{"id":120,"date":"2015-03-31T17:23:33","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T17:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/?p=120"},"modified":"2015-03-31T17:23:33","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T17:23:33","slug":"the-first-things-you-need-to-know-about-becoming-a-photographer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/31\/the-first-things-you-need-to-know-about-becoming-a-photographer\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Things You Need to Know About Becoming a Photographer"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p><\/p>You\u2019re a new photographer, and you\u2019ve fallen down the rabbit hole of alien cameras and funky-looking gadgets. Where do you start?\n<h1>\u00a0It\u2019s Okay to be Lost at First<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scratchhead1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-122 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scratchhead1.jpg?resize=374%2C181\" alt=\"\" width=\"374\" height=\"181\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In a realm of reflectors, lighting, DSLR cameras, and more, it\u2019s normal to feel overwhelmed. Some things are more obvious than expected; for instance, a reflector is simply a tool that\u2019s used to reflect light on your subject (hence the name.) Start with the basics, and the rest will fall into place with practice and time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/reflecters1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-121\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/reflecters1.jpg?resize=308%2C212\" alt=\"\" width=\"308\" height=\"212\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h1>\nOnly Be in Competition With Yourself<strong><br>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>Professional photographers spend their whole lives practicing the art. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wisdomgroup.com\/blog\/10000-hours-of-practice\/\">Malcom Gladwell<\/a>, an author who studied how successful people achieved their goals, wrote that it takes 10,000 hours to master a field. What matters is that you\u2019re getting better, not how good you are now.<\/p>\n<p>Chances are, the professional photographer\u2019s photos that you gawk at weren\u2019t taken with a phone or a point and shoot, but a camera worth a couple thousand dollars (not to mention the lens!)<\/p>\n<p>Work hard, practice, and better your art. In time, you\u2019ll be able to look back at your photos and see how much you\u2019ve progressed.<\/p>\n<h1>Equipment Isn\u2019t Everything, They are Just Tools<strong><br>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/tinycamera1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-124 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/tinycamera1.jpg?resize=273%2C180\" alt=\"\" width=\"273\" height=\"180\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While an expensive lens or a fancy camera body might give you the tools to make a better photo, it can\u2019t transform a bad one. There\u2019s no way around it \u2014 quality photography equipment is expensive.<\/p>\n<p>But, if you\u2019re a student or you just can\u2019t afford that multi-thousand dollar lens, or even that $500 lens, it\u2019s okay. Work within your budget and practice your art. If you can produce quality work, you can earn money from it and save up enough money over time to purchase better equipment. Practice patience and perfect your craft.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/studentdiscount.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-123\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/studentdiscount.jpg?resize=270%2C157\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"157\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some websites, like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/\">B&amp;H<\/a>, offer used photography equipment for much cheaper than the original retail price. If you\u2019re a student, you can apply to qualify for even greater discounts.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be dizzied by the intimidating information and options as a beginning photographer. Making mistakes is the first step in growing to be the photographer you want to be. The learning process never ends, and you should take joy in that it\u2019s only just begun!<\/p>\n<h1>Happy Snapping!<\/h1>\n<p><strong> Is there a photography question that you just can\u2019t find the answer to, or you\u2019ve been too embarrassed to ask your friends about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ask a question in the comments, and Ryan G. Photo would be happy to assist.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re a new photographer, and you\u2019ve fallen down the rabbit hole of alien cameras and funky-looking gadgets. Where do you start? \u00a0It\u2019s Okay to be Lost at First In a realm of reflectors, lighting, DSLR cameras, and more, it\u2019s normal &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/31\/the-first-things-you-need-to-know-about-becoming-a-photographer\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,18,7,5,17],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-camera","tag-dslr","tag-photo-tips","tag-photography","tag-student-discount"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/tinycamera1.jpg?fit=273%2C180&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}