How to Perfect Your Photography Process

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It can be a little intimidating when you’re starting out in photography. Well, actually, it can be really intimidating when you’re just starting out!

There are creative elements like composition you must master. There are also technical elements of photography, like what camera settings to use to create the best images. But becoming adept at the creative and technical components of photography will help you create better images. It just takes time.

Of course, you have to start perfecting your photography process at some point, and there’s no time like the present, so let’s dive in and discuss some actionable steps you can take to get on the path of being a better photographer!

Gear Selection: Use What You Have to Kickstart Your Photography Process
Start Working on Your Photography Process With Simple Composition Techniques
Keep Camera Settings Simple for Enhancing Your Photography Process
Basic Post-Processing Tips for Beginners
Complete Your Photography Process With a High-Quality Print
Other Recommended Photography Gear

Gear Selection: Use What You Have to Kickstart Your Photography Process

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When you start a new hobby, it’s hard not to go hog wild and buy a bunch of gear. This is true whether it’s photography, off-roading, playing guitar, or something in between.

And while a big, shiny, new professional-grade camera is awesome to have, you don’t need the very best gear to learn how to take better photos. In fact, for now, just use what you have!

Today’s smartphones are highly capable cameras, especially if you’re at the beginning of your photography process. Sure, there’s not much in the way of manual controls, but it’ll do for now as you navigate the creative aspects of photography. In other words, you can learn how to compose a better photo with a smartphone just the same as you can with a $6,000 professional camera.

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Once you start to feel more confident taking photos - and, more importantly, limited by your current camera - you should think about making an upgrade. Even still, it’s not necessary to invest in the most expensive camera you can afford.

I’m a huge advocate for only buying what you need (rather than what you want), and I’m also a huge advocate for buying used gear. Why spend $1,500 on a new camera and lens when you can get the same stuff, gently used, for several hundred dollars less?

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Here’s a few more things to keep in mind once you’re ready to start upgrading to more serious gear:

Consider the size of the camera. If you travel a lot or really like street photography, a small mirrorless body is a great option. If you love portraiture and are mostly in a studio environment, a larger mid-range or professional body might be a good fit, assuming you have the budget for that type of camera.
Lenses are every bit as important as your camera for your photography process, as they impact the overall look of the images you create. A wide-angle lens has a wider field of view to capture more of the scene and is the perfect option for shooting landscapes. A standard lens, on the other hand, is a do-it-all option for street photography, architecture, and portraits. Telephoto lenses have a long reach and allow you to frame up a close shot of a distant subject, and are ideal for sports and wildlife photography.
Get a tripod or tripod alternative that gives your camera and lens a stable base. This is perhaps the most important camera accessory you can buy at this point! A tripod allows your camera to get sharper images and videos, too. Other accessories like a camera remote, memory cards, an external flash, and a camera bag are useful as well.

Now, the above is by no means an exhaustive list of everything you might need as a photographer, nor is it a detailed explanation of this component of the photography process. Instead, use this list as a springboard for exploring the gear you need (and excluding the items you don’t).

Start Working on Your Photography Process With Simple Composition Techniques

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At this point, there’s no need to try to learn every single photography composition technique there is. On the one hand, it would be overwhelming! On the other hand, there are some tried-and-true techniques you can use to improve your photos - and they’re simple to use, too!

The Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a compositional technique that divides an image using two vertical and two horizontal lines, as shown above. The resulting grid has nine equally-sized boxes and four intersection points. Aligning elements in your image with the horizontal lines, vertical lines, or intersection points will help you create a more balanced image that’s more visually appealing. Using the rule of thirds is a fantastic way to get your photography process headed in the right direction.

Leading Lines

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Leading lines is a compositional technique involving using lines in an image to direct the viewer’s eye. A simple example is the lines of different colored flowers leading our eyes to the windmill in the background of the photo above.

Leading lines don’t have to be that blatant, of course. They can be faint, curved, or even squiggly! The purpose is still the same - lines help guide viewers through the image, exploring various components and giving the sense that the image has much greater depth.

Frame Within a Frame

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Another simple compositional technique you can use to improve your photography process is to use a frame within a frame. By framing the subject with something - a window, an arch, or a break in the trees, you immediately assist the viewer in identifying where their eyes are supposed to go.

You can see this technique at work in the image above. The background scene of Tower Bridge in London is nicely framed by the airplane window. This example also highlights the use of leading lines - the plane’s wing helps move our eye from the foreground to the bridge.

Again, these are simple techniques but very powerful ones. Mastering each of them will help you see improved results in no time!

Keep Camera Settings Simple for Enhancing Your Photography Process

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At some point, you’ll want to learn how to shoot in manual mode. Doing so gives you maximum control over what your camera does, which in turn allows you to be the most creative with your images.

However, when you’re just starting out, there is nothing wrong with shooting in full auto mode. Again, at this point, you might focus more on the creative aspects of photography explained earlier as opposed to the technicalities of camera control.

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So, at this point in your photography process, keep it simple and use full auto mode. BUT…don’t let it become a crutch. When you feel confident enough, start taking control of your camera settings. And, fortunately, you don’t have to jump straight from full auto to manual mode!

Aperture priority mode allows you to control the camera’s aperture and ISO while it controls the shutter speed. This means that when you set the aperture and/or ISO, the camera will adjust the shutter speed to get a well-exposed image. Since you get to control the aperture, and the aperture is a component of control over the depth of field, this mode is preferred for portraits.
Shutter priority mode puts the power of shutter speed and ISO in your hands while the camera controls the aperture. Since you decide the shutter speed, this mode is preferred for action shots and long exposures.
Program mode puts the ISO in your hands while the camera controls the aperture and shutter speed. However, you can override what aperture and shutter speed the camera chooses. As such, this is not only a great stepping stone from full auto to manual mode but also a great way to practice full manual controls with the camera acting as a safety net.

You can learn more about aperture priority, shutter priority, and program mode in this detailed guide.

Basic Post-Processing Tips for Beginners

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As you become a better photographer and master the basics of composition and camera settings, it’s time to add post-processing to your photography process.

Now, smartphones make adjusting a photo extremely easy. You can crop an image, add a filter, adjust its exposure settings, and much more. It’s a great instrument for learning the essentials of enhancing an image.

But, just like your skills will outgrow what your phone can do as a camera, so too will your skills and needs outgrow your phone’s image editing capabilities. At that point, it’s worth your while to learn how to use programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, Luminar Neo, or another post-processing program.

These programs give you the ultimate freedom to edit your images. You can adjust shadows and highlights, use AI to add a different sky, work in layers to create non-destructive edits, and much more. Your photography process will be far more advanced as a result!

The best way to learn how to edit images is to hop on YouTube and watch some tutorials. There are thousands and thousands of excellent videos that will walk you step-by-step through every fathomable editing process! Get the process started by watching the video above by Vince Opra to learn some essential beginner post-processing tips.

Complete Your Photography Process With a High-Quality Print

I’m a big fan of completing the photography process with a print. Now, I’m not saying you should print out every photo you take, but certainly get a print of an image that you worked hard to perfect, from composition to camera settings to post-processing.

There are all sorts of printing options out there, from canvas to paper to metal. For my tastes, a metal print is hard to beat because of its sleek, modern look. And if you order a print from a top-quality metal printing company, your images will shine that much more!

A few months ago, I reviewed a print from Large Metal Prints, and as you can see in my video above, it absolutely knocked my socks off. Every aspect of the print was exceptional, from the color rendition and sharpness to the quality of the materials and the packaging of the print for shipment.

As an added bonus, metal prints are highly durable. They’re resistant to fading, and if smudges or fingerprints appear, you can easily wipe them off. The metal print I got from Large Metal Prints will be a beautiful addition to my office wall for years to come, and honestly, it will be something I can pass down to my son decades from now!

But beware that not all metal print companies are alike. Large Metal Prints is obviously dedicated to its products and serving its customers. This isn’t true of every printing company, unfortunately.

So, when it comes time to round out your photography process, work with a company like Large Metal Prints that has a ton of printing options, a huge range of sizes, and a dedicated team who takes pride in their work and wants to help you create your best possible images!

Other Recommended Photography Gear

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