Not everyone can be a professional photographer, be it due to time constraints, career choice or simply just how life is. But anyone can still learn how to shoot like one, especially with the help of advanced cameras and photography accessories.
Whether you want to master composition or capture a scene’s decisive moment, or maybe, shoot perfect self-portraits or still-life images, it will take practice and experience to hone these skills with some help from technology. After all, professionals did not get to where they are by simply snapping photos. They studied and worked hard at it.
Thankfully, they shared their experiences on how to get photography right and capture amazing, breathtaking scenes one after the other. With these tips and the appropriate gear, you can also shoot like a pro with time and practice.
Read the tips that a professional shooter imparted here that will make your photoshoots one for the books, and you may just find out you have what it takes to be a pro too.
How to Shoot like a Pro
A great deal of practice is needed if you want to take pictures like American fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon or Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist Robert Capa. While these amazing pros can’t be copied, you can most certainly follow in their footsteps and learn from their experiences.
With hard work and determination, plus, the right gear and tried and tested tips from professionals themselves, amateurs can also capture images just like the pros.
Here are some of the tips you need to follow, especially when you go on your next photoshoot.
Learn the difference between a snapshot and a photograph
Yes, a snapshot is different from a photograph. If you are not aware of this, it can hinder your ability to capture images like a pro.
Imagine seeing a beautiful scene that captures your attention, do you instantly take out your camera (or phone) and snap away? Do you even bother to think of the background and change the settings of your camera before taking a shot? What about perspective? Do you take several pictures from different positions and angles? Answering these questions will help you identify whether you are simply taking snapshots or are creating a photograph.
- A snapshot is a single photo taken without considering other alternatives or without thought for its composition, usually taken at eye level.
- A photograph, on the other hand, is taken with all consideration for the composition, exposure, and more, plus all the possibilities that can be created with the image. It is taken with intent and can deliver a message or a statement that the photographer wants to impart.
So, which one do you do when you see a beautiful scene in front of you?
If you take a snapshot, you should know that it can also be a photograph, especially when you have a good eye, or simply because of luck. Take the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines. Thousands of photos have been posted of the scene, but there are only a few that are actually good enough to be considered photographs.
- Know that a great view will not always be great photo
While a great view can be quite breathtaking and will make people take out their cameras to freeze the amazing scene in a shot, it might not necessarily be a great photograph.
Taking pictures of a spectacular view will need great thought, careful planning (which time of day, weather, and other elements are considered), appropriate lenses, right settings and all things considered.
For example, using a wide-angle lens will give you an image of vast spaces, but using a telephoto lens can result to a more dramatic picture where foreground and background are compressed in a tight landscape.
So, when faced with a great view, think big, think wide, think up and down, and experiment with everything so you get the best out of the rest.
- Always take light into consideration
There is good reason for having the rule of “shoot at the golden hour” in photography, simply because light is everything. If you want to have great photos, always think of your lighting. And that time around sunrise of sunset is when you want to be outside and taking photos.
But if lighting is out of your hands, making use of bokeh, or the adjustments in aperture that result to blurring of the background or foreground, can do wonders to an image. It can reduce the impact of direct lighting, thereby softening its effects.
You can also work on your composition since it comes next to lighting in importance.
- Put importance on the composition
Composition refers to what you include and don’t include in the picture. It can be the foreground, background, what fills the frame, and more. And this is the heart of photography, which is why you should always think of it before snapping photos.
Doing so will give you different shot after another, and your photos will look unique, instead of always looking the same when you simply press the shutter every time a scene captures your interest.
If you have troubling understanding what composition means, let this video help you out.
- Make use of good cameras, but don’t obsess over it
With how advanced cameras are today, many obsess over what camera model to use and what functions are included instead of simply using it for photography. Remember, it is not about the camera but about the photos.
There will always be a contest between photographers with regards to their equipment. What is important is that you know what works for you and use it to your advantage.
You can make your experience with photography better with the best carrying system that will give comfort and convenience every time you are on a shoot. The SpiderPro Camera System is the most ergonomic way of carrying either one or two cameras while not compromising on anything else.
Whether you use DSLRs or mirrorless cameras or even digital ones, make sure it fits the purpose you have and that the results are to your liking. And don’t forget your carrying accessories.
The Spider Holster line of products will make bulky, heavy cameras easy to carry around without the risk for neck and shoulder pain, or even spine injuries. From carrying systems to hand straps, tripod carriers to lens pouches, these accessories are made for quick drawing at your hips and comfort as you shoot. You can then focus on taking photos and not stress over irritating straps that get in the way, disorganized gear all over the place and literally having not enough hands to juggle your camera, lenses, flash and bags.
- Know the secondary benefits of your lenses
If you have the need for a lens, make sure you understand what it can do and not just its main use.
The telephoto lens, for instance, is mainly used for magnification. However, if you look closely, it does a great job with compression, bringing the foreground and the background closer together and all in the same frame, making your image more dramatic in a way that a wide-angle lens can’t do.
- Try shooting RAW
While shooting JPG allows you to take more photos because it compresses images, thereby making files smaller, shooting RAW gives you uncompressed and unprocessed scenes that you can edit better. If you want to get the most out of your photos, the best way would be to shoot RAW.
You can always bring extra memory cards and store them in the SpiderPro Memory Card Organizer so you can keep them safe and close, which is an advantage if you want to use one immediately.
- Always be ready
If you are out with your camera, whether on a hike, on the beach, or simply on a walk at the park, being ready will give you more chances at capturing amazing photos. Being ready means you need your camera holstered in place, already on the right settings, and without the lens cap.
Imagine coming face to face with a decisive moment but you need time to remove your lens cap, or take your camera out of the bag. A mere 5 seconds is enough for that moment to disappear, along with your chance for a great photo.
So, be sure you are at the ready and keep your camera at your side with the SpiderPro or SpiderLight carrying systems.
Technology has made taking pictures a lot easier, especially with the latest cameras and lenses available in the market today. You really don’t have any reasons to get bad shots. That is, unless, you ignore the tips above.
Even if you have no plans on becoming a professional, simply taking photos like one will give your enormous satisfaction when you see the resulting photographs.
But if you do want to work it like a pro, make full use of the tips above and make your shoot more comfortable and convenient with the best carrying systems and ergonomic accessories for your gear.
Spider Holster products are ergonomic and specialize in securing and carrying your gear, no matter what kind of photoshoot you are going for. With these equipment, you will not only take photos like a professional but will look like one, too.