On the blog we insist on many occasions on the importance of practicing all the advice we give you. In fact we have the section of the weekly challenge in which each week I remind you that the objective of the challenge is to practice. Well, we all know that any activity is necessary to practice to learn, that's not new, but there is more. Practicing photography has more benefits than you think and that is what I am going to talk about today. My goal with today's article is to motivate you to dust off your camera and get out there shooting. Shall we start? Settle in because this is getting interesting.
One thing! Before I tell you about the benefits of practicing, I think it is essential to give you the tools to do it. In this super guide you will find all kinds of exercises to practice photography with your camera.
1. LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TEAM
The most common thing when you buy your first camera or they give it to you (if you're lucky ? ) is that you get “anxious” about opening it and you start photographing everything you see without even reading the instruction manual. It is more common than you think. If you are not in this group, congratulations! If you are in it, you still have time to remedy a greater evil ;). The practice will help you manage your equipment with the help of the instructions for your camera and the tips that you can find among the numerous articles on the blog. If you don't practice, you may get frustrated before your time and leave your camera behind forever.
2. DEVELOP THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE
The photographic eye is a gift that you can have from "factory" if you were touched by the magic wand when building your DNA or a skill that you can develop with photographic practice. Normally it is a skill to develop, since the magic wand of "extraordinary gifts" is very exquisite and works rarely, so you have to resort to practice to develop and enhance that much-needed skill in photography.
3. SEE IN BLACK AND WHITE
As much as black and white photography is still in fashion centuries later and we also like it for a lot of reasons that are irrelevant today, not all photos look good in black and white. It is necessary to learn which are the scenes that are favored in a gray scale, here we will tell you what they are, however, no matter how much you know the theory, you will only really learn it if you practice, make mistakes, get it right, make mistakes again and you end up getting it right, always through practice.
4. BEING ABLE TO MAKE CONSTRUCTIVE SELF-CRITICISM
The more you practice the more you will improve, and as you improve you will realize which are your photos that are lacking in life, with a poor composition or a much better light. When you are able to make constructive self-criticism, you may be able to keep improving. As you can see, it's like a "vicious" circle, you practice, you improve, you criticize yourself and you improve again by practicing...
5. BE FASTER
If you drive, surely you remember the first time you got behind the wheel and wondered how you were going to be able to control the clutch, the accelerator, the gears, look in the mirrors, be aware of the car in front and also not to leave the road. Of course, it was unimaginable to think of turning on the radio or rolling down the windows! You remember? Did you achieve it and also you are no longer even aware that you do it?
Well, it's the same with photography. The first few times you spend half an hour adjusting the ISO value, shutter speed, depth of field, white balance, light measurement, focus, framing, thinking about the composition... In short, whatever a scene is fleeting has disappeared before shooting, you take a churro photo or end up using the automatic mode and, really, for that you don't want an SLR camera or similar, right? Well, all these adjustments are like the gears, the clutch, the rear-view mirrors, the radio... There comes a time when you do it without thinking, almost automatically, which allows you to be faster. And, of course, how is this achieved...? Bingo! With practice!
6. BE ABLE TO WRITE VISUAL STORIES
Once again I am going to name those lucky people who are born with a gift, to remind you that most of us are earthly beings who have not been blessed by the magic wand and that we achieve things with effort and practice. If you want your photos to have "extra" content beyond aesthetics, sharpness or color, if you want your photos to tell a story , you will have to practice just like you should practice to improve your photographic eye. A good photograph usually contains a good story, do you want to take good photographs? Practice ?
7. MAKE FRIENDS
If you really have photography in your blood, you go out with your camera, you get close to the people, you experience the scenes, you get to know your subjects to achieve a portrait that moves and that tells something... You will surely end up making friends. Photography, like any other hobby, unites the people who share it. And I am not referring to the virtual friendships that you can make in the forums, on social photography networks or the like, these are contacts after all, you may end up having more "friendships" with one of them, but if you don't know each other In person, if you don't have a face-to-face chat and share your passion live and direct, it won't be the same. Likewise, if you leave your camera in a closet, the only friends you can make are moths ?
8. THRILL
If you like photography, it's because you have a little bit of an artist and in case you weren't sure, art's main objective is to excite. You can read this article and forget it after twenty-four hours, or you can read it and follow the tips camera in hand to really learn how to move.
9. PAY OFF YOUR EQUIPMENT
When you buy an SLR camera (or any other camera that a person who is fond of photography with manual controls buys), you are making an important investment, and even more so when you expand your equipment and invest in other accessories, be they lenses or any other photographic gadget , which is usual. Well, doesn't anyone want to make an investment for nothing? Nobody buys a car to keep it in a garage, or a high-end mobile phone to keep it in a hidden drawer, right? Well, having your camera in its case in a closet is the same, a crime, yes, yes, a crime, throwing money away, with what it costs to earn it! If you don't want this to happen to you, use it.
10. INCREASE SELF-ESTEEM
This may sound like cheap selling or psychology, but it really isn't. When you develop a skill that you like, that you are good at... it makes you feel better, you gain more confidence in certain circumstances (more than one embarrassment has happened to me because they have asked me for photos and I have gotten a churro or I have thrown myself three hours adjusting or searching with the buttons…). Practice will make you master this art and feel good about shooting and sharing your achievements.
I think ten benefits are more than enough to convince you, don't you think? If this has not been the case, I have reserved the most important one for last. If you like photography, it's because it amuses you and you can't have fun if you don't practice it. Yes, sometimes it's also frustrating (raise your hand if you haven't been there), even so, despite the frustrations, a hobby is for fun, and if you don't practice it, where's the fun?
You will make me happy if you tell me that I have convinced you and happier if you help me convince other people who are somewhat clueless to take their cameras out of the dark corner where they are kept. Share this article on your favorite social networks and if you liked it... why not give it a "like"? Thanks a million for reading my humble advice and until next time!
