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Spencer Cox Photography is one of my favorite YouTube photographers because most of the videos he creates are for absolute beginners. For instance, one of the most popular videos he recently published was a video with beginner photography tips for new photographers.
It’s videos like these that really help out a new photographer because they contain all of the basic info you need while actually walking you through how to use that info in an interesting way. You can see the video below:
I know when I was a new photographer I was always interested in astrophotography but was too nervous to try thinking that I would need a lot more training before I could start.
Well, with this video, you can get comfortable with some of the most basic components of photography. Let’s begin!
Aperture is a Fraction
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If you are a brand new photographer, then you may not know what aperture is. Let me explain. Aperture is one of the most important camera settings because it controls the amount of light that enters your camera. It also helps you control your depth of field, which is the area of an image that’s sharply in focus. A shallow depth of field is often used in portraiture, where the subject is sharp but the background is nicely blurred. A large depth of field is often used in landscape photography, where everything is sharp from front to back.
But, what Spencer pointed out in this video is equally important for a new photographer to learn because it will help you remember the sometimes confusing f-stops used to denote aperture.
For example, when a photographer is shooting with an aperture of f/4, that is actually a larger aperture than f/8. For a new photographer, this might not make any sense since 8 is larger than 4. But, because aperture is actually a fraction, when a photographer says they are using an f/4 aperture that actually translates to 1/4th. Likewise, when a photographer says they are using an f/8 aperture that actually translates to 1/8th.
So, think about apertures as fractions, and it’ll help you remember which numbers mean larger apertures and which ones mean smaller apertures.
Basic Photography Rules Are Just That...Basic
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Another point that Spencer makes in his video deals specifically with photography rules. If you’re a new photographer, then you’ve likely heard some of the pro tips for photographers that Spencer is talking about… things like the rule of thirds or the rule of odds.
Spencer pointed out that while these rules are obviously important for you, as a new photographer, to learn, they are not going to make you an excellent photographer. Basically, if you don’t listen to these very basic rules, your photography will be really, really bad. Conversely, if you listen to these very basic rules, that doesn’t mean that your photography will be really, really good, either.
Spencer goes on to say that he often finds himself breaking these basic photography rules because he made the creative choice to do so. As such, it is important for you to learn the rules, but don’t let them hold you back from being as creative as you want to be.
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Shoot RAW
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This one is pretty simple. You will likely get a camera and start shooting with it right out of the box and this will be a mistake because most cameras are set to shoot images in JPEG files out of the box.
While JPEG works fine for your average photo, they do not work for professional, or even hobbyist, photographers because JPEGS are compressed, and therefore do not record as much data.
Instead, change your settings so that you are always shooting RAW images. RAW files retain virtually all the information the sensor collects from the scene. This is advantageous because it gives you much more data to work with in post-processing.
It’s Okay to Shoot at f/16
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A lot of articles aimed at new photographers online recommend that you don’t shoot at f/16 or higher because lenses aren’t as sharp at this aperture.
And while this is true - the sweet spot is probably in the f/8 to f/11 range - if you are a landscape photographer or a macro photographer, then you likely need to shoot in f/16 on occasion. Just don’t let this rule of thumb negatively impact your creative vision. If the situation calls for f/16, f/22, or higher, do it!
You Likely Don’t Need the Accessories
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When you’re purchasing a new camera or a new camera lens, a lot of times you can choose to buy that camera or camera lens in a bundle that comes with more basic accessories, like cleaning supplies, etc.
The issue is that all of the extra equipment in these bundles are much more expensive if you purchase them in a bundle, instead of by themselves, and more importantly, a lot of them are just terrible. For example, it’s a better idea to buy a lens cloth that is a high quality than to opt for a bundle with one that isn’t.
If You’re Having Problems, It Likely Isn’t the Camera
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Spencer said that he sold one of his cameras for a “considerable loss” when he was a new photographer just because he thought that it was the camera’s fault his images weren’t coming out like he expected them to.
If you keep having the same problems with your photos, you’re likely doing something wrong and need to ask a more knowledgeable photographer for help. It could save you a lot of money on new equipment in the long run!
Read Photography Books
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Spencer believes that photography books are much more helpful than photography videos could ever be, and I have to agree with him. If you’re serious about getting better at photography, then you need to start reading photography books!
Start Your Social Media Channels
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Another tip that Spencer pointed out is that you shouldn’t be worried to start your social media channels right now.
He didn’t start his channels until he was part way into his photography career and believes that it hurt his ability to gain name recognition right away. Don’t make his mistake. You don’t need to post content every single day on every single channel. But at least have the channels using the same handle, that way when you have a career in photography, you have consistent branding across all platforms.
Don’t Rely Strictly on Photos
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Finally, Spencer’s last tip for new photographers is to never rely strictly on your photos to remember personal moments in your life.
He used the example of trips, but I think major life events like birthdays, weddings and births are just as good as examples. If you spend all of your time taking photos of the memories, the memories of the day themselves will start to fade.
To combat this, you can start a short journal that you use to write a few sentences about special days that you can use alongside your photos.
Well, that’s all for this video. We hope you enjoyed it and wish you luck on your journey as a new photographer.
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