Five tips you must know to start photography

Essentials are simple…

The simple things make the biggest improvements. Concentrate on taking some simple steps and your photography will quickly improve. These tips will get you ahead when you start photography.

Tip 1. Solid base: The best ways to hold a camera for a sharp shot…

You can use the hand-held method for a lot of things. Using auto settings most simple shots come out right. There are many things you cannot do that way. A tripod helps. Most beginners disregard the tripod as an annoyance. They cannot be bothered with it. Actually, if you take time and get the shot right you will get the best results. The tripod is the best friend of results. No self respecting professional photog would be without one. If you are not using one then you are ignoring the simplest method to get sharp shots.

Tip 2. Daily use: In any sport, skill or hobby, improvement comes with practice, practice, practice. So, do some photography every day. Take at least one photograph every day. Sometimes many more. There is no better way to start photography. It helps to have somewhere to show off the results. Especially if you can get supportive and helpful comments back. There are some great places to post your shots on the web. Many of these places you can get helpful comments from other users too. Get your relatives to comment, even your kids. Do some photography every day and you will soon find friends, online or offline.

Tip 3. Always have your camera with you: I have a number of cameras. I always go out with at least one. If you have your camera with you, there is no excuse for ignoring it. If you use it you are practising. Simple!. Start photography the way you mean to go on… do a lot of it.

Art and interest in everything

Tip 4. There is art and interest in everything: Go for a walk, search your house, see a friend… these and more are scene creating events. I have friends who only ever take photographs in their home and local neighbourhood. They take great shots and have great fun. Look for interest in everything near where you are now. You will find something, probably lots of things. Have your camera with you and your eyes will be opened to a new world. If you see something you don’t have time to shoot, make a note of it. That’s one for another day!

• Lemon Juicer! • There is art and interest in everything. Even your everyday house-hold equipment. Start photography the way you mean to go on.

• Lemon Juicer! •
There is art and interest in everything. Even your everyday house-hold equipment.
Start photography as you mean to go on – do a lot of it.


Tip 5. Camera settings. Getting to know your camera will put you ahead of many other photographers. You might be surprised to learn that most DSLR owners never use anything but the ‘auto-mode’. If this is you too, then by learning more about your camera you can quickly learn to take pro-shots. Study the manual. Be objective. Try out one setting many times in many situations. Then, move on to another setting. Mastering your camera is the first step to becoming a master of the art of photography. It costs nothing to take a shot but learning the settings will repay your effort many times over. Experiment, have fun!

OK… 6 tips to start photography!

Tip 6. Ha! I slipped in an extra tip for free… In number 1. above I mentioned a proper stance. Well, if you practice every day with the proper stance (Simple tips for a good stance), you will find your shots get sharper. The act of repetitively holding the camera in the same position a few times every day when you start photography will build up muscles. You will quickly learn to get precise control using that position. Practice gives you body control, as well as improving your skill. The muscle memory you develop will help you react quickly and precisely in situations where you want to take shots. Particularly with disabled people or people with weak muscles, some really big improvements can be made by using the camera a few times every day. Your body responds well to all forms of exercise. Some of today’s cameras are not a trivial weight. If you expect to hold it properly and steady you must practice with your camera from the moment you start photography.

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training courses to help you start photography.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

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