I want to share with you everything I have learned over the past couple of years and help you along your journey! Whether you just got your first DSLR or you have been shooting for years, we have photography tips for everyone.

I am a huge advocate of shooting in manual mode. You will be amazed at how much your images improve once you take complete control over all your settings.

Not sure you want to make the leap to manual mode?

Be sure to read 5 reasons to shoot in manual mode. Manual mode may seem scary at first but I challenge you to put your camera on “M” for a week.

How do I start photography?

Then the best thing to do is to learn your camera. I always recommend learning manual mode so you are able to take full control of all your photos.

Then you can work on composition and getting creative with your photos. But my number one tip of advice is to practice… a lot.

You have to be consistent in taking photos so you can improve your photography.

–Must Have Photography Equipment for Beginners

Photography tips for manual mode

Like so many people, I had a fancy new camera but my photos weren’t turning out like some of my friends with the same fancy camera.

What was I doing wrong? I wasn’t shooting in manual mode. With the help of a friend and hours of reading all the photography tips and tutorials I could get my hands on, I tackled manual mode. If I can do it, you can do it too.

– How to shoot in manual mode: The basics

What are the basic tips for taking good photographs?

Have you put your camera in auto mode and started taking pictures and wondered why in the world they aren’t turning out very good? Especially when you just bought this big fancy camera?

First you want to make sure you understand your camera settings. As I said before, I recommend you shoot in manual mode. Then learn how to adjust your white balance. This is what causes your photos to look yellow or blue. Another big tip is to nail your focus. We will dive more into these below.

Camera Settings

– Changing your focal point
– Metering mode: Basics
– Reading a histogram
– RAW vs JPEG
– How to meter using the sky
– Interval timer vs wireless remote
– The Zone System: The basics

White balance

– Custom white balance
– How to use Kelvin for white balance
–How to use an Expodisc to Perfect your White Balance
– How to correct white balance in Lightroom
– How to warm up your image in ACR

Nailing Correct Focus

– How to take a sharp image
– Tips for achieving sharp focus
– Back button focus: Do you BBF?

What are the 3 elements of photography?

In photography there are 3 elements that will affect the lighting. Since light is required for photography it is important to know how these three things work together to properly expose the photo.

We call this the exposure triangle, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You can read all about the exposure triangle here: Complete Guide to Understanding the Exposure Triangle

Aperture

– Aperture
– How to Use your F-Stop to Create Amazing Photos

Shutter Speed

– Slow shutter speed to show movement
– How you Should be Freezing Motion in your Pictures

ISO

– ISO: Grain/Noise
– ISO: Don’t be afraid to raise it

How can I improve my photography skills?

Composition

Learning how to compose a shot to draw your viewer in is a quick way to take your photo from looking like a snap shot to something you want to frame on the wall.

There a lot of basic composition rules that you can do to take your photo to the next level. Using these tips, you can really improve your photography skills.
– Rule of thirds
– Limb chopping and basic composition
– Shooting from different angles
– Fill the frame
– Leading lines
– Negative space

Photography tips for lighting

One of the best pieces of advice I received was from Sarah Wilkerson in a workshop was “Find the light first and then find the subject”. The light in an image can make or break your image.

Light is a fun thing to work with because it is always changing. You can use dramatic light, harsh lighting, shadows, and soft light to name a few. If you want to take your photography to the next level, really understand and use light!
– How to create catchlights
– 6 steps to creating a haze effect in photos
– Window lighting
– 6 steps to creating a silhouette
– A tip for shooting in full sun
– Split lighting with easy with 5 steps
– Creating dramatic light in small spaces
– Shooting for black and white photographs
– Dramatic light: Start to finish
– Silhouette photos: 10 tips for capturing them
– Finding light in unexpected places

Photographing tips for photographing Children

It’s the same old story, girl has baby, girl gets camera, girl wants to take better pictures of her kids. I know that is when I decided to tackle manual mode. I just wanted to capture better photos of my kids and still do.
– Details, details, details
– Newborn photography tips for on-location photographers
– The everyday: Photographing your own kids
– Capturing true character
– 6 tips for photographing your baby’s birth
– 10 tips for photographing your baby
– Toddler photography: 8 tips for capturing those early years
– Birth photography: 10 lessons learned
– 6 quick and easy tips to capture kids in the leaves
– 10 tips to photograph kids together
– Photographing children in less than 7 minutes

How do I take professional photos?

Are you a photographer? This question used to be hard for me to answer. I know how to use my camera, I get the photographs I want, and I love doing it.

I didn’t get there over night though. It takes being consistent in your work by practicing a lot. There are a few other things like pushing your creativity, and having quality gear that will set your photos apart from the rest.

– When to Call Yourself a Photographer

Photography equipment

If you get several photographers together, they are bound to talk about photography gear. I myself am a lens junkie. Oh, I love lenses! There are so many out there to choose from and all the different gear can be quite confusing. Let us help you with that.

Cameras

– Looking to buy a DSLR
– 5 tips for traveling with your photography gear
– Sensor cleaning: Is my sensor dirty?

Lenses

– What lens to buy first?
– Comparing a 20mm, 35mm and 50mm on a crop sensor camera
– Understanding the writing on the lens
– What lens to buy next?
– Our favorite lenses
– Lens on crop vs full frame sensor
– Comparing different lenses
– 50mm 1.8 vs 50mm 1.4
– Camera lens rental: Your questions answered
– Wedding photography lenses: What you need to know

Books on photography tips

– 5 must-read photography books

Photography tips for how to get out of a rut

It is inevitable that at one point or another in your photography journey you will hit a rut. Finding ways to get out of your photography rut can be a challenge. I post creative exercises to help keep you from getting in a rut but there are several ways you can get out of one.
– 8 tips to get you photography juices flowing
– Get out of your photography rut in 10 steps
– One subject, many vantage points
– Photography bucket list
– Photography project ideas
– 30 day challenge: Photograph your kids
– 11 tips for completing a Project 365
– 7 photography project ideas
– Photography blues: 4 tips to kick the winter rut
– Personification: Creative exercise
– Find your photography style
– Photography style: 5 tips to find your style

Photography tips for business

We did a whole series with secrets from the pros from start up costs to getting creative with your advertising.
– Creative advertising through giving back
– 3 tips to brand your business
– Start up cost
– Owner to hobbyist: 8 lessons learned
– 7 things customers look for in a photographer
– How to add a personal touch using photos

How to fix photos in post processing

Something to keep in mind when you are first starting out is not to compare your SOOC to edited images. Every photographer I know edits their images. It is part of learning about photography. Besides editing it is important to make sure that you have a system in place to keep your photos organized.

Lightroom photography tips

– Noise reduction video
– Creating rounded corners in Lightroom
– 280 Free collage templates for PS, PSE and Lightroom
– Adding vignetting in Lightroom
– Editing silhouette photo in Lightroom
– Lightroom Black and white conversion video
– Exporting Photos from Lightroom
– Sync button in Lightroom
– Organizing photos in Lightroom using stars, colors, and smart collections
– Cloning in Lightroom: How to remove distractions
– How to create you own preset in Lightroom
– Presets and Actions: Working smarter not harder
– Before and after: Underexposure video

Photoshop photography tips

– Photoshop editing: Creating negative space
– Photoshop tutorial: How to add blur
– RAW editing in ACR & Lightroom using the tone curve
– 236 Free collage templates for PS, PSE and Lightroom

Personal favorite photography tips

Of course, I have some posts that I loved writing and sharing with you guys. If you learn anything from this site please learn to get in the photos with your kids. They don’t care what you are wearing, how much you weigh, or if you have make-up on. Just get in the photo.

– Self portraits: Get in front of the camera
– Think before you click
– Tips to for taking your own family portraits
– 21 lessons learned in my 2nd year of shooting in manual mode
– The secret to editing a month of photos in one week
– How to prepare a room for photos
– Street photography: 9 tips to follow
– What to do with all those photos: Digital photography books
– What to do with all your photos: Photo albums