From a Photoshoot

So why Digital Photography? It’s expensive, it’s time consuming, it’s bound by thousands of rules and conventions. Why hold an get an SLR instead of an easier point and shoot? Why take such an investment for a hobby?

Simple. It’s FUN!

Unlike the hobbies that I’ve tried in the past —model building, novel writing, traditional art— Digital photography was the only thing that provided me with a sense of satisfaction with my work and it’s results.  It’s like the best of both worlds. Art and  science.

So where am I now?  What have I learned so far?  Here’s  the 10 things I learned in my short time with my Nikon D40.

1. Shoot for fun! The moment you do something that you don’t really want to do then your hobby stops becoming a hobby
2. Always start with the basics. While a lot of us would like to start off on the intermediate level, it’s always best to eat your pride and start from scratch.  Even if it takes time, it’ll be more than worth it.


My first attempt at a Wedding, a cosplay one ^_^

3. Always always check your gear. Not for cracks or defects but make sure, when you’re going somewhere to shoot, everything’s in your bag.  My first blunder?  I left my D40’s battery at home on my very first Photoshoot experience   Lesson learned.
4. Shoot how you want not how others are shooting. Everyone has an eye for beauty, it’s just a matter of capturing how you see it.


A Farewell? The extras didn't know I was shooting.

5. Read.  Read.  Read! Books on photography are expensive, luckily the internet provides us with tons of useful resources like the Digital Photography School.
6. Shoot!  Shoot!  Shoot! Yep.  Reading can only take you so far, it’s always best to apply what you’ve read and learned and see what works for you and what doesn’t.
7. Learn to take criticism. Positive or negative.  There will always be people who will not like what you are doing and there will always be people who do.
8. Earn your next set of gear. Yes, there’s always something better, something nicer, something you simply must have but don’t.  While you still don’t have the cash to get it, try to do the best of what you can with your current gear.  At least when you’ve said to yourself that you’re current gear is already worn, you’ve already saved up for the next one.
9. Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. Although usually it’s your own mistakes that help you get better.
10. Think out of the box. Pretty self explainatory but it works.

Phew, another wordy post huh?  I feel that I could go on with ALL the things I’ve learned but these are the ones that came up at the top of my head.  I’ll be posting more on my experiences with Digital Photography soon ^_^.