Get a Camera! Get a Hobby!
Are you a shutterbug? Do you find yourself feeling lost if you don’t have your camera tucked into your bag? Perhaps you’re the person your friends rely on to always have a camera ready to pull out at social events. If you find yourself with an itch for photography, there are great ways to develop your new hobby, even on a student’s budget!
Get a Camera Get a Hobby
1. Buy Used
Your pocket-sized digital camera is great way to begin your hobby. Don’t rush out and buy something larger until you’ve developed your skills. When the time comes for you to buy a bigger and better camera, buy used. You can save hundreds of dollars simply by shopping around. Amazon.com, eBay and Craigslist are all great sources for used camera equipment.
2. Learn the Basics
Photography, as a hobby, takes much more than simply snapping a photo. There are skills and techniques that are involved with photography: lighting, shutter speed, white balance, composition and color theory are good places to start. There are dozens of great books available at your local library that can teach you about proper photo-taking techniques. Here are some tips to take pictures of flowers.
3. Critique
Once you’ve begun to study the basics that are involved, look back at your old photos and practice critiquing them. How would you have taken the pictures differently, knowing what you know now? Look at your photographs and take notes; what do you like and what would you change? Critiquing your own photos with a fresh, educated eye will better enable you to take stunning photos in the future.
4. Practice
Like any other hobby, practice makes perfect. Take your camera out with you for the day and practice shooting. Try to use one or two of the new techniques you’ve learned while taking your pictures. You won’t have hundreds of photos that you’re happy with, but you will begin to develop your new skills; soon they will become second nature. Don’t get discouraged if it takes you an extra few minutes to take each picture; you’ll get faster with practice.
5. Look at Other People’s Photos
Once you’ve begun to practice, take a look at other people’s photographs and keep critiquing. Find a few photos that you like and ask yourself why. Do you like the lighting? Is it the subject matter that’s catching your eye? You can easily find inspiration in other people’s photographs and, once you have begun developing your own skills, you’ll even begin to appreciate the technical aspects of other people’s pictures.
Photography is a great, budget-friendly hobby! Developing your skills now will ensure that you have a fabulous, life-time hobby. Grab your camera, study skills and techniques and practice as often as you can; you’ll soon find yourself teaching others how to take fabulous photos!