New to photography?

Photographers just starting out! Best advice you can get and I'll give it to ya for FREE, no workshop needed! 

Don't use the on camera flash, at least get a shoe mount, or just be that photographer who loves shooting in natural light:) AND when shooting in natural light there are still rules. If you are shooting a family and half of the family has the sun shining down on them and the other half are in the shade it's going to look a little strange.

Just because you took the photo at an angle does not make it creative, or a good shot. Think about what you are trying to capture. Pay attention to limbs!!! because nobody looks good missing their feet! 

You don't have to take a photography class to learn how to use your camera in the manual mode! Break out that owner's manual and actually read it. or there are a TON of resources on the world wide web, chances are you can google the question and a youtube video tutorial will come up. 

Forget you ever learned selective coloring!!! I know it's seems so awesome and cool at first. It's not. really. it's really, really not. 

Photoshop is a tool for a photographer, but it can't make a bad photo a good one. If it's a bad shot no matter how many actions you use and textures you slap on it, it will still be the same bad photo. maybe even worse now!

If you are really serious about doing this professionally, not just as a hobby, then the number one piece of advice I can give you is to do an internship. Find a photographer in your area that you admire, shoots the style photography you like, and the longer they've been in the business the better. You need someone that can show you the ropes and give you that hands on experience. I swear, it will do wonders for you if you are just starting out. You'll be able to experience the shoots, without the pressure. It's a GREAT place to start!

And last but most definitely not least, if you are shooting with a point and shoot you are not a professional photographer. period. If you truly love photography, have a passion burning inside of you, and you know that this is definitely what you were born to do, then you should want to invest in the equipment necessary to take you there. I'm not saying you have to go into debt to be a photographer. I got my first DSLR for $300 used. I rocked that $300 camera and eventually earned the money to invest into better equipment. 

If you have any comments or questions I'd love to hear from you. I'm all about giving advice to newbies because it wasn't that long ago that I was in your shoes standing right where you are with no clue where to start. I was lucky and I've had some wonderful mentors in the past 4 years. I honestly do not know where I'd be without them. So I like to pay it forward:) If you have a question don't hesitate to ask, hopefully I'll have the answer, if I don't I'm sure I know someone who does:)

Peace + Love + Photography =)

XOXO, 

Carrie Olson Carden