1. Doesn't it take lots of expensive equipment to take a good photograph?
Absolutely not. Some of my favourite images that I have, have been taken with my phone, my old battered SLR and even disposable cameras, sometimes your limitations can be a great motivator. Great photos are not really about what you take them with but more often they are to do with the subject matter. Concentrate on angles, horizon lines and composition. but most importantly the thing or person you are photographing.
Not really, it is nice to be able to have a space set aside for photography, a place near good natural light is best and a flat surface is always helpful, but not essential. The only thing I would recommend is a few pieces of white foamboard. you can use it as a flat surface and to reflect light to where you need it and reduce shadows. Try heading outside if the weather is good, or experiment with texture and patterned backgrounds to create interesting images.
3. You need expensive computer programs like 'Photoshop' though right?
Photo editing of some kind can take an image from good to great but you don't need to be a Photoshop master do get there. There are lots of free programs that you can download. We both like and have used Picassa in the past. but there are loads more out there to try. If you are unsure where to start, try looking for tutorials on YouTube for the editing software of your choice, there is bound to be someone else who has mastered it and is willing to share their tips.
4. But people on Instagram just use their phones and no editing?
It is pretty unlikely that you will see a great image that has not be edited, and many of the images created by bloggers and brands have not even been taken on a phone at-all. Many bloggers/ vloggers and brands use DSLRs to take images for their blogs and websites and will also use those images for their insta accounts too.
Auto mode is a great place to start, build your confidence with the basics like composition and subject before practising with your cameras settings. Practice makes perfect, try taking your camera around with you more and snapping away at little details whilst playing with your settings, take the same photo over and over with a different setting each time and you will soon come to know which ones produce the results you are looking for. Usually you can see the settings information on the images when you load them into your editing software to see what worked and what didn't.
We hope that has answered a few questions that you may have had, if you have any more or any other myths you would like us to bust, please leave them in the comments below and we will be happy to bust those myths for you. Our next one is Social Media, so if you have any for that too, you know what to do.
Sammy & H
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