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Could anyone share any good tips for a beginner photographer. I'm relatively new to the hobby and I know a bit but not much and any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
and please use their services
Beginner Good tips for beginners
- Thread starter Ryan Harland
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OP
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- Ryan
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I currently have a Kodak Pixpro AZ528 as its all I can afford rn and an old tripod I was given by a family member who used to do photography as a hobby
OP
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- Ryan
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Will do, thanks very much!
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- Pierre
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In addition to the excellent ideas above, I'd also go to Flickr (for example) and look at what pictures I like (or don't like) and try to find out why I like or don't like them.
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- Annet
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Some photo editors have useful articles re: editing on their websites, so you don't have to look for them additionally, there are various tips on fixing overexposed shots, removing glare from pictures or colorizing old photos etc, depending on the software you use.
OP
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Thank you all for these amazing tips!
Sharing your work and getting objective feedback is invaluable (I.e not just parents/siblings/partners going “that’s nice”), as is looking at other peoples work to see what you like, what works and what doesn’t’.
Quite a bit of my time here is looking at other peoples images and the feedback from others.
Quite a bit of my time here is looking at other peoples images and the feedback from others.
StephenM
I know a Blithering Idiot
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My tips would be things like:
When you see something you want to photograph, first stop and ask yourself why you want to photograph it. Identify what you want to show, and show it in the strongest way you can (and explaining that is an article in itself). Remove anything from the image (and I mean by change of viewpoint, NOT Photoshop!) that takes the attention from the subject. Yes, there are ways of doing this that require some technical knowledge, but exhaust all the simple ways first. Ansel Adams expressed it more succinctly, in saying that he would rather have a fuzzy photo of a sharp concept than a sharp photo of a fuzzy concept. Paraphrasing - technical quality matters, but it's secondary to the main point. Which starts with an idea of what and WHY you want to photograph something.
Less airy fairy - watch the margins of the frame like a hawk. You're concentrating on the subject because you know what you intend the subject to be. Viewers of the photograph don't. If you concentrate on the facial expression because it's important to you, you may miss the telegraph pole growing out of the head. Viewers won't. Or at least, I wouldn't. From which it follows, watch the outlines of your intended subject. Watch for where shadows fall.
In most cases (probably all actually) a modern camera left on auto everything will do better than a beginner when it comes to making the settings. So forget the technical side entirely for the moment. As a beginner, I found things like "depth of field" confusing. There were (from my current position) more important things I should have been concentrating on when I started.
Echoing Jon's post just above mine - study images, paintings as well as photographs. Try to work out exactly why you like some, and pay particular attention to those you don't like. You may learn more by working out why you don't like them than looking at images you like.
When you see something you want to photograph, first stop and ask yourself why you want to photograph it. Identify what you want to show, and show it in the strongest way you can (and explaining that is an article in itself). Remove anything from the image (and I mean by change of viewpoint, NOT Photoshop!) that takes the attention from the subject. Yes, there are ways of doing this that require some technical knowledge, but exhaust all the simple ways first. Ansel Adams expressed it more succinctly, in saying that he would rather have a fuzzy photo of a sharp concept than a sharp photo of a fuzzy concept. Paraphrasing - technical quality matters, but it's secondary to the main point. Which starts with an idea of what and WHY you want to photograph something.
Less airy fairy - watch the margins of the frame like a hawk. You're concentrating on the subject because you know what you intend the subject to be. Viewers of the photograph don't. If you concentrate on the facial expression because it's important to you, you may miss the telegraph pole growing out of the head. Viewers won't. Or at least, I wouldn't. From which it follows, watch the outlines of your intended subject. Watch for where shadows fall.
In most cases (probably all actually) a modern camera left on auto everything will do better than a beginner when it comes to making the settings. So forget the technical side entirely for the moment. As a beginner, I found things like "depth of field" confusing. There were (from my current position) more important things I should have been concentrating on when I started.
Echoing Jon's post just above mine - study images, paintings as well as photographs. Try to work out exactly why you like some, and pay particular attention to those you don't like. You may learn more by working out why you don't like them than looking at images you like.
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- wayne clarke
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Get closer, many beginners have their subject too small in the frame.
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- Phil
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Always put a memory card in the camera and charge the battery before you go out.
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- Nick
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Good light is so important in many if not all types of photography. look for the quality and softness of light first, then the backdrop and lastly the subject matter. Keep your bad shots and look at them afterwards on the computer to work out why they did not work. If you take a 1000 photos but only import the handful that look good you will learn nothing.
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- Graham
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"Work the Scene"...When you see something you want to photograph don't just point your camera at it and press the shutter.
Study the image in your viewfinder as though your studying it on your computer screen and think how it could be improved. A better viewpoint, zoom in / out, come back when the light's better etc.
Study the image in your viewfinder as though your studying it on your computer screen and think how it could be improved. A better viewpoint, zoom in / out, come back when the light's better etc.