These days, it seems like everyone is posting images of their lives on social media. Whether as a hobby or a homemade career, photography is a very popular pastime. You’ve probably seen your friends and family taking up your feed with gorgeous photos of their travels, kids, and cooking adventures. You do plenty with your life, too, but when you take a picture of your DIY garden or secret goulash recipe, it always looks like a disaster. Show off your skills and tell everyone on Pinterest that you’re a DIYer, too, with the help of these must-know tips for new photographers. Keep this handy guide by your side when you want to take a photo that will impress all your followers.
Use Your Camera To Take Photos
When you are just getting started with photography, you can use the camera you already have rather than investing in an expensive, high-end model. Entry-level DSLRs and even smartphones can get you started with quality photography. If you don’t feel comfortable operating more advanced camera technology, you can take a quick course or online class to get started. Once you’ve mastered the basics of photography, you can upgrade to high-quality camera lenses to take your hobby or profession to the next level.
Learn To Use Your Camera
Having the right camera equipment is only half the battle when it comes to capturing fantastic images for Pinterest or Instagram. You also need to know how—and when—to use your equipment. If you are working with manual lenses, you’ll want to figure out when to use each one based on how far away you are from your subject. You’ll also need to figure out when to use a tripod and when it is right to use flash with your lens. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your camera to uncover its ins and outs. Camera features you will want to familiarize yourself with include:
- F-stops
- ISOs
- Exposure
- Aperture
- Focus modes
- White balance
- Composition
- Focal length
Use Your Camera Often
If you want to be a photographer, you must take many photos. No matter what medium you aspire to, try to take photos of a variety of objects to keep your skills sharp. Make a list of places you want to visit to take photos and think about what would make a good shot. Enjoy the learning process and start looking at the world through the eyes of a photographer.
Pro Tip: Carry your camera with you everywhere you go! You never know when you might come across a good photography opportunity.
Process Photos In-Camera
While photos are processed by cameras anyway, you can do more to ensure your images come out looking great without the need for additional editing. Your ability to control the exposure, focus, and aperture in a shot will allow you to capture exceptional images. While it is good to know how to work an editing program or two, photos look better when they come out of the camera already looking professional as opposed to being touched up with an editing program.
Uploading an image to social media is also quicker and easier if you don’t have to spend time editing it. No matter how many years you’ve been sharing images to your feed, you can use these must-know tips for new photographers to take your images and account to the next level.
