10 Major Photography Tips To Improve Your Images In 2022
1. LEARN YOUR CAMERA (S)
One of the common mistakes people make is not learning the ins and outs of their cameras. Whether you're shooting with the latest pro-level DSLR or with a cell phone camera you’ll benefit most from exploring all the features and settings of your camera. Take time to read your DSLR or point & shoot manuals. And explore various apps and features that will give you more control over your phone's camera.
2. UNDERSTAND LIGHTING
Capturing photos is all about capturing light. So, take some time to learn about how light works and how to manipulate it. Experiment with both natural light, available light, and artificial lighting. You don’t need expensive strobes, LEDs, or fancy modifiers to do this. You’d be surprised to know some of the most magical images you’ve seen have been captured with $10 Ikea lights and foil pans for modifiers. There are a ton of DIY lighting tutorials on the internet so just experiment and have fun!
3. GATHER INSPIRATION
Stuck in a creative rut and can’t find any ideas? Thanks to the internet you can find all kinds of photography inspiration online. Websites such as 500px, Deviantart, Instagram, Flickr, and inspirational blogs can help you find photography ideas. Just remember while I recommend learning how to recreate someone’s lighting setup, avoid completely copying someone’s image. If you are going to do any type of image recreation, treat it as a personal exercise just for practice. If you’re going to copy someone’s image and post it as your own, I recommend only doing this if it's a tutorial where that artist gave you permission to copy their set up. Make sure you ask, credit, or tag the artist too to avoid any copyright issues.
4. MAINTAIN YOUR EQUIPMENT
I used to be terrible at this. I used to go months without cleaning my camera sensors and lens until I notice all of the horrible dust marks appearing in my pictures. Yeah, that’s right; camera sensors collect dust which can decrease the quality of your images. And retouching them out they can be an absolute pain. So make sure you clean your camera/lens regularly or you can take them to a local camera store and they’ll clean it for you.
The prices can vary from place to place, but I recommend letting a professional clean your camera to avoid damaging your equipment. Also, pay attention to firmware updates and any maintenance included in your warranties.
5. EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT
Once again, I recommend making the most of the equipment you have first. But it helps to learn how to use a variety of equipment especially if you plan to go commercial. Learn how to experiment with DIY to high-end photography equipment.
I always recommend trying strobes at some point, they’re super fun to use. But don’t worry, you don’t always have to save to pay an arm and leg for new photo equipment, there a lot of camera rental options out there.
You can search local camera equipment rentals or check out camera rental websites. To name a few, Aperaturent and B&H Photo/Video are two popular camera rental websites that mail equipment to you. Read More…
