- Learn your camera’s controls. Know how to turn the flash on and off, and how to make it ‘auto’ (and how to make it NOT auto.) How to use the various exposure modes: Aperture priority/Shutter priority/Manual. If you can adjust the ISO, learn how to make the change easily.
- Take a bunch of photos! Then think about them afterwards. Think about what you were trying to capture and how that differs from what you actually got. What could you have done to make the image more appealing/thought-provoking/interesting/etc.
- Don’t worry about equipment until you’re pretty good with whatever you have. You should be able to make good images with any camera! Don’t buy stuff until you understand what you’re doing. No kidding!
- In spite of tip 3 – get a tripod. If you have a lightweight, point and shoot camera, get a fairly lightweight tripod. (You’ll probably want to buy an upgraded tripod if you upgrade your camera, but don’t spend a bunch yet. If you have a heavy digital SLR, then get a more substantial tripod. The idea is to make the camera stable. Sometimes taking several images of the same thing – using different setting – will teach you more in 5 minutes than you would learn shooting 100 random shots of different subjects.
- Start noticing the lighting in pictures you like. Look at magazines and books and try and figure out where the light was coming from. Where there multiple light sources? Notice the shadows, the highlights. If it’s a picture of a person, is there a catch light in their eye? (A ‘catch light’ is the spot in their eye that shows the actual source of the light – it may be a window, or a photographic umbrella, or some other light source.)
- Use different vantage points. If you’re photographing your dog, get down to the dog’s level – then shoot from a higher level. Compare the photos and analyze the pros/cons of each. What happens to the background when you change? Does it get simpler, or more complex? How does that affect the photo?
- Carry your camera with you. (I should take this advice!) Don’t get a camera that is so big/complex that you never use it!
- Show your pictures to your friends (especially if they enjoy photography too – they will have observations and tips that you won’t think of.) Let them know that you’d like to get better – be sure they know you’re not looking for praise, you’re looking for suggestions. (Then, really be looking for suggestions – as opposed to praise. If they offer praise, take it but ask them what it is they like about the image. “That’s pretty” is nice to hear, but doesn’t really help you get better.)
- Think about pictures you look at. Think about how the composition appeals to you (or doesn’t), think about the light and what impact it has on the image. Like any art, photography is an intellectual process. This doesn’t mean you have to be an intellectual (thank goodness), it just means that it requires thought.
- Have fun! This is a hobby that you can spend a lifetime learning. You will never know everything. Take your time and enjoy the learning process.