*Some of these are affiliate links that mean I’ll be compensated if you purchase the, so thanks for the support!This past week someone asks on social media for tips on doing photography. I am far from an expert in photography but I am always looking to help with any advice I could. Overall I think you should practice daily and create projects to improve your craft. However, the question made me think about the mistakes I made when I began doing photography. Below are several Mistakes I Made When Starting Out as a Photographer.
Avoid Vanity Metrics
One mistake I made early on through my journey into photography was focusing too much attention on Instagram. A large following on Instagram or other social media does not equate to success. Another issue with Instagram is that there have been a lot of reports of false statistics on the platform. I think it's better to use Instagram and social media to drive traffic to your website.
Build a Presence Through Social Media
Because Facebook owns Instagram and a lot of real estate in Social Media it's hard to avoid not having a presence there.Outside of Facebook, the following Social Media platforms might be less controversial choices:
Camera Gear:
Camera gear among creative professionals is very exciting to talk about. If you browse any photography or videography forums you'll come across a wide range of opinions on what brand is better to whether you should only buy prime vs zoom lenses. A large part of my gear purchases were influenced by other creators. However, these creators based their camera decisions on their creative needs that mattered to them. If I was learning photography today, I would spend the majority of time renting camera gear out before making a long term purchase.Ideally, if you know your niche of photography you can get gear that corresponds to that. Gear choices that you will make will differ based on the type of subject you choose to photograph. For instance, here are some examples of lenses that are good fits for certain areas of photography:Portraits:
Sports:
(The above are Canon links but most camera manufacturers make their own version of these lenses.)
Learn About Exposure:
When I started creating video content regularly, I found how important reading a histogram was. Learning about how aperture, iso, and shutter control the looks and feel of your image is very important. Also, learning on how much editing photos in post such as correcting white balance and correcting composition issues are important in the editing process. My recommendation if you're just starting out, try shooting in manual mode a few times.
Focus on the End Product:
In photography, I don't think another attention is given to the business end of running this type of business. How are you going to actually deliver a final product to clients are questions that should be asked early on. This also affects other freelancers like Copywriters, Videographers, and others.Options for platforms to delivery photos projects to clients are:
Summary: Mistakes I Made When Starting Out as a Photographer:
In conclusion, I hope this article was insightful if you're looking into getting into photography. In addition to the above, I would recommend that you constantly create or take on projects to practice your craft.
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