3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Photography

Looking back on the experiences I’ve had with photography is something I could think about forever. From running around Statesboro’s local Walmart, taking pictures of my friends at 1am, to capturing a still image of the setting-sun’s rays from the depths of the clouds, there is absolutely no end to what you can do with photography.

Here are some things I wish I had thought about before getting behind the camera.

Don’t let your ego get the best of you

Let’s just be real here, photography is an expensive hobby. From camera bodies and bags, to lenses and their filters, there’s a lot of different components that go into buying a camera, and some of them have bigger price tags than others. When I first started thinking about taking up photography, I always thought that I deserved the best and newest cameras. But honestly, I had to start somewhere, and buying a used camera was the best option for me at the time.

Instead of groaning about my circumstances and wishing that I had a better camera, I should’ve taken my head out of my butt and appreciated the time I had with my old camera. The controls on a DSLR only become more numerous and advanced as you move up models, so make sure you’re used to the older ones before making your way up the ladder.

Learning takes time

Once upon a time, I used to think photography was very cut and dry. I naïvely thought that all I had to do was buy a camera body and memory card, and everything else would come with it. I didn’t know that cameras should have lens filters, LCD protectors, extra batteries, and cleansers/blowers—especially if I were to ever think about reselling my camera one day.

I thought that I could choose the location that my so called “third-eye” sought out and just start snapping breath-taking pictures naturally. But things never turned out that easy for me. Your photography journey begins when you start messing around with your camera’s manual controls. Sure, your pictures may turn out unfocused or largely contrasted, but you never know how much you’ll grow until you start there.

Be Yourself

Your photographic style, including your niche (Portrait, nature, weddings, aerial, etc.) may not be as blinding as staring at sun, but it’s something that will come to you eventually, and it took a while for me to understand that. I got so caught up in trying to capture and edit pictures exactly like everyone I was inspired by that I ignored to stay true to myself. This way of thinking led me into confusion and it was hard to get out of my own head sometimes. But once I stopped thinking about other people and started paying attention to the things that I liked to see in my own pictures, then I could finally see my true style start to emerge.