My biggest photography tips for beginners photographers is to prioritize improvement. Whether you’re brand new or you’ve been a photographer for years, there is always something new to learn that will take your photography to the next level. This is important because it encourages you to be more adventurous with your style, raise your prices, and continue to grow your company. Here are five things I encourage you to do to level up your photography skills.
1. Practice, practice, practice
Have your camera out and practice every day. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t have any sessions lined up, ask a friend to model for you. Just be doing it all the time. The more time you spend behind the camera the more you’re going to learn and the more experienced you’re going to be. If you’re looking to purchase a camera, this is the canon camera I use that I used when I first started.
2. Invest in education
This can dramatically improve your photography skills and is a really important photography tip for beginners. For me taking online courses and going to workshops helped considerably to hone my style, become better at editing, posing, and camera settings, and to know how to grow my business.
3. Invest in a mentorship for one-on-one time with someone you admire
Again invest in your company and in yourself. The photography community doesn’t need to be competitive; there are enough clients for everyone. We all bring a unique style to our photos and to our sessions, so reach out to fellow photographers and find a mentor.
4. Do a passion project
Think of what you dream of capturing and figure out how to do it. I’ve done a handful of different passion projects and each one has taught me something new. With my motherhood project, I experimented with posing and lighting and I could see that skill reflected in my client sessions. Passion projects are about creativity and experimenting and they’re vital to taking your photography skills to the next level. They’re also a great way to prevent photographer burnout.
5. Set up a styled shoot or attend a styled shoot
There are so many good things that come from participating in a styled shoot. You get to work alongside photographers and see how other people pose or do things, make friends/co-workers and build your network, and it’s an opportunity to feel more confident in your skills and abilities. You know what you’re doing, put yourself in situations where you can see that and gain confidence in the skills you currently have.
Taking your photography skills to the next level is part of being a photographer with these photography tips for beginners. There’s always room to learn and grow and it’s important to embrace those steps in the process. If you have any questions about styled shoots, passion projects, or courses and workshops, connect with me! I am happy to share the information that I know.
