Buzz
Always Carry Your Camera
For amateur photographers, lugging around a DSLR camera everywhere can feel cumbersome and heavy. It can be daunting to carry a camera with a strap into places like convenience stores to buy things.
However, for professional photographers, a camera is almost like an extension of themselves. A beautiful scene or a newsworthy event can happen at any moment, requiring the photographer to have their camera at hand to capture it. For instance, the photo below was taken while the photographer was on the way to buy a sandwich.
If carrying a bulky DSLR camera is too inconvenient, photographers should equip themselves with a travel camera or even a smartphone with a built-in camera to easily carry it everywhere. A French-Vietnamese photographer once said that always having a camera in his pocket made him never think about the term 'taking a picture,' but rather 'documenting life.',
Advice: Photos don't always wait for you. Use a pocket-sized camera when you can't take your DSLR with you.
The Background Is as Important as the Subject
When taking a photo, people often focus on the subject being photographed. However, the subject rarely stands alone and usually requires a background to 'coordinate' with. When looking through the viewfinder and aiming the camera at the subject, the first thing you should do is... not rush to take the picture. Consider the background first.
The background will affect the subject in two ways: either it enhances the subject or it makes the subject fade into the background. This is the factor photographers must pay attention to.
Advice: Pay attention to the background, as well as all colors, lines. You must judge whether the background will have a positive or negative effect on the subject.
Light is Everything
If humans communicate with each other through voice, photographers communicate with photos through light. Therefore, if you want to become a good photographer, you need to 'control' light in your photos.
Observe how light affects the subject. For example, a person's face lights up when watching TV, or a landscape captured at dawn. Your photography skills will progress as you learn to focus on light.
Advice: Pay attention to light, light quality, the shadows it creates, and the shapes it brings.
Consider Your Work like Fine Wine
You may have not been satisfied with the photos you've taken so far. You think your best work will be done... in the future. However, at some point, you will find your past photos becoming valuable. In fact, many people have valuable photos they don't know about. Until one day they realize the value of the photo when their artistic eye becomes more professional.
Advice: Photos are like fine wine, they get better with age. But you'll have to dig to find them again.
Shoot with Heart
Most camera users know how to set aperture, adjust ISO, and control light. But when you look at their photos, you'll see they lack something. It's the 'heart' factor! They didn't capture intense emotions when taking those photos.
The art of photography is not about capturing what's happening in the world, but it's about capturing the emotions in the photographer's heart. The photographer must express their self in the photo.
Advice: Capture with your emotions, the photo will come alive.
Ask 'Why?'
Not everyone comes to photography with the same purpose. Some want to get rich, some come to photography just out of passion, some want fame, and some take photos just to document a child's growth journey.
If you intend to become a photographer, ask yourself 'Why?' Answering this question will clarify your path. Asking 'Why?' is like putting on a magnifying glass in front of a light source, it will help you focus and find what you need more clearly.
Advice: Why did you come to photography? Does photography truly captivate you? Choose your path by answering the question above.
You're Less Dependent on Equipment Than You Think
For a photographer, equipment is not the most important factor in getting a beautiful photo. The crucial things are aesthetic sense and creativity. Photography is like a puzzle game. Despite being limited by pieces, with creativity, one can create a beautiful masterpiece. Another comparison: if humans already had wings, they would never have invented airplanes.
Advice: Whatever camera you own, use it creatively. If you're 'armed to the teeth', you won't be able to think of anything.
Don't Demand Perfection in Technique
While learning photography, you may be taught how to achieve accurate exposure, focus, depth of field, etc. However, did you know that some of the world's most iconic photos were taken with imperfect techniques?
Sometimes, the artistic quality of a photo fills the imperfections in the shooting technique, so don't overly obsess with technical perfection. The Japanese have a concept called 'Wabi sabi,' which means 'Beauty lies in imperfection.',
Advice: Don't focus too much on technical perfection, focus on emotions.
Think about Creating an Image, Not Just Taking a Photo
If you want to become a professional photographer, you need to make a transition from 'Taking photos' to 'Creating photographic artworks.' When you raise your camera to take a shot, you need to answer the question: 'Will you create an image that's a replica of what's in front of the lens?' or 'Is what's in front of the lens a starting point to communicate with your soul?'
'Taking photos' is a term for camera owners. Photographers, on the other hand, will 'create images.'
Advice: Think like an artist. Create something instead of just capturing it.
Make Your Photo Stick in the Viewer's Mind
Have you ever watched a road safety commercial on TV? In the clip, a beautiful car appears along with the joyful faces of the people inside. The car rolls along picturesque streets with rows of lush green trees. Viewers might think, 'Oh, life is so beautiful.' But then suddenly the car crashes. This clip leaves a strong impression on viewers because the filmmakers spent a lot of time creating a beautiful image and then breaking it.
In photography, you can do the same by creating a breakthrough in your photo to leave a strong impression on viewers.
Advice: Anticipate what viewers expect from the photo, then break the mold.
Here are 10 tips for novice photographers collected and compiled by Mytour, hoping they will be useful to you.
