Four Ways To Become Comfortable With Your Photography

⌛ By Abbey Vidrine ⌛

Three years ago, my photography journey began.

I decided it was time to retire my iPhone camera, so I saved up enough money to buy my first DSLR, a Nikon d5600. Ever since that moment, I have fallen in love with the art of photography.

Fast forward to 2020, I am now able to incorporate this passion into almost everything I do. It’s truly an unmatched experience when work, hobbies, and passions intermix.

But that didn’t happen overnight. Endless hours of YouTube videos, going out to shoot every day, hard work and dedication is what got me to that point.

It wasn’t easy. Throughout my three years in this industry, I have struggled, been discouraged, thought my work wasn’t adequate, and the list goes on. I always pushed through though, because the end result of staring back at the beautiful artwork I captured makes it worthwhile.

So, with that being said, I have picked up a few tricks to being comfortable with your photography.

Join those Facebook groups!

If you’re someone who fears being disliked, it’s hard to show off your work. However, photography pages on Facebook are a great place to start. Most groups have strict guidelines on constructive criticism and they give honest feedback in a pleasant way. It’s a great place to understand your weaknesses and grow from them. If you’re just starting out, there are plenty of beginner pages to join as well!

Critique yourself!

There are so many YouTube videos out there about what makes a good photo. Start watching some and compare the photos you’ve been taking to the videos. It’s not about being harsh to yourself, it’s about learning where your strong and weak points are and growing from there! It’s important to understand where you lack so you can be comfortable with growth.

Practice every day and learn your style!

Now, this may be a given, but to really get comfortable with photography you have to practice! I would recommend going out to shoot at least once a day. This way you get comfortable with your equipment and how you’re taking photos. Also, most people have a style that they follow. This is a great time to craft your own and how you want your pictures to look. Eventually, you’ll feel comfortable doing it!

Don’t be so hard on yourself!

We all have different learning styles and rates at which we grow, and that’s okay! If you continue to practice and put in the work, you will notice how comfortable you become. While it’s good to critique yourself, don’t over-compare and think your work isn’t good enough. Remember, it’s about growth so learning weak points is a good thing! Sometimes it’s hard not to get discouraged, but that’s when you pull out your favorite picture and remind yourself how far you’ve come!

Abbey Vidrine is a West Virginia native and Public Relations graduate at Marshall University. She loves all things communication and hopes to do great things within the profession! Connect with Abbey on LinkedIn.