I’m New! Now What?

So you’re new to photography. Maybe you’ve got a new digital camera or an old film cameras or maybe a cellphone with a camera? (This group shot take a few weeks ago was from the 200-plus CineFilm Toronto photo walk.)

Doesn’t matter what camera you have. What matters is like any tool you’ve got to learn how to use or else you doom yourself to a lifetime of frustration.

So as someone who has been shooting professionally for almost 60 years now and used to teach photography for a national retailer here are my three main suggestions:

First take some simple basic inexpensive group lessons with a professional teacher. Lots of camera clubs and some individual pros and even some retailers offer free to inexpensive group lessons and weekend workshops.

Back when I started shooting professionally in the early 70s I was self taught and I knew next to nothing but thanks to other pros who took pity on me I learned a lot very quickly.

But after 50 years when I retired from shooting for newspapers and national magazines I took a series of lessons and weekend workshops from professional instructors who were teaching aspects of photography I didn’t know (babies. boudoir, HDR, advanced PS & LR, weddings, studio flash and a whole lot more).

All these lessons not only made me a much better photographer but I ended up teaching for years.

So go get some basic lessons.

Two regardless of the camera read the manual.

Use Google to help explain terms you don’t know. Everybody moans when I tell them to read their manuals but done right, it only has to be done once. It will eliminate a series of redundant FaceBook posts about how to do basic stuff with your camera which we see daily on various sites.

Third and maybe the most important is armed with your new knowledge go out and shoot a lot. Shoot daily if you can. Shoot the kids. Shoot the dog. Shoot the cat. Shoot the house but just keep shooting.

If you follow these three steps within weeks you’ll be a much better photographer than most of the shooters on FaceBook which as a fourth suggestion I’d suggest just avoiding all together and use the extra time to shoot more photos.