8 Tips for Aspiring Photographers

I have something embarrassing to share: when I first started out in photography, I spammed the HECK out of people. Without a doubt, I would almost always ask the same question to as many photographers as I could, over and over: what advice do you have for someone starting out in photography?

 The answers very widely from “get the best gear you can!” to “gear is a waste of time and money if you don’t know how to use it!” to “don’t compare yourself” to no answer at all (that was the most popular ;) )  -  and now, this is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive from other aspiring photographers. So today I wanted to share a few of my favorite answers!

1.     If you’re just starting out - try it ALL!

One of the toughest things about starting out as a photographer? You won’t necessarily know what kind of photography you love most until you actually try different types!

When I first started getting into photography, I photographed anyone who would let me! Seniors, couples, families, newborns, young kids, professionals, products, weddings, and really, it took a couple of years for me to figure out where my “sweet spot” was, and where it wasn’t. Which is why I do not photograph newborns or products, but love seniors, couples, and families!

2.     STOP COMPARING YOURSELF.

You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s worth mentioning over and over again: don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle! You never know the story behind how someone’s gotten to where they are, or how much work they’ve put in to get there. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself!

3.     Practice, practice, practice – and break that practice down into manageable goals and steps!

This might be the most obvious piece of advice, but you HAVE to put in the work to learn! Don’t be afraid to put yourself into situations where you have to learn a new skill, and don’t be hard on yourself for the time it takes to master each new skill.

For example, a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to really step up my wedding photography game – but I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that needed to improve. So, I wrote a list of my top 10 things I wanted to focus on and improve, and each wedding, I tried to focus on one of those improvements – not on all ten things, just on one. By the end of the year, I had ten new skills to incorporate into all of my weddings, each building on the last. And by taking it one skill at a time, one wedding at a time, I was able to improve in a way that wasn’t overwhelming!

4.     Take intentional social media breaks.

Ahhh, social media: where creativity goes to die. Social media can be inspiring, encouraging, and community-driven, but if we’re honest, many times it can leave us feeling lackluster and isolated. Social media seems to breed comparison faster than almost anything else, so taking intentional breaks can be a great way to reset and let your own creativity come to the surface.

5.     Find inspiration from other creative (or non-creative!) mediums.

Other creative endeavors can be a great way to gain inspiration and a different point of view! You never know what can spill over from one medium into another.

6.     Find community with other photographers – beginners and pros.

This has been one of the most life-changing tips for me over the last year! It’s amazing what a simple connection can do – finding other like-minded people who are in the same boat as you, or even further along, make a huge difference in attitude and in success as a whole! We need others in order to succeed. If you don’t believe me, go read The Power of the Other by Henry Cloud!

7.     Find inspiration from other types of photography.

If you’re a portrait photographer, follow a wedding photographer. If you’re a wedding photographer, follow a landscape photographer. If you’re a landscape photographer, follow a sports photographer. You might find something interesting that you can incorporate in a unique way into your work! For example, as a wedding photographer, following food photographers has helped me learn how to better style wedding day details. Many food photographers will use stylists or incorporate their own special tricks into making their food photography stand out – some of which I’ve been able to incorporate into my wedding day detail styling! You never know where you might pick up a bit of inspiration!

8.     If you struggle with comparison but still want to follow the work of other photographers, follow photographers who teach, not just photographers who simply post their work.

A few years ago, I was so in the thick of social media comparison that I knew I either needed to totally delete my accounts or find a way to manage what I was feeling. I remember sitting down with my husband and going through the Instagram accounts I was following, one-by-one saying “yes, I compare myself to that person” or “no, I don’t compare myself to that person.” It might sound silly, but I learned something from it: the people I was following, or specifically the photographers I was following that I tended to not compare myself to were educators. Maybe it’s selfish – but the fact that those photographers posed their accounts as wanting to help me, not simply just show their work, helped me not feel the need to compare myself. And I’ve been using that “line” to judge who I should and shouldn’t follow ever since!

Looking for additional help and resources to feel more confident and comfortable behind your camera? I now offer a limited number of mentoring sessions per year, along with a few digital resources to aid other photographers on their journey! Check out my Senior Guy Posing Guide below, or to inquire about a mentoring session, use the Contact tab above!

What I Wish I Knew When I First Started Photographing Weddings

Can I tell you about my first wedding for a second? Oh my goodness, was it ROUGH. And no, not because of the couple (who was amazing!) or the photos (which I actually think were pretty good for my first wedding!) - what made my first wedding rough was all of the things that I didn’t know going into it. That’s true with anything, but for a girl who had only been to one wedding my life (as a flower girl when I was four), you could say that there was a lot I didn’t know about weddings.

The truth is, I didn’t have a whole lot of grace for myself in that initial learning period. Maybe you can relate: you start something new, you give it everything you have – and, still, your expectations for yourself fall a little flat. You know what you want, but you don’t necessarily know how to get there yet. Truth be told, that’s a lesson I am still learning, and one that I’ve dedicated a big portion of this year to learning. And in honor of this lesson that I’m learning, I want to share four things I wish I would’ve known when I first started photographing weddings – or maybe, more aptly, four ways I wish I would’ve given myself grace that first time around.

1.     It’s going to take some trial and error.

You know what the funny thing is about doing something for the first time? YOU’VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE! Or, maybe from a different perspective – you really have little to no experience. When I shot my first wedding, I had second shot with a few other photographers before, but nothing would fully prepare me for my first wedding as lead photographer. I felt so much pressure to make sure everything was perfect, and in the process, totally forgot (or really, neglected) to give myself the grace of knowing that there would be a bit of a learning curve. And you know what? I’m still learning six years later, and I'm still having to practice giving myself grace with every single session.

2.     Learning from other people is a necessity!

And speaking of learning – learning from other people is a COMPLETE necessity! I used to feel embarrassed asking other people for help, or even just asking clarifying questions to people who were kind enough to teach me. But when I photograph my first wedding, I had to seek out people who could show me the ropes, and even more importantly – I had to be willing to hear their critique and learn from them with an open mind so that I could improve faster!

3.     Know your gear inside and out!!

Here’s a funny story for you – for my first wedding, I rented some new gear that I had never used before. I had seen it online, I had read the reviews, watched the tutorials – but when I got said gear in the mail (including a camera), I noticed that the camera I had rented took a different type of memory card than what I had! I had literally no idea what to do because I never even knew that there was a different type of memory card out there that I could use!

After shedding a few tears, I ordered a few memory cards that I could use in my fancy rented camera and overnight shipped them to myself. By the grace of God they made it on time, but shortly after, I realized that I had actually spent more money renting gear and buying memory cards than I received in payment for the wedding. And since I didn’t know how to use that gear – I fumbled through the wedding day with it. Looking back, I realize now that it would’ve been more to my benefit to use the gear I already had and was confident using instead of renting a bunch of gear that I didn’t even know how to use, just because it was “fancy!”

4.     IT’S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK.

One of the hardest things for me to do during that first wedding was to sit down during dinner (when there was literally nothing going on to take photos of!) and EAT. And hydrate. And go to the restroom – like a normal human being. I remember Nick (my now husband) physically forcing the camera from my hands and coaxing me to sit down at the spot my couple had so graciously reserved for me to eat dinner. I didn’t realize that it was not only okay, but necessary for me to give my body a teeny tiny bit of rest and refuel – I believed that I had to be taking a photo every five seconds, even while people were eating (and who wants their photo taken while they’re eating?!). Breaks are not only good, but necessary!

What about you? Where do you need to give yourself a little bit of grace? Is it time to give yourself the rest you need? Maybe you need to bow the knee and give yourself the grace and humility to learn from those around you. Or maybe you just need to let yourself fail so that you can pick yourself up and try again next time. Whatever your “thing” might be – give yourself the grace to do it at your own pace. Decide to hold yourself to a standard of grace – not perfection.