Hellobee

I’ve always been a photography enthusiast, but it wasn’t until I had Charlie that I really got serious about improving my photography skills. I found myself taking more pictures than ever, since Charlie was my favorite subject to photograph, and I really wanted to have beautiful images to preserve these early years that fly by so fast.

I know there are a million and one blog posts out there on how to improve your photography skills, but this is what worked for me!

1. Always have your camera with you. This is so basic, but you can’t capture memories if you don’t have your camera with you. Often some of my best pictures aren’t planned and just happen, like this recent series of Charlie playing with leaves against a brick wall. You never know when your kids are going to do something funny! And while I’ve seen some people take some amazing pictures with their smartphones, pictures of constantly moving toddlers are almost always blurry, so I don’t rely on my iphone for pictures (but for videos yes!).

2. Take lots and lots and lots of pictures. This is the simple secret to getting good pictures. I probably delete at least half of my pictures once I transfer them to my computer. But by having so many, I’m able to choose the best ones. On an average day out, I can easily take 2-300 pictures!

3. Don’t use flash. I wish everyone turned off their flash! This is one of the easiest changes you can make to improve your photography. The flash built into your camera projects harsh, direct, and unflattering light onto your subject, and can cause red-eye.

4. Blog. Publishing your pictures for others to see really gives you an incentive to improve your photography. In fact I’m starting a new blog completely devoted to Charlie and Olive pictures so friends and family can keep up with my little brood.

5. Invest in a DSLR. I’ve heard some photographers say gear doesn’t matter when it comes to photography – a good picture is a good picture. But the moment I upgraded my point and shoot to an entry level Canon DSLR, my pictures instantly improved. I did have a basic understanding of composition so my pictures weren’t horrible to begin with, but the pictures I took with my DSLR had a crispness I just couldn’t achieve with my point and shoot. Another advantage of my DSLR over my point and shoot is that it has a much faster shutter speed. I can take tons of pictures back to back, making sure I don’t miss that perfect moment when Charlie is blowing out his candles. Because of shutter speed, I find that I almost always leave my point and shoot at home in favor of my DSLR, even though my PAS is much more convenient to carry.

6. Invest in a lens. If investing in a DSLR took my photography to the next level, investing in a lens took it to yet another level. Lenses can be more costly than the cameras themselves, but you can start with the awesome and affordable Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens. I use that as my prime lens, along with the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens.

7. Learn how to shoot manual. After shooting with a DSLR and a decent lens for years, I finally learned how to shoot manual this past summer. Wow what a game changer. I can control so much about my image by shooting manual, which means I have to do a lot less post processing. In fact most of the images you see from me are SOOC (straight out of the camera). Now that I actually know how to manual, I can’t believe I didn’t learn years ago! It wasn’t nearly as hard as I imagined, and shooting manual really does become second nature. But it doesn’t have to be all manual or nothing. Check out my post on shooting aperture priority to get your feet wet in the world of shooting manual.

8. Learn Photoshop or other photo editing software. Photoshop is an essential part of my photography toolkit, probably moreso because I’m a blogger and create layouts for blogging. I do use it to edit pictures, and it is an awesome and powerful tool. The 2 most common features I use are curves (to adjust brightness and darkness), and color balance. But there are many free photo editing software options out there including Gimp, Paint, and Photoshop Express that I could use to perform those two functions.

9. Use Photoshop Actions – Before I really learned how to use Photoshop, I faked it by using Photoshop Actions. Actions are a series of preconfigured steps that you can apply to an image with just one click. You can create your own, or you can buy them. I used to use Totally Rad Actions and Itty Bitty Actions (and overused them I must admit), and they instantly gave all my photos a pop. I’m definitely going to play around with actions more now that I have a fundamental understanding of shooting manual and using Photoshop.

10. Take lessons. I’m a busy person, you’re a busy person. I wanted to improve my photography and photoshop skills for years, and even took some courses at FIT. But what really made everything sink in was a couple of private lessons with a photographer where I learned exactly what I wanted and needed.

These pictures are not the best examples of my photography, but they’re indicative of a typical family outing and any event can be photo-worthy. I’ve included pictures of food, because taking pictures of food was one of the ways I really practiced my photography. You eat every day, your subject doesn’t move, it’s easy to play around with depth of field, and who doesn’t like pictures of delicious food?

All the tips above are pretty obvious, truth be told. But almost everyone I know wants to improve their photography skills, and just doesn’t know where to begin. I would start with #1 on my list and work my way down.

What were the biggest factors in improving your photography skills?