The best place to start your photography, from equipment and editing even location.
Everyone has to start somewhere with their photos and it usually is not with studio lights and an expensive camera, This is how I started and a few tips as to where a budding photographer may want to start.
When I first started taking photos I did not have expensive or professional equipment, I started by taking photos on my iPhone. In modern society a phone’s camera is nearly as good as the top range digital cameras available. When you begin photography you do not need the most expensive camera available or the biggest lighting set up, this is my advice on what you need to start taking photos and where to do it.
Equipment
A high end digital camera will take beautiful photos but costing anywhere from one thousand to three and a half thousand pounds, they are often too expensive for many aspiring photographers. Begin by taking photos on your phone, it is a piece of equipment you always have with you and ready when you see something worth capturing, you can work your way up to the more advanced and expensive cameras.
Lighting depends on what style of photography you do, with nature or landscape photography you are reliant on natural lighting and street lights. Use natural light to your advantage allowing shadows and brightness to enhance your photos. With portrait photography external lighting is often required; whilst you can use natural lighting it does not always work to the advantage of the photographer. There is no need to get full studio lighting start small using the flash of a camera or a small ring light that you can clip to the top of your phone, this will allow you to get more control over lighting particularly when taking pictures of faces where shadows can often contort the shot.
Editing
Similarly to equipment do not think you need the best or most well know editing software. Photo sharing apps such as Instagram or VSCO are a perfect place to start when editing photos.
Editing software on a phone or computer is perfect for photographers starting out, there is nothing overly complicated and has everything new photographers need. When taking photos on a phone there are hundreds of apps you can use for editing from one as simple as applying a filter such as Galaxy Overlay up to more advanced software such as Lightroom.
When editing on a computer begin by using the built in photo editing software, similarly to editing on a phone built in software is a great place to start when editing photos, eventually building up to use payed software such as Adobe Photoshop cc or Adobe Lightroom cc.
Location or subject
The easiest way to start taking photos is to start by taking shots of still subjects such as food and drink, which allows a new photographer to gain experience using both software and equipment, whether it is focusing a lens or applying a filter. Taking pictures of friends and family is a perfect way to find the best portrait or candid shot settings and lighting on either a phone or camera as well as how to manipulate light to work best in images where external or additional lighting cannot be used.
By starting small and working up aspiring photographers can develop skills in the different areas of photography as well as finding the style of photography they enjoy doing the most.