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What’s the one tip you’d give yourself starting out as a photographer?

There’s nothing quite like the power of hindsight, especially when it comes to some of those golden life tips you pick up along the way that would made your everyday a lot easier if you had known them when you were younger.

While we don’t have the ability to travel back in time and give ourselves the helping hand that could have made all the difference, we do have the power to pass on these little nuggets of brilliance to people who are following a similar path to yours. So, here’s your chance to help and give some advice that could benefit someone who is just starting out as a photographer and allow them to take the next steps in their journey.

Using Camera uploads

Now, as I’ve said before, I am not in any way, shape, or form a professional photographer, but I have taken a lot of photographs over the years and made my fair share of mistakes along the way. When I first started to take photographs, I was using an analogue camera, with actual film in it, and I can’t tell you the amount of times I took a photo that didn’t turn out anything like I thought it would.

So for me, the one tip that I would give myself now, would be to take more than one photo. This is, of course, a lot easier to do now than it was back then. Digital cameras and smart phones are awesome and being able to instantly see your photo and not being restricted to the amount of shots you can take because you’re running out of film is a huge plus for making sure you get awesome shots. I say, get totally snap happy, and when you think you’ve got enough photos, take some more, even if you think you’ve already got the ultimate shot, because you’ll never know if the next one will turn out better, unless you take it.

I also pretty much exclusively use my phone for taking photos, and thanks to Camera uploads I can keep my phone memory relatively clear and make sure I never accidentally delete the best photo of the bunch.

So, now over to you, if there was one tip you would give yourself when you were starting out as a photographer, what would if be?

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Comments

Emmet

Whenever I was asked by people who wanted to get started at photography I would give them two pieces of advice.

Experience is the best teacher, take as many photos as you can! I'm completely self thought myself and that's really down to keeping my camera with me at all times and taking photos constantly.
Don't buy a new camera until you've reached your limit with what you can do with your current camera or phone. People are always believing that they need expensive cameras to take good photos but some of my favourite photos were taken on my phone. Practice with what you have. When you reach a point where you can't take the type of photos you want, and only then, upgrade to a camera that suits your needs. I used my starter DSLR for years as a professional before finally upgrading. Trust me, most people won't notice the difference.

Gnutz83

Photos are very good from the phone quality is better on the phone

Long Meadow

This is all very well but I seem to be forever sorting my photos from miscellaneous image files from work in other folders. There must be a way of selecting what pictures you want to appear in your photos... Info - Onedrive are working on this feature.

Nancy023

There are many tips that can help you improve your photography skills, but if I had to choose one, I would say: Practice, practice, practice. Photography is a skill that requires constant learning and experimentation. You can read all the books and articles you want, but nothing beats actually going out and taking photos. The more you shoot, the more you will discover what works and what doesn’t, what you like and what you don’t, and what makes your photos stand out. Practice will also help you master your camera settings, your composition, and your post-processing. As the famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” So don’t be afraid to make mistakes, try new things, and have fun with your camera. Practice is the best way to learn and grow as a photographer.

Graham

Hi @Long Meadow, that's totally a fair point, have you thought about posting this as a feature request on our Share an idea board?

Graham

Hi @Nancy023, thanks so much for sharing these words of wisdom! I totally agree, practice definitely helps make perfect, and learning new skills and experimenting is also a lot of fun, which I think is equally as important when doing something that you are passionate about! I'd love to hear more about how you honed your skills as a photographer. Particularly, if you have used Dropbox to help on your journey!

Long Meadow

@Graham Thanks for the reply , I've had a look at the idea board and up voted a suggestion asking for the same thing ... You never know - fingers crossed.

Graham

That's great @Long Meadow! For sure, the more votes, the better chance it has of making it's way through to our product teams.