When you pick up the camera, it means you need to invest some time and energy in understanding the equipment, including your camera and lens, as well as some photography peripherals such as tripods, flash, etc. At the same time, you need to learn the basic theories of photography, understand the photography skills, experiences, styles, and other aspects of predecessors.
This article introduces the various preparations that beginners must make to get started with photography. For beginners, they can avoid taking many detours when picking up the camera. The article is quite long, but if you don't even have the time and patience to read an article, where do you have the time and patience to shoot it?
Use your existing camera
Learning photography, the camera is not the only important thing. There are countless cameras, lenses, and various accessories on the market today. We can easily find many reviews, and you can buy a camera with just a click on a mobile app. There are indeed some cameras that are great and have excellent performance, but as you learn more, you will find that even entry-level digital cameras can provide necessary shooting functions. The lowest end of these cameras now are much better than high-end machines many years ago.
The most important thing is not which camera, Canon or Nikon, Fuji or Olympus, full frame or incomplete frame. Shooting depends on your understanding of your camera, photography technology, and knowledge. The most important thing is to pick up the camera in your hand!
Put effort into composition
To take good photos, one must put in effort in composition. Composition is a complex and difficult part to master, not something that can be mastered overnight. It requires constant investment of time and energy to practice and experience. Think as much as possible and incorporate your thoughts into your photos, striving to take the best photos of yourself.
The first step is to understand the basics of how to take excellent photos. Do not use borders to cut important parts of the subject, maintain your field of view level, and try to eliminate any interference in the photo by adjusting the composition. Check if your photos have a sense of balance and simplicity. It wasn't easy at first, but you have to persevere until you get it right.
Understanding Your Camera
There are many settings for cameras, and it takes some time to get to know your camera. Especially for beginners, if you want to do something well, you must first use your tools. Having a thorough understanding of your camera, even a high-end photographer may not always be perfect. But it's worth learning how to set up the camera correctly and which camera settings are most important.
At first, you may prefer to use fully automatic mode and leave everything to the camera, but this is not a good choice. You need to understand and learn the basic techniques of photography, such as aperture, shutter, ISO, etc. These three are the golden triangles of photography, which are the foundation of the foundation. I have written a series of articles to introduce these concepts, which can help novice friends fully understand these contents without obstacles. Although it may not be easy at first, persist and you will gain more fun in photography.
In addition to the three golden triangles of shutter, aperture, and ISO, it is also necessary to understand how to focus, use different focusing modes, and use different focusing modes for stationary and moving subjects.
When shooting, try to choose RAW files as much as possible. Although JPEG direct output is very convenient, it is not as easy for post production as RAW format. If possible, choose RAW+JPEG dual storage for later convenience.
Do not overexpose
When setting up the camera, avoid overexposure to highlights. Because you cannot restore the details of the picture from a bright white part. For example, the sky is best presented with beautiful textures and colors in the image, rather than a large bright white area.
It is not difficult to maintain the integrity of the highlight section, but it is only possible after understanding the shutter, aperture, and ISO, which is why these three parts are important. This is also the only method that can directly affect the light through a camera (not to mention flash).
When shooting, first check for overexposure. If so, adjust the ISO to the lowest value, such as ISO 100. If it still doesn't work, increase the shutter speed.
Pay attention to usage the light
Photography is the art of light, and using light is the most important aspect of photography. If you use light properly, you will likely get a good photo. But what is good light? It's not just the sunset light.
Usually, we need to balance the lighting between the subject and background of the shot. Even if the light at sunset is excellent, our photos may be ruined by the complete darkness and silhouette of the foreground.
The simplest way to solve this problem is to pay attention to the direction and softness of the light. If the light is too harsh, it may create adverse shadows on the subject, especially for portrait photography. If the light comes from an unsuitable angle, you can move the light source (in the studio) or move the subject (outdoors) - or wait for better lighting (in landscape photography).
If you are shooting handheld, be sure to find a way to get enough light, either use a flash to increase the light, or move to a brighter place.
Patience
At the beginning of learning how to shoot, there are many mistakes that can be made, and it is not easy to take a good photo. At this time, it is necessary to immerse oneself in learning and thinking, especially during the beginner stage.
Firstly, you need to confirm whether your camera settings are suitable for the current shooting scene. If they are not suitable, the photos you get and the effects you want may be completely different. Take some time to confirm first.
Then, think about other things besides camera settings, is the composition good enough? Is the focus on the right point? Have the lighting been adjusted?
After taking photos, take a look at your photos as soon as possible, analyze and summarize where they were taken well and where they were not. Wait until you return and import them to the computer before viewing them, and solve the problem on the spot instead of waiting.
Moving
Photography is a physical task, because only by moving can you discover different angles and obtain better composition and photos. You can easily nail it in one place to take photos, but in that case, almost all of your photos come from the same angle and height, and you will miss out on many things.
What you need to do is move, climb high and low, change the angle and height of the subject, move forward or backward, no matter what, move.
Moving is the only way to change the position and size of the subject in your photo. Although the zoom lens can to some extent save you two steps, it cannot replace everything. For example, if there is a stone in your picture that will interfere with the reader's line of sight, you need to move and find the appropriate angle to make the stone disappear in your photo.
Learn to use a tripod
The tripod is one of the greatest inventions in the photography industry. They almost eliminated one of the toughest problems: a lack of light. With a tripod, you can shoot multiple minutes of exposure and capture details, even those that cannot be seen by the human eye. In brighter scenes, a tripod can also improve composition stability and help you take clearer photos.
Many friends find it too laborious to bring a tripod, especially when traveling. It may not be worth bringing a tripod, but when you leave it at home, you have already missed many exciting scenes.
If a set of entry-level devices with a tripod and a set of advanced devices and lenses were placed in front of me, and I could only choose one, I would choose a combination of entry-level devices and tripods.
Learn to use flash
Let's refresh our understanding first. Flashes are not only suitable for use in low light environments.
If you need extra light, they will be great. Install an external flash, tilt it to the ceiling, and use a relatively long lens (50mm or longer). Everyone you know will be surprised by the quality of your activity photos.
Flash is also useful during the day, and your camera's built-in flash can be used in bright environments.
Communicate with other photographers
One of the effective ways to learn and improve photography skills is to communicate with other photographers, while also obtaining inspiration and suggestions. My friends still enjoy sharing their experiences very much.
If you are used to self-study, you can also obtain corresponding information through forums, websites, official account, microblogs and other channels. The original intention of this website is to enable more friends to understand photography, participate in photography, fall in love with photography, and provide a platform for friends who love photography.
No matter what channel you choose, don't stop learning.
Enjoy the fun of photographers
photographers is a pleasure, which is undoubtedly true. Think about why you took photos? This is a meaningful thing. You can freeze time, discover creativity, and create a different world. Similarly, there are so many people in the world who have different creativity and shooting styles, which brings joy to people all over the world, and not only joy, but also a better understanding of the world.
Take more photos and practice more
Practice, practice, practice, say important things three times. There is no theory that can be learned without practice, not just photography.
Whether it is photography knowledge, post production software, or composition methods, there is no skill that can be easily obtained. The more you shoot and practice, the better your film will be. You need to practice a lot to create a feeling of shooting, and even without a camera, you know how to take the best shot of that scene. This is similar to sports, where practicing the conditioned reflexes that form muscles and the brain, the more you practice, the more proficient this skill will become.
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