. One of the quotes I love and found to be absolutely true describes it best:

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams

So, just start. Don’t be afraid of where it’ll take you. I would love to hear some of your stories! Do share it here 🙂 Good luck!