How to be a better photographer
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As a new photographer, everyone is always asking “How do I get better?” A lot of people think you need the best gear. Some think you must shoot in RAW, or that best shots only come from manual mode. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences, based on my photography journey so far.
It must be the gear I have…
Now, gear is cool, but it’s not the reason why you’re not a great photographer! I’ve seen many photos taken on non-professional level cameras! I, myself, have taken a few worthy wall hangers on my cameras - which are NOT professional-grade cameras. The best camera or lens is the one that you have. Work with it. Master it. When you do finally outgrow it then buy something else.
New lenses are exciting and there may be a valid reason to buy another lens. Like if you want to do a lot of portrait photography maybe a “Nifty 50” (aka a 50 mm lens) is what you need. But, do you need the highest quality lenses? Absolutely not. The budget lens is very good, and they are really good for a newer photographer. They are a fraction of the price compared to the higher-end lenses.
I myself wanted to get a telephoto lens so I can zoom in on faraway subjects in my landscape photography. I’d also like to play with nature photography as well. Now, I could’ve gotten the Canon 70-200mm L series lens, but the f/4 RF version is $1,500, and the f2/8 is nearly double that! Instead, I went with the 100-400mm RF lens. It’s normally $650 and I picked it up while it was on sale and saved myself $150.
Now, is it going to make you a better photographer? No, not directly. I will not be taking better photos because I bought this lens. But, I’m going to get experience working with longer focal lengths that I simply could not do before with my kit lens, and certainly not the 16mm prime I picked up.
Shooting in RAW
Shooting is RAW is great! Why? The camera captures more data in the image. This is more data you can use to adjust settings and make your photos pop! When a camera shoots in JPEG it is compressing the imaging and uses various algorithms to give you what the camera thinks the best photo possible based on balancing exposure. But, you can take a RAW photo with a program like Lightroom and it give it some real moody. tones, or highlight some fall colors and make those reds and oranges pop!
Now shooting in RAW will require you to put your camera in the dreaded Manual mode!
Manual Mode
Manual mode is not the only way to shoot, but I highly recommend it. Learn what all the different controls do and how they influence your photos. There’s tons of great websites and youtube videos that’ll teach you these things, so I won’t do that here. But, learn to shoot in manual mode so you take full control over your photos.
Now, there are certainly times when shooting in JPEG may be preferred, and that’s when delivery needs to happen right away! If you just need to capture some images RIGHT NOW and then get the photos over to the marketing team right away then JPEG will be the way to go. But, if you’re just starting out this is likely not a concern you have right now.
Shoot all sorts of Subjects
There are tons of different styles of photography, like street, portrait, landscape, astrophotography, and so much more! I love to dabble in a little bit of each, but I keep coming back to landscapes and long exposures. I love long exposure shots of running water. The water looks so creamy or sometimes foggy. I also really enjoy nighttime long exposures. Streaking lights, starry nights, and other light play in photography have always interested me and are one of the reasons why I got into photography.
Get out and shoot!
This will absolutely make you a better photographer! As with anything else in life the more you do something the better you’ll get at it! I have a photographer friend and we will go out shooting together two to three times per week! We shoot various subjects, at different times of the day, all in the name of honing our craft.
I’m still new so when I shoot I’ll take the same shot a few times and every time I adjust my settings. I’ll set a faster shutter speed and high ISO settings and see what my camera is capable of. I try to look at light differently than I used to and see what kind of influence it has on my photos.
To Summarize
Learn your camera! Take control of your shooting and put your camera in manual mode, and stay there. Learn your settings, and get out and shoot, shoot, shoot! The more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll get, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t and become a better photographer!
