7 Underrated Pieces Of Photography Advice
For any photographer just starting out, the world of photography seems full of new opportunities. As with any artistic expression, in photography, there is nothing you can’t do, no photograph you cannot snap; everything is fair game, and nothing is off limits.
So why are you getting so much advice? If you’ve joined a photography social group or you’re part of a group on Facebook – which we recommend, by the way – then you’ve probably seen plenty of people sharing their tips, advice and pointers on what you should or shouldn’t do.
But photography is all about the individual, right? Surely there’s no right or wrong way to go about anything if the world is your playground?
Well, that would be true if you didn’t want to improve. While it’s perfectly possible to take on photography by yourself, if you’re looking to boost your skills and become a photography pro, then there are certain pointers you should listen to.
These are the underrated pieces of advice. The ones that seem like they’re not worth your time even though they’re the most important advice you can get. And just for you, we’ve listed them all below. Aren’t we nice?!
Shoot For You And No-One Else
Okay, first up, this is very important in 2023. With the world of Instagram and Facebook taking over photography, it can be easy to take photographs based on what you think people will like.
But photography isn’t about likes or how many “thumbs up” emojis you can get. It’s all about what you want to capture and what you want to see.
Save Your Photographs In Print
This is an easy piece of advice to gloss over – after all, if all your photographs are going to be saved on Facebook, why would you need to print any out? But looking at your pictures in the flesh is an entirely different experience.
The image pops on the page; it feels more personal and, most importantly, belongs to you. Putting a Facebook photo book of all your best photographs on your shelf or your coffee table feels like a fitting reward for all the effort you put into them!
Filters Are Not The Enemy
This is a funny one, but photographers often get two pieces of advice regarding filters. The first piece of advice is: don’t use them. The second piece of advice is: use them. Bit of a contrast, right? So which is true?
Well, we believe that the latter point is true, and it’s very underrated. There are a number of pros and cons to photography filters, but if you learn to use them correctly, they can take any photograph to a completely different level.
Experiment And Experiment Quick
We found this piece of advice tucked away in the corner of the internet, but it’s so true and so underrated. Being a photographer is all about inspiration and capturing that inspiration. Therefore, if you suddenly get a thought, don’t linger on it or work it out in your head. Just go and snap it!
All the best photography is taken in the moment, so if you take a photograph as soon as possible after getting the idea, then the picture will capture that spontaneity, creativity and excitement.
Become The Director
One piece of advice that is easy to gloss over is “becoming the director”. That is to say, using your voice and directing your subjects to capture your vision. Most of the time, this is glossed over by more introverted types who don’t really feel comfortable directing people, but it’s so important to learn how to be a photography director if you want to avoid taking awkward photographs.
Even if you’re taking photographs of people you know, such as family and friends, always tell them exactly what you want and direct them as if you were directing a photoshoot. The chances are they’re feeling awkward and looking for direction anyway. After all, you’re the photographer!
Learn Your Lighting
You might be thinking: how is this advice underrated? Everyone follows it! Well, no, not everyone does, but they should. Photography is all about capturing light in different ways, and only some photographers understand why that’s important.
If you take your photographs to a photo book maker, the only way you’ll see improvements in your photography is through the way you captured light in each photo book. At the beginning, it’s essential that you experiment with natural light as much as you can. Then, when you’re further along in the photography game, switch to your own lighting; get to grips with intensity, quantity, direction and quality of light. And your photographs will go up another level for it.
Find Your Niche
Lastly, it’s easy to look at this piece of advice and think: yeah, yeah, I know what I want. But finding your niche is more than just snapping what you feel like. It’s about finding stories that interest you and finding your way of telling them. Why are you taking certain photographs? What emotion are you trying to provoke?
It’s essential for any photographer to really soul-search and find out why they are doing it. Understanding yourself will only help you to refine your photographs… and it might even give you a few extra Facebook likes too!
