for the new photographer

this, my friends, is the very first picture that i put on my blog.

also included in that post were pictures of a cat-hair tumbleweed and a hair ball.  which i am not sharing with you today.  #yourewelcome

the above photo was taken with my first dslr camera four and a half years ago.  the above photo was taken before i knew anything about aperture, shutter speed, or iso.  the above camera was taken before i knew anything about composition.  the above photo was taken before i had taken any of my big picture classes.  the above photo was taken before i had a clue about post-processing.

in contrast, here are a couple more recent photographs that i took of my sweet pumpkin.

these photos tell a story.  and not just that pumpkin likes to lie around a lot.  although that is a true story.  no, these these photos show pumpkin in her surroundings.  they show how she loves to curl up in a puddle of warm sunshine…wherever that my be.  and these photos capture little details like the tufts of hair at the tip of her ears and the delicate wisp of her whiskers.

i am sharing these two sets of pictures today because i want you to know that i did not start out here taking good photos.  i mean, sometimes i want to cringe at how bad some of my photos were in the beginning.  i suppose i could delete them, but instead i leave them here on my blog to tell the story of my photography.  to share with you the journey.  and oh what a wonderfully thrilling, excruciatingly frustrating, joyfully liberating journey it has been.

over the past several months, i have received several emails and comments asking for photography tips and advice on how i achieve the look and feel in my photographs.

seriously…asking me.

this is something i hope to incorporate more of in my blog….sharing some of my knowledge and process as it pertains to capturing these kinds of ‘everyday life’ kinds of photos.  and as i started jotting down some notes, i thought it would best to first do a break down on the basics of exposure, depth of field, composition, focus, etc.

but here’s the deal…there is an outstanding website – digital-photography-school.com – and they have some of the very best tutorials for beginning photographers.  seriously, 90% of what i have learned about the basics of photography i learned from DPS.  their articles are incredibly well written and informative.  and personally what i love about them, is that they speak to the more scientific, left-side of my brain that needs to 1) understand the individual elements of photography and 2) how these elements work together.

instead of re-creating the wheel, i thought i would point you to DPS. but i’ve done the digging for you and found the links for the tutorials that were most beneficial to me.  and i’m grouping them together and putting them in the order that best helped me to get my head around the basics of photography.

Expsoure

• http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/shutter-speed/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/understand-exposure-in-under-10-minutes/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-master-your-dlsr-in-one-afternoon-a-beginners-guide/

Baby Steps to Manual Mode

• http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture-and-shutter-priority-modes/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/getting-off-auto-manual-aperture-and-shutter-priority-modes-explained/

Composition

• http://digital-photography-school.com/five-ways-improve-eye-composition/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/use-rhythm-pattern-create-stronger-compositions/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/using-depth-of-field-as-a-compositional-tool/

Focus and Camera Settings

• http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-take-sharp-digital-images/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/understanding-depth-field-beginners/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/5-beginner-tips-for-more-autofocus-success/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/understanding-histograms/
• http://digital-photography-school.com/introduction-to-white-balance/

ok.  so what next.

well, to start with are a few links to some of my posts about photography.  honestly these are some of my very favorite posts ever.  and the things i share are still very much the guiding principles of my photography.

• ten things i’ve learned about photography
• permission granted
• if you give a mom a macro
• my everyday offering
• why i will never stop taking pictures of my cat
• learning to love black and white

next, wherever you are in your photography journey – whether you just got a new dslr for christmas or you are looking to improve on what you’ve already learned – i would highly recommend finding a group to connect with.  depending on type of photography you enjoy, there is a group for everyone.  here are links to some of my favorite places to plug in and connect.

flickr – ok so i know sometimes flickr gets a bad rap for all of the changes it has undergone in the past few years.  but i don’t care.  flickr was the first place i joined and i have made so many wonderful connections.  there is so much inspiration and community.  and there are a myriad of groups you can join.  here are a few of my favorites.

• focusing on life
• shutter sisters
• shutter sisters 365
• project 365

clicknmoms – if you have aspirations of becoming a professional portrait photographer or even if you are just hoping to capture meaningful photos of your home and family, clicknmoms is a wonderful website full of great inspiration.  you can also pay for a membership which give your access to their forum with literally thousands of tutorials.  and finally, they offer some wonderful educational opportunities.

kimklassen.com – if you enjoy still life photography and are looking for a wonderful community to be part of, kim’s website is wonderful resource for a levels of photographer.  she is so generous in sharing her knowledge and has created the studio | online.  a class that “holds space for creative connection and growth, centred around but not exclusive to still life photographers.”

now, if you’re new to photography, you might be thinking “kelly, i don’t even know what kind of photography i like!”  and guess what….that’s totally ok…. sometimes it takes a while to hone in on your vision.  it certainly did for me.  but that my friends is part of the journey.  the twisting, turning, winding, up and down journey that is art.

if you were to ask me four and a half years ago what i wanted out of photography, i would have said to take pictures that accurately reflect what i love about my life – the good, the bad, and the ugly.  and well…that pretty much still holds true.  from capturing my daughter’s smile and the light in her eyes, to the simple joy of a quiet moment at home.  expressing my gratitude for my ordinary, wonderful life…this is my passion and my creative vision.

wow….this was a long post…a lot to take in.  i know there is a ton of information to absorb and digest.  so give yourself permission to take your time. to let it sink in.  give yourself permission to play and practice and take lots of shitty pictures.  because you will.  i still do!

i know you’re probably sick of hearing this by now, but i think it always bears repeating….photography is a journey.  so if you’re ready for the adventure of your life, grab your camera and get out there and take some pictures!

love, kelly

p.s. there are many great photography related sites and resources on there on the interwebs.  you might also like this photography guide for beginners.