Today I’m sharing some general tips for anyone looking to get into photography. Whether you just want to learn a new skill, want to go into business, or just want to take better pictures of your kids, learning about photography can seem a little daunting. The more I learn in photography, the more I realize there is to learn!

Poster image for blog post on learning photography

1. Shoot in Manual Mode

Learning manual mode is what is going to make the biggest difference in your images. REALLY spend time to get this down solid before you try to learn other skills and techniques.

2. Find a mentor/someone you can ask questions.

I didn’t have this when I first started and it would’ve made a HUGE difference! Luckily I know some photographers now that are super nice and I feel comfortable asking them questions, such a good resource to have!

3. Focus on getting one skill down before moving on to the next.

I am a SUPER impatient person, so this is really hard for me to do! There are so many different techniques and skills to learn and develop as you delve more into the photography world that you just want to learn it all at once! But with all the buttons and dials to turn and settings to adjust this can quickly get overwhelming and you can forget things. What will really make a difference is if you slow down a little and focus on the skill you’re working on. Once that feels solid, then move on to something else.

4. Even if you don’t feel like your images are improving, keep shooting anyways.

There have been times in my photography journey where I’ve seen a big jump in my images, and other times when I feel like they stay relatively the same (literally for years!). Just realize that everyone is at a different part of their photography journey. What might take you one year to learn might take someone else two, and vice versa! So if you feel like your images aren’t measuring up, just take a deep breath and keep shooting. Even if you feel like your images aren’t improving, they probably are! Maybe just slower than you would like.

Girl in pink dress looking at bush in Rio Grande Nature Center photo location

Those are all my tips for today! Now, before you get all mad because I didn’t give any actionable or specific tips, know that I’ll be doing another post next Friday on all my favorite photography books and resources. So check back next week for that! And if you have any questions, feel free to ask away!