Get familiar with your camera
You’re probably assuming that I won’t be reading the camera’s instruction manual. But it’s a pretty useful tool for attempting to learn your preferred model. The basic camera manual carries more significance than you would realise. This is not to mean that you must read all 300 pages from beginning to end; of course, you can skip portions you already understand or save some sections for later. It’s crucial to spend time researching your gear for a few reasons.
You must be familiar with every feature of your camera.
The creators of the camera are the only ones who truly understand it.
Watch online tutorials
You may use the internet to study as most people now view manuals as antiques due to the advent of the internet. There are innumerable videos and blogs on how to utilise the model you’ve chosen, which is especially helpful if you find reading challenging or uninspired. This is beneficial when searching for evaluations from users who have had practical experience with the equipment. For simple-to-follow films, check out famous channels like Mango Street or Peter McKinnon on YouTube, which are full of reviews, suggestions, and cautions for photographers. Also, don’t forget to put everything you’ve learned into practise!
Hit the books
Reading a good book or browsing an online portfolio will assist you in learning information in original, eye-catching methods. They will motivate you and assist you in identifying potential niches. Portfolios may also be a major source of frustration while you’re studying since you see what others can accomplish and find it difficult to match it. But don’t be discouraged; mastering it takes time, just like any decent art form.
Practice, practice and practice
Experience will be your best teacher, so take your camera everywhere you go and capture everything even vaguely fascinating! You may take fifty photography courses, study every book on lighting and exposure, and speak about photography all day long, but the only way to find your unique style and inherent talent is to actually shoot pictures. As the number of images on your memory card increases, you’ll be able to recognise your strengths and areas for development. Keep a record of some of your early mistakes so you can go back and see how far you’ve come.
Expand your network
It’s crucial to read, research, and admire other photographers’ works and writing, but you also need to get out there and network. Through contacts and recommendations, you may learn useful skills and, if you want to generate money, get clients. Finding out who you need to know and how to develop lasting relationships with them are the two main goals of networking.
Since photography is such a very personal industry, networking helps you meet new individuals.
You are your brand, so establishing yourself as a person as well as a photographer can help you attract repeat clients.
In compared to other marketing tactics, networking is inexpensive.
No business will be successful without strong relationships.
Get a mentor or apprenticeship
A surprisingly underutilised route into photography is through mentorship and apprenticeship. When asked how they learnt the trade, many successful self-taught professionals may cite climbing the ranks at an internship.
However, a strong recommendation is to investigate the company you will be working for. You need to establish a connection with someone who is supportive in their approach and giving with their expertise. If you have the incorrect sort of experience, you can end yourself spending all day at a desk, filing papers and taking calls.
