I Bought the Camera, Now What?

So you finally purchased that expensive camera expecting to get the amazing results you have seen other photographers achieve, after all you bought the same camera. But why aren’t your pictures coming out the same as theirs? Because photography takes practice just like another other craft.

If a painter buys the most expensive brush in the store – it won’t magically make him an expert painter. So you shouldn’t expect to become an expert in photography simply because you bought a fancy camera.

What you can do and what most professional photographers do is practice. We’ve all heard the saying “practice makes perfect,” right? It’s a great analogy that should be plastered everywhere to encourage others to take some time to hone their craft.

Here are some things you can do now to help improve your photography today.

Take your camera everywhere
The biggest mistake people make is not having their camera on them at all times.

Take pictures daily
Try to photograph something every day. Participate in one of the online challenges. There are 365 groups, groups for mom, and much more.

Learn the basics
Learn the basic principles of photography. While there are some great photography books on the market you can also find some helpful e-books ready to download in just a few minutes. You can also browse through some of the popular photography blogs like Digital Photography School.

Plan a date with your camera
When you meet a date for the first time you want to get to know them and understand how they operate, right. Well take some time to understand the different settings of your camera and experiment with them.

Copy other photographers
Try and duplicate a picture style from your favorite photographer. Browse Flickr for some great posing ideas. Join groups and share your images with group members for feedback.

Taking the time to learn your camera settings will improve your photography and it doesn’t matter what type of camera you have, from a simple point-n-shoot to the top of the line DSLR.