Figuring out how to get started with photography was a slowwww burn for me. It was always my “if I had two more hours in the day” thing. You know what I mean – the thing you say you want to do but just “don’t have enough time”. Then, I realized that if it was something I really wanted, I had to MAKE time.

I put off picking up a camera because I was afraid to fail. Before starting, I was already lost in the comparison game and wanted a resource for someone who was feeling the same way I was.

Learning from someone is a must if you want to develop your photography skill (10/10 recommend). But, when you’re a beginner photographer, learning with someone who is exactly where you are can be an amazing way to build your confidence and style.

And that is what I’m committed to in the blog section of Allison Macy Photography. I’ll share client love stories and other fun adventures, but I’m also gonna share the things I learn about photography (and the photography biz) AS I learn them.

Being honest is kinda a scary idea because in a profession where you’re constantly being compared to others and hired based on experience, admitting that you’re not perfect and don’t have it all figured out could (quite literally) cost you.

But I think the world needs more vulnerability. And when you’re learning something new, it helps to know that other people have been where you are. I have been where you are – scared to start and wondering what would happen if you just WENT FOR IT.

And hey, if you’re a potential client and you’re reading this, just know that I give 100% to who I work with, I make sure that my prices reflect my experience and I hope that you connect with a little honesty… cause we’re ALL just figuring it out as we go, right?

Realistically, because this blog probably won’t get popular for a HOT minute as this whole Allison Macy Photography thing really picks up, I’m likely a LOT better now, as you read this, than I was when I wrote this;)

The Best Beginner Photography Tip

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Start taking pictures. Sound too simple? Well, it’s not 😉 

Here are some of the first pics I took and edited. Good, not great. Fine, not my fav. But I took them… and I kept taking them.

Just a few months (and a lot of practice) later, my pictures and edits have started looking more like this…

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It doesn’t matter how fancy your camera is, what lens you’re working with, what your pictures look like, or what you take pictures of. The best way to start is to do just that – start. 

“The best way to start is to do just that – start.”

Planning is SO much easier than doing the thing because doing the thing takes work. It requires you to put in the time and effort.

The REAL reason we love the planning and not the doing is because planning feels SAFE. You can’t fail if you just planned and didn’t start, right? Going all in, 100% is scary. When we just plan or only try 70% we have an out. We can say “well, I didn’t give it my ALL and that is why it didn’t work out.” 

Anything worth having is worth working hard for. I’d argue that it is way better to try and “fail” than to always be left wondering “what if I had just gone all in on that?”

Tips to Get Started With Photography

So, now that you know secret tip #1 (JUST START), here are few other things to help you get started as a beginner photographer that you can try on for size:

• Get your hands on a camera. Here is the truth: Although you do need to develop basic skills no matter what, a nicer camera will take nicer pictures. I caution you now not to compare your $300 Nikon D5200 (that’s what I started with!) pics to what a 3k+ Sony, Nikon, or Canon will give you. But when you’re just getting started, something is better than nothing. As long as your camera allows you to shoot in manual, you’re good to go for now. Then, you can decide when and if investing in something fancier makes sense for you.
  
• Start learning. You’re here – so you’re already on it;) Start to play around on youtube and good ol’ google to find free resources. Everyone and their photography-loving mother has a free “manual settings cheat sheet” (I may even join the club and make one… we’ll see!). Here are a few of my favs:
  
  Julia Trotti (she is my ABSOLUTE fav!)
  Peter McKinnon
  Chelsea Nicole
  Sean Kitching
  
  Pro tip: search for people using the camera you have (or, something similar) so what they tell you is more applicable!
  
  Blogs for Photographers:
  Dawn Charles
  Amy & Jordan
  Click it Up a Notch
  Jessica Vickers
  
  
• Shoot, shoot, shoot! Be that weird girl (or boy) who brings your camera everywhere. At first, I thought I’d annoy my friends and family but let’s be honest, everyone wants pictures of themselves these days. It is way better to have your camera with you and not shoot a thing than not have it around and wish you brought it. Plus, keeping it with you increases the likelihood that you’ll actually USE it. I take at least 20-30 pictures every day, even if it is of the same thing from different angles.

• Keep your pics. This is where you can learn from my mistakes. There are so many questionable-at-best pictures I took as I got started that I wish I had now. You can look back on them to see how far you’ve come. 
  

There you have it, 4 tips you can use as you navigate how to get started with photography and a reminder to go all in because if you don’t and this has been nagging on your heart for a while, you’ll always wonder what your life would look like (or, what your pictures would look like) if you had really given it a shot.

If you’re new to this, loved what you read, or have any other things that have worked for you, let me know in the comments below!