FOUR THINGS EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER NEEDS TO KNOW

LEARN HOW LIGHT WORKS

From a technical perspective, photography is the art of shaping and capturing light. If you want to be a great photographer, you have to study light. Natural, artificial… it doesn’t matter. You need to know how light behaves. How do you shoot in harsh lighting conditions? How does harsh lighting versus soft life change the tone of your images? When is it appropriate to use flash photography? You also need to understand how weather patterns affect light. Blue skies don’t matter if there are no clouds to diffuse the sun. What kind of clouds define sunsets? Mastering light is essential to getting great images.

WHAT IS YOUR SUBJECT AND WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY

Doesn’t matter if you’re shooting a cityscape, a chef or a ball of yarn. Before you touch your camera, you need to know what your subject is and what you want to say about it. People think photography is just pressing a button on a device. It isn’t. Your camera is how you express the way you see the world. You have to find your voice if you want to stand out from every other person with a camera.

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE AND HOW DO YOU SELL YOUR WORK TO THEM

Your art should not be limited by the people who view it. You’re an artist. Express your vision the way you want it to be seen. BUT. If you want to be successful, you have to find an audience for that work. You could be a genius, but if no one ever sees what you did, its worthless. (Unless you feel fulfilled doing it just for you.) Van Gogh died thinking no one would ever appreciate his paintings. Edgar Allan Poe died penniless. Don’t be them. If you want to be successful, you have to know how to sell yourself.

Shot with Viltrox 40mm f/2.5

MASTER YOUR EQUIPMENT

This sounds obvious, but is important. Knowing every function on your camera can save you in moments where you need to react quickly. And knowing how your lenses function and what makes them different offers you a range of options for how to make your shot work. Great photographers envision shots knowing how their lenses will represent their visions.

#Photographytips #Photographylessons #Learnphotography #Photographyforbeginners #Essentialphotographyskills #Photographytechniques #Improvephotography #Photographybasics #Photographytutorials #Professionalphotographytips #Photographyadvice #Photographyskillsdevelopment #Beginnerphotographerguide #Photographylearningresources #Photographybestpractices