10 Tips For New Photographers

I set up my own photography business just over a year ago now and there are many things I wish I'd known beforehand, that could have helped me out. So, I have decided to try and help other budding photographers to learn from my mistakes and hopefully save them a bit of money in the process.

1. One of the first things I would say for ANYONE buying a DSLR camera for the first time, is don't bother buying the kit. By kit, I mean the camera body AND the kit lens (which you will pay extra for,) as the lens is renowned for being of poorer quality. Instead buy the body on its own and spend a bit extra and treat yourself to a better lens like a 50mm prime or a decent telephoto. You will get so much better quality images and I really wish I'd done this year's ago when I bought my first SLR.

2. Read, watch, listen, learn, are four words that have been very important to me this year. You can never learn enough from this subject, photography has far too many elements to know it all. Keep yourself fresh. Read all the books and magazines you can find. Watch YouTube clips if you are unsure how to do something. Go on courses and listen hard to what your teacher is telling you. Make notes, learn more!

3. Don't try to be someone you’re not! We all get dragged into this at some stage in our lives, but I find photography has been one of the worst to break. There are so many wonderful photographers out there, that you need to stay strong and stop trying to be them. Finding inspiration is good, but always try to be true to you and find your own style.

4. Which brings me onto presets. For some reason when I set up my business I did everything from scratch. I edited each image manually, as I thought adding a preset was in a way cheating. What I hadn't realised was by editing each set of images manually I had no defined style. My clients didn't know what they were getting from one shoot to the next. Presets can help you achieve a consistency in your work and can also halve the time it takes to edit your workload.

5. Social media is your best friend. I wrote a post earlier this year on the different forms of social media and what works best for photographers. One of my firm favourites and the one I get most of my client’s interest from is Facebook. Used properly Facebook advertising can target your selected clientele and be a fantastic tool to get the clients you really want.

6. Join photography groups. Whether it be a local camera club or an online virtual group, there are always others willing to help. I have a handful of faithful photography friends now that I can turn to whenever I need them and most of these were born from Facebook groups. Just remember, everyone needs a bit of help once in a while and knowing that someone has your back, will give you the confidence to move forward!

7. Buy the best equipment you can afford. Unfortunately, photography is one of the most expensive pastimes you can choose. Whether you do it as a hobby or as a pro. But one of the things I learnt quickly is, if you try to cut costs on cheaper equipment, you grow out of it and have to replace it quicker. In the long run it is much better to save up and buy quality that will last.

8. One of the things that terrified me most when I first started my business was the worry of a corrupt SD card and losing a large portion of a photo shoot. When a friend of mine recommended a very simple but effective prevention method. Use your second SD card slot as a duplicate, so your camera is storing the files twice. That way if one card fails you still have the other as backup.

9. Don’t ask for creative criticism if you can’t take it. I am the sort of person that takes on board what most of my fellow photographers say, but sometimes I see people getting offended when they have asked for advice off others. At the end of the day, we are all here to learn, but everyone will have their own take on the photos you share. Just remember you cannot please everyone all of the time. Take the good, learn from the bad and forget the ugly. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you do, or knows someone better… Just move on!

10. Your only as good as your product. You can take the best photographs in the world but if you get them printed at your local supermarket you will be doing yourself and your clients a huge disservice. Ask your local photographers who they use, shop around and order a few samples for yourself. All printing services can look slightly different, so choose one that works well with your style and that the colours look closest to your monitors. That way you will know what you’re getting when you order for your clients.