5 BIGGEST MISTAKES WHEN STARTING PHOTOGRAPHY (and how to avoid them)
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring video, the speaker dispels the myth that photography is an exclusive hobby for professionals. They emphasize the current golden age of accessible photography, where anyone can capture stunning images with any device. The speaker shares five crucial tips they wish they knew as a beginner: understanding camera settings, shooting in RAW for better editing flexibility, embracing the trial and error of editing, focusing on the subject matter rather than the gear, and most importantly, accepting and learning from initial imperfections. The video encourages viewers to pursue photography with passion and a mindset geared towards continuous improvement.
Takeaways
- 📸 Photography is more accessible than ever before, and you don't need expensive gear to get started.
- 🤳 Smartphones and entry-level cameras can capture great photos, and you don't need to be a professional to enjoy photography.
- 🌟 Always shoot in RAW format instead of JPEG to retain more details and have more options during editing.
- 🎨 Editing is a crucial part of photography. It may take time to find your style, but experimenting is key.
- 💼 Don't get caught up in having the best gear; a good camera doesn't make you a good photographer.
- 🗺️ Capture what you love, even if it's in an ordinary place or situation. Your passion and perspective matter more than the location.
- 👥 It's okay to make mistakes and not be perfect right away. Improvement comes with practice and time.
- 💖 Use photography to document your life and experiences, and focus on capturing moments that are meaningful to you.
- 🧠 Develop a mindset focused on learning and improving rather than comparing yourself to others.
- 🌍 Photography is an art form that anyone can enjoy and get better at, regardless of their starting point.
Q & A
Why does the speaker find photography intimidating at first?
-The speaker finds photography intimidating due to the presence of experienced photographers with expensive equipment at meetups, which initially led them to believe that photography was only for professionals with professional gear and mindsets.
What does the speaker believe the current era is for photography?
-The speaker believes we are in a golden age of photography, where it is highly accessible to anyone, eliminating the need for dark rooms and the uncertainty of film development.
What is the speaker's advice on the first step to becoming a better photographer?
-The speaker advises learning about camera settings, specifically mentioning the importance of shooting in RAW format for better editing flexibility and dynamic range.
Why does the speaker emphasize shooting in RAW format?
-Shooting in RAW format is emphasized because it provides more editing flexibility and a greater dynamic range compared to JPEG, allowing for better adjustments in post-production.
What does the speaker compare the process of learning photography and editing to?
-The speaker compares learning photography and editing to cooking, suggesting that as one becomes more experienced, they can experiment with more flavors and techniques, even if some attempts are not successful.
What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of the camera in determining the quality of photography?
-The speaker believes that while there are good and bad cameras, the camera itself is just a tool and does not determine one's skill in photography. It is the ideas and vision that matter more than the equipment.
What mistake does the speaker warn against when starting in photography?
-The speaker warns against worrying too much about the camera gear one starts with, suggesting that a mid to low-range camera is sufficient to learn the basics.
What story does the speaker share to illustrate the point about shooting what you love?
-The speaker shares a personal story of using an old camera to document their boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking photos in their small town and creating memorable images without needing to travel to exotic locations.
What mindset does the speaker suggest for someone starting in photography?
-The speaker suggests embracing the fact that it's okay to be bad at first and not letting that stop one from continuing to take photos and learn from the process.
What does the speaker mean by 'realizing it's okay to suck' in the context of photography?
-The speaker means that beginners should understand and accept that they will not be perfect at the start, and this should not deter them from practicing and improving their photography skills.
What advice does the speaker give for overcoming the feeling of being demotivated by seeing better photographers?
-The speaker advises maintaining a balance between using others' work for inspiration and focusing on one's own growth, understanding that even accomplished photographers had a learning curve.
Outlines
📸 Overcoming Intimidation in Photography
The speaker begins by addressing the intimidation factor associated with starting photography, especially when faced with professionals and their high-end equipment. They emphasize that photography is not solely for professionals and has become more accessible to everyone due to modern technology. The script discusses the importance of learning camera settings and shooting in RAW format for better post-processing flexibility. The speaker also highlights the significance of editing in shaping one's photography style and encourages viewers to embrace the learning process, even if it involves making mistakes and learning from them.
🛠 The Importance of Gear and Mindset in Photography
This paragraph delves into the misconception that high-quality photography is solely dependent on expensive gear. The speaker argues that a camera is merely a tool and that creativity and understanding of the basics are more crucial. They share their personal experience starting with an older, entry-level camera and how it didn't hinder their progress. The speaker advises against focusing on gear and instead encourages finding joy in photography by capturing personal moments and memories, regardless of the location or the presence of extraordinary subjects.
🌟 Embracing Imperfection and Growth in Photography
The final paragraph focuses on the mental aspect of photography. The speaker acknowledges the common struggle of comparing oneself to more experienced photographers and the demotivation that can result from it. They stress the importance of having a growth mindset, being persistent, and not letting initial shortcomings discourage one from pursuing photography. The speaker shares their own near-quits and emphasizes that improvement comes with time, practice, and a passion for the craft. They conclude by encouraging viewers to keep creating, learning, and enjoying the process of photography.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡photography
💡intimidating
💡DSLR
💡raw
💡editing
💡gear
💡JPEG
💡dynamic range
💡settings
💡Lightroom
💡documenting
💡mindset
Highlights
Photography is an intimidating hobby for beginners due to the presence of professionals with expensive equipment at meetups.
Contrary to the misconception, photography is accessible to anyone with the right mindset, not just professionals.
We are currently in a golden age of photography with the elimination of dark rooms and the ease of digital sharing.
The video will share five essential tips for aspiring photographers to improve their skills quickly.
Understanding camera settings is crucial for optimizing photo quality and avoiding common mistakes.
Shooting in RAW format is highly recommended for its flexibility in post-production editing.
JPEG files are convenient for immediate sharing, but lack the editing depth of RAW files.
Editing skills are developed over time and are a significant part of a photographer's style.
Experimentation with editing is encouraged, even if initial results are not perfect.
The quality of photography is not solely determined by the camera but by the photographer's skill and vision.
Starting with a mid to low-range camera helps in learning the basics before moving to more advanced equipment.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of shooting subjects that one is passionate about, regardless of the location.
Documenting everyday moments with friends can lead to meaningful and relatable photography.
It's okay to start as a beginner and not be perfect; improvement comes with practice and persistence.
Comparing oneself to others can be demotivating, but it's essential to focus on personal growth and learning.
The speaker shares their personal journey from using an old camera to becoming a full-time photographer.
The speaker encourages aspiring photographers to keep learning, taking photos, and improving their craft.
Transcripts
photography is an incredibly
intimidating hobby to
start I mean you ever go to a
photography Meetup and see those people
with $110,000 mega lenses and crazy [ __ ]
that you don't even know exists and go
what the hell that was me thinking
photography was just one thing that only
professionals did with professional
cameras and professional mindsets but
that's not true that's not true at all
and I'm going to tell you exactly why we
especially right now are in a golden age
of Photography being so accessible to
anyone on this planet gone of the
necessity of dark rooms and hoping your
film actually develops which it still
never does and in are the ways of using
your phone your camera your anything to
make photography your lifestyle but
still how the hell do you start we have
all of this but how the hell do you
actually become a real photographer who
takes pictures of their environments
their scenes their Landscapes and really
takes it to the next level that's why in
this video I'm going to tell you the
five things that I wish I knew going
into photography and the five things
that will make you better as a
photographer way faster throughout my
years of Photography the six different
cameras and the all the deleted files
there some things I wish I knew going in
that just made everything way better
that took me way too long to learn and I
never did these things cuz I just didn't
know even though they were so simple to
improve so that's why I'm here fixing
these five mistakes will make you
improve your photography way faster than
everyone else and it's going to be as
simple as watching One video this video
will apply to both DSLR and phone
photography so no matter what kind of
Photography you do there'll be something
to learn from this video and something
that you can improve all right so enough
of me talking let's get into it I don't
know why I did a transition I didn't
move anyways the first thing you want to
learn about your camera is the settings
and I'll get more
specific there's a lot of settings in
your camera settings that change how you
take your photos and settings that you
change during your process of taking
photos if that makes sense this process
can be much more streamlined on phones
but when you're using a DSLR or physical
camera it can be a lot easier to realize
you're using the wrong settings after
months of shooting because of one small
setting that you didn't even turn on and
that's where I'm here to tell you you
don't have to shoot at 130 all your
videos yo why the hell is your shter
speed at 1 over 30 not works
yeah for8 months we're not going to talk
about that now the first thing you're
going to want to change for sure is your
shooting mode now there's a lot of
different shooting modes that come with
different cameras you can shoot jpeg you
can shoot CR2 cr3 uh arw but ultimately
it's going to be one file format called
raw and you are going to want to shoot
this for everything now in concept
having a file format like JPEG that you
can immediately send to your phone your
computer to have it immediately be
sharable is really nice the difference a
raw photo makes is in saying it's not
even comparable for the first 2 or 3
months I always shot on jpeg because I
wanted to share it immediately to
Instagram but when I realized that Raw
photos not only gave you more capacity
of your photos but gave you way more
choices when editing I never went back
using raw is an absolute must when
you're shooting an environment that has
variable lighting because if something
changes like the Shadows or highlights
you have way more option of dynamic
range when you're shooting with a raw
photo instead of a JPEG if this doesn't
make any sense let me show you in
Lightroom here we have a JPEG photo and
a raw photo and they look about the same
lighting is the same and overall you
wouldn't be able to tell the difference
if I just showed you them but if we take
the shadow slider on this photo versus
The Shadow slider on this photo you can
absolutely see the difference it makes
and editing is just as much of a play as
anything else we're going to get into
that soon but having a nice adjustable
file that you get straight out of your
camera even though it's a little harder
to manage is so worth it and even though
the first few months will be confusing
of sorting it figuring out Lightroom and
editing every
photo I you need to shoot raw trust me
in like 6 months you're going to look
back at your photos and if they're all
jpeg it's going to hurt so number one
always shoot raw and this leads into our
next topic which is going to be about
editing your
photos I I do this I do this a
lot yeah chances are if you're seeing
this you've probably seen my videos
before and you know that editing is a
huge step in photography but I'm going
to drill down your face anyways because
it is so [ __ ] important nothing I say
here will ever convince you how much I
care about editing and I think editing
is one of the biggest factors of my
photography style but sometimes when
you're starting out in photography you
open Lightroom and you start editing
your photo and then it just looks like
this and it it just it'll look like that
for a couple days or a couple weeks but
trust me keep doing it trust me we all
have those f look at these are all my I
post I posted these photos having edits
you're not very proud of and ones that
look a little weird because you're
messing with colors and editing for the
first time is completely normal and it's
one of the biggest steps of becoming a a
great photographer it might take 10 it
might take 100 it might take a th edits
to realize what you like the most but
ultimately you're going to be so glad
that you started earlier than later
because it is a trial and error if I'm
talking about my own experience I think
it took me about a year and a half to
really fully realize my editing style
and I'm still changing it to this day I
like to think about it as cooking let
him cook now hear me out let him cook
when you start getting into cooking
you're going to start cooking up dishes
that are very simple things that you
understand things that match your
palette but as you grow to be a better
Chef you're going to add more flavors
more season more different ingredients
that you don't know that much about and
for a lot of those dishes it's not going
to be great but if you just kept making
grilled cheeses over and over then
you're not a chef you're just doing what
you know and sometimes you want to have
that simple easy dish but sometimes you
want to really expand and make that
really fancy grilled cheese I don't what
the [ __ ] I'm talking about but just just
edit your photos okay understand it's
okay to be bad that definitely didn't
pick up with a mic but it's okay to be
bad I was so shy for so long it's so
normal my next Point comes into more of
the camera that you actually Ed to shoot
and I absolutely hate when people do
this and it's one of the most negative
things about the photography Community
but it's worrying too much about
you now I'm not going to lie to you
there is good cameras and there is bad
cameras but that's not all going to be
the reason that you're good or bad at
photography a camera is just a tool
that's a fact it is your knife it is
your baseball bat it is the one thing
that just helps you create what you want
to create and not much more you can
spend so much money money on a crazy
camera or $5,000 getting 40 megapixel
insane aperture lenses insane stops and
then some guy with a camera on his phone
there's photos that do better than you
and you might go what's wrong with me
the truth is it's not this it's
this that was so cheesy that was so
cheesy a $4,000 camera will not make you
any better than someone with a $400
camera even a $40 camera you see those
freaking shots on Marketplace people
have like the film cameras they're crazy
the ideas stem from this and honestly I
think every one should start out with a
mid to low-range camera because they
have to understand the basics before
they go into the things that Pro cameras
have talking from my experience I
started out with a Canon t1i and this
camera is probably older than some of
you guys watching this video it's
probably like 4 years older than me
which is like insane but it's not a new
camera by any means it is slow it is old
it has whack features it has like up to
400 ISO how do you have 400 ISO that's
just just have a 100 IO but none of that
mattered it's the reason you're watching
this video right now now it's the reason
I'm doing photography full-time and it's
the thing that took these shots and I
mean like this camera is worth like 100
bucks and of course don't feel bad when
you start getting better and you want to
start upgrading I got this Canon R8 this
year and it is an absolute Game Changer
I've Loved using it for video which I
never used before but don't think that's
the thing you need to start with get
yourself a beater from Marketplace like
a T5i t6i get yourself a nice lens that
has range and then get yourself in an
environment that you love because that's
where you're going to get the best shots
and that's where your camera is going to
mean the most and it doesn't matter if
it's a bigger megapixel or a crazy
sensor trust me and that leads me to our
next point which is into what you're
actually
shooting now here's a story time I got a
camera at the end of 2020 and I was
absolutely bored out of my mind I was
playing bedwar for like 18 hours a day I
had no school no aspirations and I felt
completely bored so what I do I found
the old camera that my dad had in his
basement and I went [ __ ] it I used to
live in a much smaller City I wouldn't
say it's a small town but it's
definitely nowhere near the cities that
you would have crazy photographers from
it was just some random town where I
grew up and that's all it had going for
it there was no mountains there's no
scenery it was basically just a flat
open area with a bunch of houses but it
was Co and that didn't really matter to
me I got on my Facebook Marketplace bike
with my friends and brought that camera
everywhere for the next year no travel
nothing crazy I was still in grade 10 at
this point and I loved it I got some
shots that I'm still proud of to this
day in this town that absolutely change
how I thought of Photography my first
year of Photography was just me
documenting my boredom of Co with like
my friends when I was 16 and that is my
advice be 16 in 2020 no I'm just kidding
get yourself out and just do things with
your friends and just have fun with it
okay people think they like get good
shots you need to go to like Iceland or
some crazy spes and have this insane
gear and insane mindset to it no like
absolutely not I use my camera to
document memories document my friends
document the moments that I lived
through and make them beautiful and I
think that that's something you guys
might relate to as well so do it doesn't
matter if you're in some small town that
has nothing of note to photograph
doesn't matter if you're in high school
or middle school just go out with your
friends with your loved ones and just
take pictures of things that you
personally love some of my best
performing videos I've ever made have
just been videos of me with my friends
going out and doing absolutely nothing
and just walking around with our cameras
but that just connects with people some
I'm stronger than anything else can one
of my most lik photos of all time is
literally beside my Elementary School in
the middle of no where it doesn't matter
people will connect with it if you have
a vision and you have that passion for
it and possibly the most important but
most Hard One to realize is one thing
realize it's okay to suck
[Music]
ass okay hear me out when you're
starting out in photography you're not
going to know everything and that's okay
and that's something that we've
established throughout this video but
the biggest thing is understanding that
and going I will still bring my camera
next hangout next place and not let that
stop me you're going to see people that
you think are way better than are that
are absolutely this unreachable level
but that is not true those photographers
that you think are perfect had some not
so perfect photos for the first years
that they were starting and they know
that but they had that drive that
understanding to get better that never
let that stop them it can be so
demotivating to see this insane
photographers on your feet every single
day that are taking photos that are
absolutely out of this world but trust
me they are not any different than you
are being able to balance looking at
photos for inspiration and being able to
look at your own art and realize that
this is going to get better and this is
going to improve is a huge step in
becoming a better photographer the best
artists never see themselves as the best
but they never see themselves as the
worst either they keep going and they
keep motivating themselves to get better
and just make the art that they want to
make they are motivated by the process
by the love of their art and by the
passion of it and that is the biggest
thing that you can do in order to get
better at photography easy mindset
change right this step isn't as simple
as just turning on raw or using your
settings better but it's something that
I absolutely needed to have when I got
into Photography in the first 6 months
it was so demotivate I almost quit more
times than I can count just because I
saw so many photographers that were way
better than me and I thought I'll never
get there but trust me you will if you
really really really want to and if you
have the mindset to improve nothing can
stop you as long as you love the craft
keep taking photos and keep learning
from everything that you do nothing will
stop you and that that's a fact there's
nothing I can say that that should
undermine that that is a absolute fact
so there you have it those are my five
things that I think you need to know
before going into photography and things
that will absolutely help you become a
better photographer not understanding
your settings not editing enough not
worrying too much about gear not
shooting things that you think you have
to shoot and just shooting things you
want to shoot and not letting you being
bad stop you Jesus that was a mouthful I
really do believe that anyone can be a
photographer and with it being my
favorite art form I really want to see
more people get into it and understand
it more and become photographers so I
really hope these things in this video
helped you out a little bit or even
helped you understand something that you
already knew just put it into words I
want to start doing more videos like
this where I talk more to the camera and
talk to you guys directly about starting
out in photography because that's how I
want to use my platform and I really
love the idea of helping you guys get
into this art form that I love so
freaking much so I hope you guys like
this video I'll be posting a lot more
videos in the upcoming future so be sure
to like comment subscribe and say
whatever you want to say in the comments
because I'd love to answer or hear all
your responses thank you guys so much
for watching I hope this helped you out
at all and I hope I can see you guys in
the next
video I'll see you guys later we're not
going to do the outro again bye guys you
[Music]
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