Starting to learn photography and wondering what you need to do to improve your photography skills?
Here’s five things you can do that will have a big impact on your images, and the best news is they are all pretty easy to do!
1) Move away from AUTO
AUTO is probably the worst setting in your camera to take pictures on!
Sure, it’s easy, and it requires very little thought from you, but I’m afraid it’s not going to give you the pictures you dream of.
In order to take images that look more professional, or even just more accurately capture a scene the way you want to remember it, you are going to want to move away from the AUTO settings on your camera.
An easy way to do this to is move onto using Scene Modes, such as Portrait Mode, or Night Mode.
These will make a good starting point away from AUTO, especially if you don’t feel to confident yet about using one of the semi automatic modes, like Aperture Priority, but will still help you improve your photos.
Using these scene modes are a great first step because they tell your camera what you are taking a picture of, so that it at least has some idea of what settings it should choose for you. (It’s a bit like going into a restaurant and having someone order for you, but you giving them an idea of what you like!)
However, ideally you don’t spend too long using scene modes – when you feel more comfortable with your camera, your next step will be to use Aperture Priority Mode.
The good news? There ‘s a whole other blog post right here on Simple As That that breaks down what Aperture Priority Mode is, and how to use it, step by step. Check it out here.
2) Take a class
Regardless of what type of photography you do, or what type of camera you have, an easy way to improve your skills is to take a class.
The reason a class is so effective is because it lays all everything you need to know, step by step, so you don’t have to go rummaging about in the internet for tips and tricks, which can be time consuming and frustrating.
You can find online courses, in person classes or even ebooks.
If you want to get started with a free class, and you have a DSLR camera, you can grab my own free course, the Beginners Bootcamp right here.
If you have a iPhone you want to take better pictures with, then check out Rebecca’s Mobile Photography class.
Classes are simply a way of helping you get to where you want to be faster!
3) Practice
Once you have some basics down the next thing you are going to want to do to improve your skills is practice.
It’s like everything else, the more you do it, the better you will get!
You will begin to feel more confident, and not feel like you are having to fumble around with your settings so much because it becomes much more instinctive.
And of course, you will be capturing some lovely memories at the same time 🙂
4) Learn how to edit
Editing your images is something you do after you have pressed the shutter and uploaded your pictures to your computer.
This is where you can fix images that are too dark or too bright, or crop an image into a better composition. You will probably go on to do even more than that, but even those two simple steps can have a big impact on your images, so it’s worth doing.
There are loads of different programs to help you edit your images, my favourites are Lightroom or Photoshop Elements, but you could just as easily use any of the free software, such as the software that probably came with your camera.
5) Use light more effectively
Light is everything in photography (literally, we can’t take a photo without it!) and learning how to use it well is a skill that will serve you well and definitely help improve your images!
In fact, it doesn’t really matter what type of camera you are using, from an iPhone to a point and shoot to a top of the range DSLR – light is the one thing that can make or break your photo.
You should check out this post with 3 Tips to Help You Get Flattering Light which will give you some ideas about how use the light you have available!
If you liked this post you might also enjoy…
- 3 Tips to Help You Get Flattering Light for Portrait Photos
- 50 Everyday Moments you Need to Photograph
- How to Organize your Digital Photo Collection
Audrey
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