HOW TO START PHOTOGRAPHY AS A HOBBY

Start With Your Smartphone

“The best camera is the one you have with you”. Ever thought about it? Yes, you have one of the most powerful cameras you can think of in your pocket. Your smartphone. Today’s smartphones are fantastic devices for taking photos. Their hardware and software are so advanced and easy to use that no matter your level of expertise with tech tools, it will be very easy to start snapping away. You have it always with you and it delivers sharp and detailed enough photos that are better than a lot of points and shoot cameras on the market today. You can start using your default phone camera and if you feel like you want to “play” with something a bit m

How to Get Into Photography: Photography Composition

 In the beginning, with your phone or your camera, you’ll use auto mode almost all the time. Before jumping into camera settings or dealing with complex technicalities:

50. Learn how to compose your shots.
50. Learn how light affects your photos.
50. What is the best time of the day to take photos?
50. How to position your subjects in your composition so that your final image is compelling and worth sharing?

There’s no camera, lens or device that will compose a great photo for you. Photography, in the end, is a creative process that allows you to express yourself and your personal style. If like me you love learning, getting started in photography will be such a cool experience. There’s a lot to learn and many of the main concepts are also very straightforward that you’ll get efficient in no time. These two articles I’ve written can help you grasp the basics concepts. Find them here:
Best Photography Tips for Beginners
Rules of Composition in Photography
Do not hesitate to contact me if you need some free advice, I’m happy to help!

Choose the Right Gear

So you’ve started snapping with your smartphone or compact camera, a few days or weeks went by and you feel more confident with how to compose your shots. You see the world in a different way now and you’ve decided that photography is for you and you want to make it your hobby and get better at it. That’s why you are reading this article right? Alright then now it’s time to talk about photography gear.
First of all, don’t make the common mistake of buying all at once.
Seriously don’t waste your money, you don’t need to buy the most expensive camera in the world. If you started taking photos with your phone or point and shoot camera and learned the basics of composition and light manipulation you want to start using a proper camera I get it.
But as a hobbyist photographer, there’s no reason to spend thousands of dollars in professional tools you don’t know yet how to use at their full potential.

Don’t trust people that say that if you buy expensive gear they will be like an investment, they will last longer, etc.
You are starting photography and just switching from using a smartphone to a DSLR or Mirrorless camera.I’ll say it again, don’t make the mistake of entering the world of expensive cameras so early. You can do whatever you want with your money, but my advice is to try to save your money for a trip for example. So that you can put in practice what your learning and get the best out of your photography learning experience. Ultimately photos are also made by great locations, landscapes and people you meet. So if you’re about to buy a camera I recommend you read my recent post: Best Camera for Beginners. The article will get you through the different aspects of a camera you need to know before you buy one. And I also list two of my favourite cameras for new starters.

How to Get Into Photography: Learn The Basics

These are the key basic concepts you have to learn if you want to master photography:

Aperture: Aperture is the lens diaphragm opening that allows light through into the camera sensor. Seems scary but I’ve written this amazing article for you, that explains in very simple words how to understand and use aperture in photography.

Shutter Speed: Shutter speed is the length of time your camera shutter remains open to let the light hit the sensor. Read my article Intro to Shutter Speed in Photography

ISO: ISO is the third element of the exposure triangle and it’s a setting that tells your camera how sensitive the sensor has to be to light. Read Photography Basics: Understanding ISO for a simple introductory guide that will get you up to speed in no time.

Getting Into Photography is About Practice

“Repetition is the mother of all learning”.
You don’t have the limit of being told what to do by a client.
You’re a hobbyist so you can take your photos, find your own photography style and have fun with the process. This is a big thing since you can experiment with basically any style of photography you like. exposure, HDR, landscape photography, portrait, adventure photography. Shoot at different hours of the day to see how with different light you obtain different results. You can experiment by creating small projects for yourself. For example, I remember doing a mini-challenge of taking a photo a day for a month. You can also join communities and get to know other photographers like you and start working on something together, pushing each other to improve and exchanging information. Finally, Photography changes your lifestyle, waking up early or staying out late to catch unique lighting becomes the standard in your life. Take it into account. Also, take it easy. You don’t need to be perfect and you have to enjoy it. It’s a hobby remember?