081: Getting Started With Your New Digital Camera

Welcome to the new year! If you are here, there is a good chance that you may have got a new camera for the holidays and you want help to master this new tool in your hands so you can start taking better photos today. Before we get started I want you to put your camera in manual mode. It single will unlock the true potential of your camera. That green box mode will do nothing but hold you back! If you want to learn more about shooting manual, scroll to the bottom of this post and sign up for our free video course! Photography Basics for Beginners: 14 Days to Better Photos! Once you've done that, here are my 5 tips for getting started with your new camera! 

1: Don't Use The On-Camera Flash

The flash on your camera rarely provides decent lighting. It often looks very fake and not pleasant. If you are in a dark setting, either find a new spot with better light, or change your settings to accommodate the lack of lighting.  

2: Learn to SEE the Light

Light comes in different colors, intensities, and qualities. Morning light is much cooler than afternoon and evening light. Light from the sun is much harder than shade from a tree. There are lots of qualities of light that can enhance your photos. Take a photo, look at the camera and study the light. 

3: Change Your Angle

Every non-photography inclined parent takes a photo of their children the exact same way. About 5'6" off the ground and pointed down at their child. This isn't interesting. Get the camera super low, or as high as your hands can reach. Doing something that isn't the norm will add interest to your photo! 

4: Keep Your Shutter Speed Up

Your shutter speed is the likely culprit to why your photos are blurry. When your shutter speed is low, you cant capture a crisp image. Shooting in manual leave you in control of your shutter speed to ensure it's not too low. If your photo is too dark with the correct shutter speed, then raise your ISO to compensate for the lack of light. 

5: Edit and SHARE Your Photos

When I first got into digital photography, myspace was the only place to share my photos, and they were downsized to 640x480. That's 0.3 megapixels. So they often were kept on my hard drives which are now lost or died. They are gone, which sucks. Thank god I didn't have children back then because all of those photos would be gone. The very few photos I DO have look like garbage and they were exported to JPG and I did not keep the RAW files which means I can no longer re edit them. So learn from my experience and edit your photos then share them! Then keep the RAW files because you never know what the future will bring! 

If you are BRAND NEW to photography and want to learn more, sign up for our FREE 14 Day Video Couse below! We will go over how to shoot in manual, how to better compose your shots, how to see and manipulate light to take better photos right away. All sent to you daily in your inbox! 

080: 5 Ways To Jump Start Your Photos In 2018

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

In today's episode, I talk about the growth of the Beginner Photography Podcast in 2017. I talk about the plans I made for last year, whether or not I kept them, and why. I also talk about the challenges I faced and what I plan to do about them in the upcoming year. 

1: Share Your Photos

I can't tell you how bad I wish I had shared more of my photos when I first started out. But there simply was not an easy way to do it like there is now. Take advantage of this great time to be alive and share your photos with the world! 

2: Experiment More

It can get easy to fall into a rhythm when shooting. Sure there is a lot to learn about photography but with so much to learn it can be overwhelming when trying something new, so you just default to your old ways. That's a quick way to fall stagnant. Don't fall into that trap! 

3: Be The Dumbest Person In The Room

Growth only comes when you are around people who know more than you do. When starting out as a photographer I can see how you might feel like a fraud, or worse, not worthy. That's simply false and crazy. Everyone starts somewhere and everyone has a different journey. Join a local photo club, find one on Meetup.com (it's not a dating site, I promise.)

4: Don't Buy Any New Gear

Learn to use the gear you have. Master your gear. Know it inside and out. Once you learn your gear's limitations, only then can you be qualified to spend money on something new. I understand if you need a new battery or memory card, or even a camera bag, but don't buy a new camera body in 2018!

5: Print Your Photos

Our generation is printing fewer photos than ever before. I recently read a story of a little girl going through her grandparent's photo albums and wondering why she had no photos of herself to hold and show others. I hate that idea and you should too! Photos are the perfect way to relive a moment in the past. The digital version is fine, but holding a print in your hand is an entirely different experience! 

079: 11 Biggest Podcast Take Aways of 2017

This is a massive episode of the Beginner Photography Podcast. I have gone back and looked at all of my interviews in 2017 to compile a list of my biggest takeaways from our great guest photographers. From learning great shooting techniques to business advice to life lessons this, The Beginner Photography Podcast has taught me so much, I want to share it with you!

1: There is Room For All of Us!

New photographers tend to think their market is always so saturated and that it is impossible to make any ground unless you have been shooting forever. Go back to Ana Brandts Interview and hear how she had a career before getting into photography, and now she is one of the worlds best! 

2: Photography is Not About The Money

Photography is not traditionally a lucrative career. What it can afford you is free time. If you really want to make it as a photographer, take the advice Ben Hartley Shared. Money should be the result of your efforts, not the goal of your photography. If you chase the money first you are going to get burnt out quick.

3: The Power of Visualization

If you want to grow your skills as a photographer you need to hone your craft. Take Marc Silbers Advice, Visualize the photo in your head before you snap the shutter. Don't just react to whats in front of your camera. There is very little growth there. Work hard to get your photo. 

4: Think Outside The Box

Just go back to my interview with Taylor Jackson. He took his skills as a photographer to offer hotels around the world, his work in exchange for a room for a few nights. He is now able to travel just about anywhere in the world for free because he thought to do something different. 

5: Prints are Not Dead

One of the biggest questions I get from new photographers is how to sell prints when clients only want the digital files. When I interviewed Bryan Caporicci he tackled this subject directly. He shared several great ways to increase your clients desire for printed images. 

6: It Takes More Than A Great Photo to be Successful! 

Photography is more than just being able to snap a good photo. It takes customer service, it takes planning, it takes thinking outside the box. There are plenty of photographers out there who are INCREDIBLE but they are dead broke. Proving the quality of your photo is not directly related to your success. Go back and listen to Sports Photographer Vinny Pugliese or Luxury Destination Wedding Photographer Biran Leahy's interview for proof! 

7: You Don't Need To Go Full Time

This year I interviewed Canadian Landscape Photographer James Wheeler, a man who has a full-time job that he loves and still makes money passively through his photography. He has found a way to make photography work for his life. As his job, he has benefits, insurance, a retirement plan, and a steady paycheck. For his family, that is incredibly important. Although he is a talented photographer he does not feel the need to go full time, and neither should you if it's not the right decision for you and your lifestyle. 

8: Every Client is not an Ideal Client

Back when I interviewed Wedding Business Coach Heidi Thompson, she shared something most new photographers don't understand. The Ideal Client. When you're new to photography its easy to photograph anyone who is willing to pay you money. But this path will suck all the joy out of shooting and leave you with no sense of pourpose. She shared how to define your ideal client and how to find them! 

9: Location is Not Everything

This goes against everything you have ever heard. Husband and Wife Wedding Photographers Phillip and Eileen Blume share how they get their prominent clients to travel more than an hour out of their way to come to their location for a photo session. It is all about differentiating yourself!

10: Why Trust is SO Important

Trust is all you have in life. Photography is not a product, it's a service. A luxury service at that. No one NEEDS a photographer. You need your clients to have full trust in you. Back when I interviewed Colorado Wedding Photographer Timothy Faust, he shared how trust has impacted and has grown his business. In fact, he offers a 100% money back Guarantee JUST to build trust.

11: A Huge Social Following Isn't Everything

Have you ever seen a photographer on Instagram whos photos are pretty amateur yet they have tens of thousands of followers? You feel like they have something you don't, you feel like they have it figured out, you feel like, "If I could just have those followers I would be set!" My first interview of the year I talked to wedding photographer BJ Matthews who has over 24k Instagram followers. He gets several hundreds of likes for every photo he posts and yet, he still feels insecurities when posting photos, insecurities in his work. Despite having thousands of people praise him everytime he uploads. Just like the money, your followers should be a result of your efforts not the goal of your photography. 

And if you liked this interview check out more great guests!

078: What YOU Have Taught Me About Photography!

In this episode of the Beginner Photography Podcast, Indianapolis Wedding Photographer Raymond Hatfield Talks about the value leaned from working with beginner photographers. I share the joy and excitement I get working with brides in my wedding photography and the pleasure I get helping beginner photographers learn and grow their skills and abilities. 

Being a podcast host to you photographers has been such a pleasure and has taught me sooo much about my own self and photography! Today I want to talk about what I have learned about you, the listener and about photography in general!

1: You Don't Need "Good Gear" to Get Great Photos

If you are apart of the group you will see members posting photos they have taken with their cell phones. If you can capture Emotion, light, and composition, you can get a great photo! With the ease of editing these days, it's so quick to transform your photos to something incredible. Its great to see you not being held back by your camera!

2: You have a hard time differentiating conflicting statements

When you see one professional shooting in aperture priority mode and getting great photos it is easy for you to assume that you don't need to learn and master manual mode. That's not always the case. I guarantee that a professional who shoots in aperture priority mode KNOWS how to shoot in manual. They have just found a way to get a look they are happy with using a different program mode. 

3: Beginners put a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself to get a good photo

Beginners are willing to trash a great photo because it's not technically perfect. The emotion is there, it's a perfect moment but because you were not following the rule of thirds then it gets trashed. This is not what photography is about. Look back at old family photo albums, I promise you the photos are technicly garbage but the emotion and memories make up for it! 

4: You are all better photographers than I was!

More people are taking photos than ever before. It is becoming engrained in us because of digital photography in smart phones. Because of this you already have a leg up when starting on your journey. You are in a better spot starting photography now than you would have been if you started shooting 10, 20, 30 years ago!

5: You are not doing enough to protect your photos 

Keeping your photos safe is arguably as important as taking the photo itself. With us humans taking more and more photos every day than ever before we need to have a plan in place to protect what we have worked hard to create. I use Google Photos to back up my phone photos and my Drobo to back up the photos on my computer and the photos I take in my business 

Thank you all so much for everything you have taught me this year! You are the reason I keep going. The reason I keep the podcast alive! 

077: Ben Hartley - How To Create A 6 Figure Photography Studio

Ben Hartley is a Columbus Wedding Photographer who co-owns a six-figure wedding photography studio, runs a popular photography podcast, and is a prominent speaker at multiple photography conventions. Today he comes on the podcast to share some of his best tips to not only start a photography studio but how and why you should focus on serving your clients first.

In Todays Interview You'll Learn:

• Where Ben's Creativity Came from

• How to decided when to open up a photography studio

• How Ben got his start in photography

• The biggest thing that beginners mess up when dealing with clients

• How raising your prices can create abundance in your lifestyle

• Why profit should be the furthest thing from your mind when dealing with clients

• What Ben would tell himself about photography if he could go back in time

• How to create communication systems within your photography business

• How to remove the ego when working with other photographers

• an embarrassing moment Ben had at a wedding

Resources:

• Ben's Columbus OH Wedding Photography Studio

• Six Figure Photography Podcast

• Six Figure Photography Facebook

• Zach & Jody Gray

• United Photography Conference

• Tave CRM

• Trello

Check out more recent Interviews.

076: You're Going to Fail

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In this episode, Indianapolis Wedding Photographer Raymond Hatfield talks about failing as a photographer. Since the explosion of digital photography, the amount of photographers has skyrocketed. It can be difficult to gain traction and notoriety. What can be more frustrating is when there are a half-dozen other photographers who give twice as much for half the cost (Double Frustrating if their work is sub-par!). But there is good news. 

You're going to fail. 

How is that good news? Well if you go into anything with blinders on you might miss out on the bigger picture. Photography isn't photography. It's not like you can pick up a camera and love every aspect and subject there is to shoot. Someone's job is to photograph giant hairy spiders all day. Would you love that? Regardless of the answer, I'm sure that person didn't go to school for "Giant Hairy Spider Photography". They had to have failed at a million other things before they got that job.

Photography is a journey. You're going to get a few bumps and scrapes along the way but if it was easy, I promise you it wouldn't be as rewarding. 

Check out more recent episodes. 

074: The Value of a Photography Mentor

In the age of youtube and google where we can find all the information we could ever possibly want in just seconds, why would we want a mentor? Today we talk about the value of a mentor what they mean to you and your growth and how its better than just searching for photography tutorials for beginners.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• Why top level CEOs have mentors but beginners don't

• How important a mentor is for photographers

• Why an apprenticeship is a lost art

• Matt's personal experience with a mentor

Like this episode of the podcast? Check out more awesome interviews!

073: Kyle Shultz - Taking Better Photos Of Kids

Kyle Shultz ran a successful photography studio shooting upwards of 40+ weddings and hundreds of portrait sessions a year before giving it all up and starting an online educational site called ShultzPhotoSchool where he focuses on teaching parents how they can take better photos of their kids!

In this episode you'll learn:

• How Kyle got his start in photography

• How Kyle went from buying a camera to take photos while on his bike rides to booking weddings

• Why Kyle wanted to shoot less weddings

• How Shultz Photo School started

• The number one tip Kyle shares for parents to take better photos of your kids

• Simple beginner mistakes most parent photographers make and how you can fix them

• How watching movies can make you a better photographer

• Why you should be trying to tell a story with your photos rather than taking the best photo

• What the most powerful photos have and how you can get it in your photos

• Why you need to be protecting your photos and how

Resources:

• Shultz Photo School

• Shultz Photo School on Facebook

• 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller

• Drobo Beyond Raid Hard Drive

• Drobo

Like this interview? Check out more great interviews with past guests! 

072: Brooke Mendenhall - From Begging for Clients to Fully Booked

Brooke Mendenhall is a relatively new to the photography business who has gone from begging clients for a modest $75 for a session to now charging 10x that and keeping her calendar booked all while living in a small town. Today she shares some of her best tips to grow as well as how to get into the right mindset to make money. 

In this weeks episode you'll learn:

• How Brooke got into photography

• How Brooke went from making pennys to being fully booked and opening a studio in just 2 years

• Why you should focus less on the technicals and more on your client experiance

• Why Brooke says she wasnt booking clients even though she was cheaper than her compitition

• How Brooke shoots for free and makes more money than she ever has before

• Why hobbiest photographers have a hard time getting in the mindset of making money

• Why Brooke doesnt give the digital files until her clients buy prints

• How to make a better experience for your photography clients

• How a photography webinar on in person sales changed her bussiness for the best and why she wouldnt recommend it.

Resources:

• Brookes Website

• Brookes Facebook

• Brookes Instagram

• Purple Cow By Seth Godin

• The Sprouting Photographer Podcast

Quotes:

• When I got the camera I had no idea there was such a thing as Manual mode

• If I don't please my clients, why should they pay me?

• I didn't even have a camera when I first started photographing people

• Not having a studio space is no excuse to not do in person sales

• We need people to sneeze on their friends for us

Like this episode? Check out more interviews with other great guest!

071: Why You Should Be Shooting For Free

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• Why shooting for free isn't killing the industry

• How Matt build his career by shooting for free

• How shooting for free can make you more money

• How to use your free shoots to build your portfolio

• The exact strategy you can use to book more shoots by shooting for free

• The importance of blogging as a photographer

• How to book more photo shoots quick

• Why craigslist isn't the best place for photographers

• How shooting 1 free wedding got Matt 50 Inqueries and how you can do it too!

• How to use SEO to book more weddings

• Why people arnt buying your photography, and what they are really buying

Resources:

• Sports Photography for Parents Course

• Vinny Pugliese Super Bowl Photographer Interview

Like this episode? Check out more recent episodes with great guests!

070: Nick Page - How To Become A Landscape Photographer

Nick Page is a Landscape photographer who got his start in photography later than most after he found him self with too much free time when an accident left him bed ridden. Since then he has quickly become one of the top landscape photographers around and has just launched his own podcast "The Landscape Photography Podcast" which can be found in your favorite podcast player.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How a horrible accident gave Nick his start in photography

• How Nicks start in videography got him interested in photography

• What some of the first tutorials Nick watched were

• What are some of the most difficult aspects of landscape photography

• How to make money with landscape photography

• How to get into landscape photography

• How much preparation goes into a great landscape photo

• The number 1 thing people get wrong with landscape photography

• What Nicks biggest tip for getting a great landscape photo it

• Why landscape photos take several hours to edit a single image in photoshop

• Some simple tricks to editing your landscape photography

• Common mistakes beginners make in their landscape photography

Resources:

• Nicks Website

• Nicks Landscape photography podcast

• Nicks Instagram

• Digital Rev Youtube

• Gavin Hoey Youtube Channel

• Tony Northrup Youtube Channel

• Kai W Youtube Channel

• James Wheelers Podcast Interview

Quotes:

• Like anyone else I started taking photos of my kid

• learning how to shoot in manual was the best thing I could have done

• if you shoot the same thing all the time youre going to get burnt out

• My favorite landscape images are from when I just got up and out of the house to go shoot

• There has to be a sacrifice to get a great landscape photo

• You can either be amazing at TV or amazing at photography. Not Both

• Landscape photography is such a saturated field

• You want a photo to be real and believable but also special and interesting

• Take the time to be creative before worring about the technicals

Like this episode? Check out more interviews with recent guests!

069: Ana Brandt Becoming a World Renowned Maternity and Newborn Photographer

Ana Brandt is a world renowned celebrity maternity and newborn photographer, an educator, fashion designer, super mom and incredible entrepreneur with almost 20 years of experience. Today she talks about her journey into photography. How she got started photographing newborns and maternity photos and what she attributes her success to and what you need to know about photographing clients.

Today you’ll learn:

• How Ana got started in photography

• What Ana went to school for and how it pushed her to become a full time photographer

• How Ana got into maternity and newborn photography

• How Ana got her first clients

• Why Ana recommends shooting for free

• How to get clients when you move to a new city

• What Ana says is the key to her success

• What Ana learned from her first maternity session

• How Ana got answers to her photography questions before Google

• How Ana made sure her first clients were so happy they gave her referals

• Why Ana wont shoot weddings

• What Ana says is a beginner mistake when photographing Newborns

• Why you need to have a second set of eyes when photographing a baby

• The importance of knowing who your clients are

Resources

• Ana's Website

• Ana’s Maternity and Newborn Courses

• Ana’s Youtube

• Ana’s Facebook

• Ana’s Instagram

Quotes

• My Photography Professor and I fought the entire semester

• You have to be completely immersed in your craft

• Video is the #1 reason why people all over the world hire me

• Marketing is telling the world who you are. No one else is going to do that for you

• ...Its the one thing you need to do the second you decide to become a photographer

• In the beginning you have to build your portfolio as fast as you can

Enjoy this episode? Check out more recent interviews!

068: Where To Invest Your Money In The Right Photography Gear!

In this episode of the podcast Destination Wedding Photographer Matt Druin and I talk about where we wasted our money on gear when we started out, where we wish we would have invested our money, and tips that will help you buy right so you dont have to buy twice!

Consider becoming a patron of the show on Patreon and you'll get exculsuves and tutorials that no one else gets! 

Like this episode of the podcast? Check out more great episodes with recent guests!

067: Phillip and Eileen Blume. Use Photography To Change The World

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Phillip and Eileen Blume are Wedding Photographers from just outside of Athens Ga who have figured out how to use their craft to change the world. Having been in the industry for the past 10 years they have no only proven that they are incredibly talented at shooting but running a business as well. They have sculpted their wedding photography business to fit their lives perfectly. From the way they raise their children, to the clients they want to work with, to the bigger picture of living a fulfilled life. Today they share their secrets and how you can give back too!

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• What The Blumes Photograph

• How long the Blumes have been shooting professionally

• What Phillip and Elieen did before they became photographers

• The most important aspect of getting more business

• How to monetize and market your photography correctly

• How they got into shooting video for a passion project

• The important power we have as visual creators

• How to get involved with an organization that wants to change the world

• How the Blumes created a successful luxury photography studio in one of the highest poverty markets in America

• How you can get clients to go out of their way to meet with you!

Resources:

• The Blumes Photography Website

• Blume Photography on Facebook

• Phillip and Eileen on Instagram

• Blume Photography Freebie just for BPP Listeners

• ComeUnity Facebook Group

Quotes:

• We thought it would be cool to be wedding photographers but we had no idea what we were getting into

• As soon as the stranger called us we realized we could make a go at this!

• We invested in education and marketing rather than gear

• Giving a great client experience is the hallmark of our business

• We were overworked at first. We didnt understand systems or workflows.

• Keep the momentum. Photography is not a sprint, its a marathon.

• Passion Projects let us try something new without the pressure of a paying client

• A starving artist cant feed the hungry

• dont be offended when a bride shows you their pintrest board.

Like this interview? Listen to more great interviews!

066: Photography Education - Is It Worth It?

In this episode Destination wedding photographer Matt Druin and I talk about photography Education. We talk about weather or not you should go to college/photography school. I share some of my experiences in going to film school. We share how you can get a great photography education without taking a huge hit to your wallet and how you can build relationships. 

Like this episode? Check out more recent episodes form great guests!

065: Marc Silber - Advancing Your Photography

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Marc Silber is a photographer, filmmaker, author and producer of the very popular Youtube series Advancing Your Photography, where he has interviewed scores of some of the biggest names in photography. 

He started out learning darkroom skills and the basics of photography at the legendary Peninsula School in Menlo Park, CA, in the '60s, and moved on to hone his skills to professional standards at the famed San Francisco Art Institute. Marc moved into teaching photography in workshops all over the country, he became renowned as an engaging and helpful speaker and coach, as his greatest joy comes from helping others. 

In this episode you'll learn:

• How Marc got his start in photography

• Who was his most influential inspiration getting into photography

• How he decided to jumpstart into photography

• The biggest mistakes that Marc sees beginners making

• How Marc got into teaching photography to eager beginners

• The trap of the "Creative Gap"

• A tip to start taking better photos right away

• How the difference between a diner and a bistro applies to photography

• How videography taught Marc to be a better photographer

• An embarrassing moment Marc had while photographing one of the most powerful photographers alive

Resources:

• Marc's website

• Marc's Youtube

• Advancing Your Photography: Marc's book on Amazon

• Marc's Facebook

• Marc's Instagram

• How to shoot a movie story

• Bambi Cantrell

• Annie Leibovitz

Quotes:

• Get an idea of the photograph in your mind before you press the shutter

• dont underestimate the power of pre visualization

• Simplify your photos.

• Ask yourself what story do you want to tell with this photo

• People want you to give them directions. Otherwise they would take a selfie.

Enjoy this episode? Check out more great interviews with past guests!

064: $1Million Wedding Photography Lawsuit. Justified or Frivolous??

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

In this episode of the podcast Destination Wedding Photographer, Matt Druin and I talk about the recent court ruling that awarded a wedding photographer a million dollars in a lawsuit against her past wedding clients. We talk about the lawsuit, what should have been done, and what Matt and I are going to do to protect our selfs from this happening to us. 

Like this episode? Check out more great episodes with past guests!

063: A Wedding Photographers Worst Nightmare!

This week I chat with Matt Druin again after the positive feedback from our last episode. Today I have a story to tell about every wedding photographers worst nightmare and happened to me. 

I talk about my most recent wedding where I had to travel to. I talk about the accident that we got into on the way to the wedding and the most embarrassing mistake I could make as a wedding photographer. 

If you liked this episode, check out some great recent episodes!