Becoming a professional photographer is not something you can do overnight. It takes a lot of practice and learning. The mastery of instruments, the ability to visualize ideas and also patience to wait the right moments are the keys to success in becoming a great photographer. There are 6 important tips that you can learn as your first steps to become a professional photographer here.
1. DO CREATE VISUALIZATION
Visualizing resulted image before pressing the shutter of your camera is very important. Meaning, we should be able to imagine the result of the photo we take and how it will look by using the setting of your camera, adjusting lighting condition and also deciding the right moment when you will start to press the shutter button. Think as if you are using roll film so you will become more careful. Indeed, using digital media allows us to use burst mode and take images as many as we like and let us hope that there will be one of two of them that come out great and interesting. But that method is actually wrong because it will only waste our time and energy. Apart from that, our instinct will not be well-trained to take good image in one snap shot.
2. OBSERVE, IMITATE AND THEN MODIFY
Photography is a very unique work that has the same character as photographer. Don’t fear to show your creativity and identity. Often times, we are affected by other people’s works and we tend to try hard to do the same as what they did in the way they produce images. There is nothing wrong about looking at other photographers’ photos for references but we should not attempt to imitate and create ones that are completely the same as them. We can move a bit and change angles as well as the lighting if possible; in order to get more unique result than the one we have seen before.
3. WAITING
Waiting is indeed a very tiring and boring thing to do but it is actually not when it comes to photography because we need to wait patiently to get those special moments. While waiting, you can think of what is the best way you can do to get the image. Apart from that, while waiting, you need to make sure that the camera is in good position to take a shot whether it is on the diaphragm setting part of the shutter speed, ISO, and etc.
4. LIGHT, HIGHLIGHT, AND SHADOW
Photography is all about the art of immortalizing light. So where we shoot the light will always be the main consideration. Whether it is day or night or whether it is natural lighting or the artificial one, they need to be given attention. Sometimes we need to move or use the help of flash to get better lighting. Too dark or too bright area can reduce the quality of a picture and we absolutely need to learn the chapter about lighting even further.
5. STOP THINKING ABOUT GOING FOR EDITING PROCESS
If you think that you are able to turn your bad image to a good one in a post processing so you must know that this thought is very wrong. The correct formula is to use as much time as you have to shoot and use as little as possible for editing process. It will be easier to change things naturally rather than to do it in the editing room. So you should present what’s in your thought well on the picture and you should clearly set it in mind that you need no another editing process.
6. LEARNING COMPOSITION
“Knowledge is a power” so the more we know the better we are. A composition is the element that composes an image. The more we master the art of it the better it will be. For example, the rule of third can produce interesting picture more than the one with the subject exactly in the middle which looks rather boring. Another example is the use of fill in frame when you meet background that looks not so interesting and also the fact that the odd number of composition is better than the even one in portrait photography. There will always be new things about composition we can learn and master.
