All the gear but no idea
Remember that famous saying “a bad workman always blames their tools”
Googles definition -
A person who has done something badly will seek to lay the blame on their equipment rather than admit their own lack of skill.
Well this summed me up at the beginning of my photography journey. Frustrated with my images not coming out like I hoped, I was convinced that is was because my camera wasn’t the top of the range and my lenses weren’t good enough. I was watching all the popular photographers on YouTube showing stunning photos and holding the latest cameras and lenses. This totally skewed my thinking that because I didn’t have the latest and greatest gear that I wouldn’t be able to achieve these images.
So there I was quickly googling camera gear within my budget and working out how I could upgrade my lenses. After a short period I had managed to buy a new lens that was going to help me produce these stunning images. I had also spent money on a few filters and a Joby -GorillaPod because all YouTubers seem to have them!
Joby - GorillaPod
Surprise
Well surprise surprise, my brand new gear created the same images, dull, flat and boring! Hundreds of pounds spent and no improvement on image quality. So what was I doing wrong?
I take you back to the title of this blog, I had some really good gear but no idea how to use it properly. I thought I did, I’d watched some YouTube videos I bought similar gear to what those photographers were using but the fatal mistake I made was, I hadn’t put the hours and hours of practice in! I hadn’t been out in multiple weather conditions, I hadn’t been out in the dark. I just simply hadn’t honed my skills and built the experience necessary to take great images. Yes I may of had the odd photo that looked pretty decent but by in large they were mainly poor.
What did I do?
Well initially I was frustrated and angry and nearly sold all my gear! But then I realised how much I enjoyed just being out taking photos, being out in the fresh air looking for the right image to shoot. So the penny then dropped, rather than putting pressure on myself to get the perfect shot every time I went out, just go out and practice as much as I can in as many different conditions as possible. If I got a great shot then that was a bonus, but more importantly spend the time getting used to my camera, the settings, the best times of day to get the shots I wanted.
Rather than watching all the top photographers on YouTube rattle on about gear and best places to shoot across the world, I signed up to some online photography courses to learn as much as I could. Even if I didn’t have time to go out and take pictures I would spend time with my camera going through the settings so I knew them inside out.
But one of the best things I have done is join up with local likeminded photography enthusiasts to go out and shoot with. In the short amount of time we have been meeting up to take photos I have learnt so much more from other peoples experiences and practical knowledge. Not only about getting the right settings and having the right mindset but also places to shoot and best times of day for the location.
Another big improvement I have made is making sure I try and get the best composition whilst out taking the photo rather than being lazy and assuming I can crop it when editing. Also I now make sure I take plenty of photos of the same scene, that way I know at least one will be super sharp. If I had a pound for every time I only took a couple of shots and thought I had the perfect shot, to then get home upload to my editing software and realise the photo is either not pin sharp or not the right composition.
Editing
Again the keyword here would be practice, practice, practice. To be honest I haven’t found the editing process too bad as I’m very comfortable on a computer. Once I got to know the software I was away. That being said as they say every days a school day, I still learn new ways of doing things and find great tips to speed up the process.
I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop which is a monthly subscription around £20 (price at the time of publishing) but if you are on a budget there are some great editing software out there for FREE these days.
Presets
Although I wouldn’t suggest relying on presets it is a good way to hone your own skills. I would recommend getting a couple of editing presets for your editing software. I found these really helpful and a good place to start which I learnt a lot from. You can see the settings/changes that have been used to gain a certain look which you can adapt and use that knowledge on other edits.
Most photographers will charge for these but don’t go spending lots of money on them. I generally wait until flash sales, Black Friday or when a photographer brings out a new set they will usually heavily discount their previous presets.
Again though you can get the odd FREE preset giveaway so keep a look out!
Conclusion
Remember it’s not all about gear, in fact I would go as far to say that it’s 85% practice, experience and knowledge building up that skill set and 15% about gear.
Don’t always buy new, most reputable camera websites sell second hand gear and most give at least 6 months warranty. I generally use either CameraWorld or MPB.com.
Lastly join a group and practice, practice, practice!
