For those who have been shooting for many years, there is a clear understanding of the basics of photography that inspire them to keep their work organized and neat. However, beginners will have a problem mastering the right path to pursue to make their skills worthwhile. This is a dilemma many have to deal with as there is a wide array of information that speaks different things that they are supposed to embrace. As Noelle Neff cites, you have to consider the basic guidelines and principles to become a perfect photographer. Here are few you might find useful.
Learning first, gear second
You might have heard many people suggest that you should spend more of your money on gaining experience over other things. A lot of scientific research has revealed that spending more on a photography workshop will help you gain vital skills that eventually define the way your career as a photographer progresses. Don’t rush into buying equipment before you familiarize with the most important principles of photography that you must apply to become a professional in the area. Getting that new 1Dx will not help you become better if you don’t understand how to use it, so spend more on education and forget about getting the gear for now.
Shoot for yourself
Many people start losing it when they begin shooting to satisfy others or show the world. That is when the problem begins as getting people to appreciate the little effort you put is not as easy, and one might get dejected due to the lack of positive feedback. To counter this problem, you are advised to shoot for yourself before you ever consider about doing it for another person or agency. Make sure you satisfy your expectations first before you move forward to working for other people.
Limit yourself on purpose
What is your purpose while photographing? As a beginner, you could achieve more by limiting yourself to one specialty or idea. There are many genres in photography that you could pick, so be sure to pursue these areas with a lot of consideration to the fact that you can easily improve your skills in one area when you put more focus on it rather than doing many genres at the same time. Learning is progressive and one of the ways to ensure you benefit is picking one genre you are familiar with and exhausting its options before picking another.
Join a community
Doing photography in isolation might slow your progress since there are no people with similar ideas to share with or consult. There are many communities you could join especially in the social media space that are made specifically to host photographers. And within these circles you can easily find valuable support from people who have years of experience working as photographers. You cannot easily see your mistakes, but with someone else who is experienced it’s easy to see where you are getting it wrong.
Finally, practicing should be a normal routine that you must adhere to religiously. To become perfect, you need to do it many times and borrow ideas from those who have already established themselves as experts in photography. This will accelerate your growth as a photographer and before long, you might be the one teaching others about the beautiful art of photography.
