Your First Steps into Mobile Photography
Proven ways to start your photography journey
Hello, and welcome to the first issue of our monthly newsletter! We're excited to have you here.
Did you know that all Shutter Junkies members started out as mobile photographers? Now, while some have transitioned to using DSLR cameras, majority are still taking super amazing pictures with just their phones.
To get into it,
What exactly is mobile photography?
In simple terms, it's taking images with your phone. Yes, exactly. Open camera - click, click - voila!
But there's a lot more to taking pictures than opening the shutter and clicking. However, that's not our focus for today, we'll get to it in a subsequent issue.
So, how do you start out as a mobile photographer?
1. Take pictures
Photo by Fading Silhouette, Co-Founder of Shutter Junkies Photography Club
I mean, how can you be called a 'photographer' if you don't take pictures? Take pictures, no matter how bad you think they are. Keep taking pictures. Your first few pictures won't be nice so don't beat yourself up or belittle your skills. Just take more and more pictures and eventually you'll see a difference between the first picture and your most recent pictures as you apply things you learn.
2. Share those pictures
Yes, you heard right. Share your not-so-good pictures. You can get someone experienced to opine on your work, you can join communities like Shutter Junkies, participate in online challenges, or you can share your work online with people in the field. That way, the pictures get critiqued and you improve your skills through the feedback you get, thereby increasing your confidence in your creativity.
Check out our current photography challenge on our Instagram page.
3. Make research
YouTube is a goldmine. Watch videos on composition, lightning, styling, editing, etc. Read articles on these things. These are things that improve your photography skill. It's essential to seek information yes, but there's an overwhelming amount of information out there, so seek information regarding your particular interest at the time e.g learning and practicing one composition technique to mastery instead of learning all techniques at the same time.
4. Befriend mobile photographers
Befriending mobile photographers has lots of benefits - you get to learn from them, get feedback from them, be a witness to their growth and in turn be inspired by that, etc.
SJ Members at our first Hangout. Photos taken by Gbenro
5. Join a community of photographers
There's really nothing that beats having a community of people who have the same goals as you. Becoming friends with individual photographers is good, but being in a community with lots? Way better! A more structured way of learning, diverse feedbacks, an amazing support group. Bliss, if you ask me. Communities like SJ will foster growth in the field since you'll be among people with the same or similar goals regarding mobile photography. You'll constantly be inspired and motivated by the pictures other members take, you'll be held accountable to your goals by the community members and you'll be pushed to explore areas you would have never thought to explore on your own.
If you're looking for a great community to join, you want to be on the lookout for SJ's admission window!
Was this beneficial to you? If yes, stick around till next month and by then we hope you'd have taken a shot at photography.
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Simbiat and Sumayyah,
From
Shutter Junkies Photography Club