10 Photography Tips Beginners Need to Know

Growing up as a Generation-Z, taking photos has been part of our lifestyle. Be it taking photos of your outfit, capturing the beautiful scenery during your overseas trip or even taking photos of your dinner in a restaurant. Photography is definitely one of the best ways we capture memories, tell stories and share someone’s happy moments.

It is a rewarding hobby especially when you are able to capture priceless events around you and to be able to keep these precious memories. Regardless of your camera skills, I am sure that most of you have a basic understanding of photography and are able to take photos.

Have you ever thought of owning a camera and bringing your photography skills to another level? It may seem overwhelming at first but don’t be afraid! Follow through this article as I unravel photography tips and tricks on how you can further sharpen your photography skills.

10 Essential Photography Tips For Every Beginner.

1. Research and find photo inspiration.
2. Understanding the exposure triangle.
3. Look for ideal lighting.
4. Pay attention to the background.
5. Play with perspective.
6. Understanding the Rule Of Thirds.
7. Add depth to your images.
8. Adding fun elements.
9. Take your time editing.
10. Keep practicing.

1. Research and find photo inspiration.

If you are new at photography and are unsure of the different shots and angles, it is best to do your research first and get as much inspiration from the more experienced photographers out there. You may wish to refer to free websites such as Pinterest and Unsplash which is a platform that shares with you high-quality photos taken by photographers across the world. With this, you can keep in mind the different model’s poses and the camera angles you can explore with! It is definitely a trial and error process so do not be afraid to play around with your creativity. 

2. Understanding the exposure triangle.

The 3 most important elements of exposure are : ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. 

ISO is your camera’s sensitivity to light as it pertains to either film or a digital sensor. As you increase your ISO number, your photos will grow progressively brighter. For that reason, ISO can help you capture images in darker environments.

Aperture is related to the amount of light that passes through the camera lens to the image sensor. The SMALLER the aperture hole opening, the LESS light comes in, which gives a BIGGER f-stop number. Wider aperture (low f-stop) is best for portraits where it will keep your subject sharp while blurring out as distractions in the background.

Shutter speed controls how long the camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor. Faster shutter speed is normally used to freeze movement and is used to shoot fast moving objects.

3. Look for ideal lighting.

Lighting plays a key role in photography. Harsh shadows or lack of light will severely impact the look of your photo. Decide on the location of the photoshoot first whether it will be taken indoors or outdoors. For outdoors, natural lighting is ideal for high-quality photos. You can get great natural lighting in the morning or during the “golden hours” before the sun sets. It will be nice to take photos under a warm glow. However, if there is less natural lighting, try to source for studio lights or ring lights instead and you will be able to adjust the lights to your preferences.

4. Pay attention to the background.

Simple backgrounds make good portraits. Background should be as simple as possible so that it would not distract the viewers from the main subject. Busy background can be distracting unless you try using a low f-stop which will blur out the background and make the subject look sharp.

In addition, muted and plain colours tend to work well for the background as anything too colourful or contrasting will definitely grab the viewer’s attention first. In fact, having a lot of negative space in your photograph will draw attention to the subject even more. Walk around and explore the location. You may discover better spots for your shots!

5. Play with perspective.

Be creative and explore the different camera angles and positions! Capturing the same item or model at a different angle may totally change the whole look and feel of the photos. You may wish to explore the different shots such as the low angle shots, high angle shots, overhead shots and many more. Not every angle will work for a certain image you have in mind but there is no harm trying! Just keep on exploring! Hop on to a bench and take a high angle shot of the passersby. Why not right?

6. Understanding the Rule Of Thirds.

The rule of thirds is a common photography tip that every photographer is familiar to, and for good reason! Rule Of Thirds is a composition guideline in photography that involves dividing up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines. This is used in photography to create visual balance and flow. So, how does this work? Firstly, ensure that you are able to see the rule of thirds grid. You can activate it through the menu. Next, position your camera in a way that your key subjects are on the points that the lines intersect. After placing the main subject on the intersecting lines, fill up the other elements with the rest of the space to enhance the photo.

8.Add depth to your images

Photos that have a sense of depth are more interesting and engaging to view. By having depth it means to make your images appear to be more three dimensional. You may try creating different layers in the image such as playing with the foreground, leading lines and the subject itself. When you have a foreground in your image, it provides depth and can draw your viewers to the subject.

A bonus photography tip is to use leading lines which can be found all around us. For example, the road, railings, fence or even tables. Naturally, these leading lines will bring the viewer’s eyes to the subject. 

8. Adding fun elements

The next photography tip to is add more fun elements! To enhance your photos even more, try to look around your surroundings and find elements or things that could actually enhance your image. For example, if you are near a beach or a glass door or even if there are puddles of water, you can take this opportunity to use it as a reflecting element in your photography. Reflections provide powerful and intriguing views of ordinary subjects. Also, if you are shooting during the “golden hours”, you can try using the sun to create a silhouette of your subject. It will definitely be an interesting concept than your normal shots that are heavily focused on the subject.

9. Take your time editing

Once you have gotten all your shots, browse through all of them and select a few that you would want to start editing with. You may feel overwhelmed at this point with the amount of photos you took but let’s start slow. Get a smartphone app or photo editing software that allows you to play with cropping, colours and effects. You may try using editing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Crop your photo to your desired size, adjust the exposure, colour balance, saturation and many more. You can refer back to your inspiration for comparison. Take one step at a time and explore this.

10. Keep practicing!

Starting something new may be challenging. So our last photography tip is to keep practicing! Photos may look blurry, overexposed and out of focus but hey, practice makes perfect. It all comes with lots of practice and experience. Do not immediately hit the delete button but spend some time browsing through the photos you took instead and see what you can improve on! You can try to adjust the shutter speed, ISO or aperture and see what works best. Keep exploring new ideas and get inspiration from others. 

In Conclusion

Those are our photography tips! Do you feel more confident in taking photos? Take one step at a time and keep on practicing. Normal photos can become extraordinary only if you are willing to explore different techniques and perspectives. Think of different ways to draw the viewer’s attention to your photos. There is definitely no right or wrong answer in photography. Explore your style and be creative in your own way!