Since ancient times, humans have always loved recording their thoughts, activities, and historical events through visual art. As civilizations made advancements in all fields, one of the things that have seen many changes is visual art. From crude drawings on walls to painting on canvases, many forms of art including photography were developed throughout time to perfectly depict the memorable things people see.

Nowadays, photography is one of the most popular forms of art that many people take on as a hobby or pursue as a career. It’s an activity that’s easy to master if proper steps are taken. On that note, here are some simple tips from professionals to get you started.

 1. Understand Your Camera

Before diving deeper into the art of photography, the first thing you need to do is fiddle with your camera. Understanding the many settings and buttons in your camera is essential for you to make great use of it—you need a lot of practice to get it right, especially if you’re a beginner. The very first step to take is trying out the different photography modes your camera offers, don’t fall into the vicious cycle of always depending on the auto function. It’s also a good idea to understand the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO of the camera you’re using. It’s also not a bad idea to read the camera’s manual. If you are into retro-style controls and classic lenses, Fujifilm cameras can give you a better user experience. In conclusion, become one with your camera.

2. Understand Photography Theory

This step might sound vexing and boring, but it’s quite important if you want to pursue photography in the long run. The most important theories to pay attention to are those related to composition. Understanding these design fundamentals can help you a lot in your photography journey and might just be the thing you need to create dynamic and captivating pictures. Learning about perspective, the rule of thirds, geometry, symmetry, and many other theories and putting them into practice will give you more options when taking photos. These theories are by no means difficult; anyone can learn and master them. Therefore, don’t hesitate to read articles and books or watch videos about these basic principles.

3. Lighting Is Everything

One of the most important foundations of photography is lighting. Many amateur photographers might be under the misconception that harsh lighting is good while low lighting is bad. However, lighting is all about the picture you’re taking. Taking a portrait during the golden hour will give it a soft feel, while landscapes can look better during the “blue hour.” The photography enthusiasts at Photography-Lighting.com explain that proper lighting is crucial to capture that perfect shot. Whether you wait for sunrise or sunset to capture that perfect timing or buy some lighting equipment, remember to always play around with it until you find the perfect lighting for your shot.

4. Ditch the Distracting Elements

When taking a photo, there’s always one element that’s more important than the others. It’s the element that caught your eye, made you decide to pull out your camera, and take a picture. Usually, the element you want to capture is surrounded by a myriad of other items that can either enhance the overall picture or make the picture look duller. Therefore, it’s important to identify the most important aspects of the view you want to capture and discard all the other unimportant, distracting elements. For example, if you’ve come across a field of roses and find them really beautiful, taking a shot of the whole field might remove the vibrancy of the view. Why not get closer to the flowers and only capture one or two of them? You’ll fill the frame with only a couple of flowers, but their beauty and brilliance will be perfectly captured. Never hesitate to eliminate the unnecessary.

5. Play with the Image

This tip relates to some of the composition theories we mentioned above. When taking a picture, don’t just settle for one spot, one mode, and one angle to capture the beauty you want. Play with the image and experiment with different angles, perspectives, depths, and lighting. 

Use everything we mentioned above and try as many combinations as possible until you achieve your peak. It’s also always good to remember that sometimes art requires you to break the rules, so don’t be afraid of exploring your creativity and artistic sense when producing an image.

These are some of the best photography tips professionals recommend. Photography is a form of art, so the most important thing you need to remember is to enjoy the process and have fun with it. Try to play around with different elements to bring your vision to life and capture great-looking pictures.