Ten Photography Tips

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Ten Photography Tips for Budding Professionals

1. Invest the money to attend seminars. The key to getting better is to get better training! Reach out to the PPA (Professional Photographer Association” and WPPI for additional training. Take a look at all the speakers and look them up. They normally offer training seminars too. If you want to be the best, play with the best. The best is never cheap.
   
2. Invest in QUALITY equipment. Its best to buy just ONE amazing lens and three crap ones. If you don’t know what to buy, do more research! Don’t just throw the money away in an emotional moment. If you go cheap, you WILL buy twice.
   
3. Learn to use MANUAL mode. “P” on your camera is not for “professional.” I use mainly AV and Manual in all my shooting. This gives you MORE control over the LIGHT (See #6).
   
4. If you really want to build a BUSINESS, get some BUSINESS training from the PPA’s SMS. Once you join PPA (and you should) you can learn about its business training. Mix a passion business with NO business training and you are doomed to a life of no profit!
   
5. Pricing. You have GOT to know how to price your product. The actual cost of an 8X10 ($3 or so) has NOTHING to do with the price you should charge. Make SURE you calculate in your TIME. Your time is NOT free. Also, be sure to add in all the future training and equipment needs you will have. Once again, SMS or this training site will lead you the right direction.
6. Photography is about LIGHTING…. so many people it wrong and think its about pressing the shutter. Any ole monkey can press a shutter. But learning to see light is part ART and SCIENCE. Once again, get the training til you see the light. IF the first decision you make about WHERE to take an image is NOT about “light”, then you aren’t “seeing the light”.
7. Photography is about EMOTION. Its a emotional medium that can bring people to TEARS. Capture that emotion. Looking at the camera and smiling is NOT emotion – its a headshot.
8. Photography is COMPOSITION. Not ever image needs to have the center of interest in the CENTER of the frame. Learn the Rule of Thirds and PUSH yourself past it.
9. If you do everything like everyone else, you are NOT unique. Dare to be different. Challenge yourself to create something NEW every session.
   
10. Photography is NOT about Photoshop. Fixing images in Photoshop is NOT why Photoshop exists. I personally believe your goal should be to remove as much Photoshop as possible from your images UNLESS you are purposely doing for an over edited images. Get it RIGHT in the camera and THEN let Photoshop enhance your vision!