If you’re like me, you probably blame your camera for not snapping the perfect shot on more than one occasion. You are excited when capturing those interesting or memorable moments. Still, you feel anxious afterward, not knowing how they will look until you upload them on your computer or the internet.
And so, why not start from the beginning and learn about photography?
This guide will help you get on the right track to beautiful pictures. Besides gaining confidence and enjoying taking photos, you’ll reap the rewards of a more satisfying hobby or the beginning of a photography career. So, let’s get started.
What is Photography?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, photography is “the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor).”
To most of us, photography is a hobby that we enjoy; in general, it combines art and creativity. It’s a way to capture moments in our life or events we can keep and share with others.
Everyone snaps pictures these days, even kids. But it’s also one of the most challenging hobbies to master. It takes patience, practice, and dedication to create a beautiful, clear, creative composition that captures the moment. Don’t worry! We have some easy tips to help you get started.
Why Learn Photography?
To produce creative, memorable, exciting, and noticeable photographs, you must familiarize yourself with light, exposure, composition, color, tone, and timing. You must also be familiar with your camera.
Some of the benefits of learning photography are:
- Consistently take interesting and unique shots
- Produce quality pictures that preserve meaningful and memorable events
- Understand different light conditions and creative approaches to compose pictures from better angles and more effective poses.
- Improve technical skills and creativity
Taking pictures through trial and error takes too long. While you are fussing around to get a great shot, you might lose an opportunity of a lifetime to capture that memorable moment. Grasp the basics first. You will understand how to take better pictures and avoid blurry images in just a few days.
Photography Basics
Before taking photos, be mindful of the basics.
- First, ensure your camera has a charged battery (or enough battery power if using a DSLR).
- Secondly, the lens must be clean, and there are no obstructions in the way of the lens, like your fingers.
- Thirdly, purchase or borrow a good quality LED light if you take pictures indoors without natural light. The LED light will provide sufficient lighting for your photography and eliminate unwanted glare on any reflective surfaces.
- Next, figure out what photo you want to take—a landscape or portrait shot? If you’re unsure, take two kinds of images with many different styles to choose from when editing.
- Finally, set up your environment by deciding where to place your camera and pose yourself or the subject if necessary. Think about natural lighting if not outdoors.
Getting to know your camera
To start with, you will have to get familiar with your camera. If the camera is in a default setting, you should review how all buttons function. You need to know two crucial things about your camera: the shutter speed and aperture. It doesn’t matter if you have a DSLR or just a point-and-shoot. These two elements play an important role in how your photo turns out.
You can learn more about these in this guide or on Google; for now, let’s focus on how to take a great picture.
The Scene: Finding the proper lighting and composition
Lighting is one of the most important things to remember when shooting a picture. You must consider what you’ll capture and how it will look. Take the light, composition, and backdrop when deciding on your particular shot.
The Subject: Finding the right pose and expression
The subject is one of the most important aspects of photography. Choosing the right topic will prevent any mishaps from cropping up. You want to use a matter that is not too distracting or off-putting. Keep in mind how your subject looks on camera. Use flattering lighting and a pose. Most importantly, you need to be able to capture their expression. It would be a shame to miss capturing those emotional moments because you were too busy trying to snap that perfect shot!
The Finish: Taking the Shot!
Now that you know many basics, it’s time to take pictures. You may not capture the perfect photo on your first try, but don’t give up. It takes practice, and with the tips from this guide, you’ll be taking great shots in no time!
Bonus: Post-Processing for Perfect Shots
I’ve got a bonus for you: post-processing. What is it? Post-processing is when you edit your photos or shots to make them look better. It’s not always necessary, but it does have its advantages. When I started taking pictures, I didn’t know about post-processing and shooting in RAW mode. And my only editing tool was an app called QuickPic (which I still use). But then I realized there were many more tools to help me edit and make my pictures look their best.
So, if you want to take your photos up a notch, why not start editing them? Many different apps can do this for you and won’t cost you anything. These apps are free and usually come with a few filters like Instagram or Camera360, which offer free versions of their apps! These are great ways to take the perfect shot…and the right way to edit your photo!
Conclusion
Now that you know the basics of photography, it is time to get out there and take your best shot. The only way to learn photography is to take your camera on all of your adventures and start taking photos. You’ll need to keep practicing getting the perfect picture, but once you do, you’ll have the memories of your perfect moments captured forever.
