Photography Ideas for Beginners | How to Get into Photography

How to Get into Photography and Start a Career

It's very intimidating to start a new photography career. When I first started my videography and photography business, CMG Multimedia, I spent a year with my camera learning all the basics of multimedia technology. This led me to advertise all my content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more! The decision to go completely digital was the best decision for me because it allowed me to network with other businesses and use social media as a tool to connect with others in my creative community. I am currently a professional photographer, specifically a portrait photographer. I would, however, like to expand my art as a travel photographer and in other areas in the near future. I look forward to continuing to evolve in videography and photography while I provide my clients with stunning visuals that will help them excel in their careers. I hope that my journey inspires you to tell your story through digital photography as well someday!

Photographer: @cmg_mmedia — *Photographer:* *@cmg_mmedia*

Getting into a photography business can lead you to so many opportunities that can pave the way to your future. The truth about photography is that it's all about finding creative inspiration and developing it into art. When entering the field of photography, you should learn about what inspires you, create your online portfolio, and turn your vision into reality. You should express yourself creatively through the visuals that you capture if you're looking to get into professional photography. If you choose to become a full-time photographer, you should educate yourself about all it encompasses. Becoming a professional photographer can include looking for potential clients, learning about all types of photography, understanding the fundamentals of photography, improving your business skills, and networking with other professionals in the photography industry. Once you build your network, you can then create an online portfolio to reach out to your audience on your social media accounts. There will definitely be some challenges along the way, however, if you take advantage of every opportunity, you excel within your career in photography.

When looking for your own source of personal inspiration, you should gather information and try all different kinds of photography to find the one you like. Types of photography can be studio photography, portrait photography, iPhone photography, and more! The next step is learning all about the right gear to get to become the ultimate photographer.

Which Camera Should I Begin With?

Starting your career in photography, even as a beginner, means investing in the proper equipment. I started my career investing in the best cameras under $1000 so that I could develop my skills with affordable equipment. Camera equipment includes mirrorless cameras, DSLR cameras, lenses, memory cards, tripods, batteries, and more. Learning how to operate DSLRs, which is sold by Sony, Canon and Nikon will help you grow as a photographer and gain quality skills to launch your career. There are other variations of cameras, including mirrorless cameras, 360, film, and action cameras as well that can be worth investments as well!

Videographer: @cmg_mmedia

Other camera equipment that you should invest in can be iPhone videography and photography equipment. This can be the perfect start of your mobile photography studio. If you're looking for creative portrait photography ideas, you should start with your phone. Whether you have the iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, or iPhone 12, the best way to take pictures is through portrait mode. This type of photography has a high image quality to develop the perfect content for your feed. This mode on your phone has the option to take photos in natural, studio, contour, stage, stage light mono, and high-key light mono light. Understanding the limitations of iPhone videography and photography is important to know. This will help you differentiate when it is time to switch over to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, like the camera gear that Sony and Canon offer. Lighting is crucial when it comes to photography because it determines the tone, mood, and atmosphere of a photo. If you are an Instagram content creator, learning how to effectively utilize iPhone videography and photography, professional camera equipment (entry-level DSLRs), and other photo editing systems, specifically Adobe Lightroom, will help you create your ideal photo.

If you want to learn how to become a videographer, you should definitely learn about videography basics first and foremost. This is important because this will more diverse as a content creator. Taking a few courses on basic video production can be extremely helpful if you're just starting out as a content creator. These videography 101 courses and lessons will help guide you on the basics of cinematography, types of videography, the framing of your shots, differences in video resolutions, and more. This will help your content creation workflow because you will have both photography and videography content on your social media profiles. Becoming a content creator can be intimidating but learning the basics of videography and photography will teach you how to be a great creator!

Finding Your Inspiration

The greatest thing about photography is that it is an art form that inspires people. Whether it is messages of self-empowerment/self-expression, creating images that advocate for social justice, or photographing humans falling in love, photography inspires people through the imagery that other people create. Finding your inspiration is vital when starting your career in photography.

Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can still find ways, as a creative community, to get inspired, despite sometimes getting into a creative rut. We can find our source of photography inspiration by re-connecting with nature, developing new skills, following trends, challenging ourselves, and opening our minds to new perspectives. You can also get into different types of photography when going for a walk, such as street photography. With these tactics, we can develop a creative mindset to develop new ideas and build the photography style that is most exciting to you. The best part of photography is that it is dynamic. Learning how to adapt to change is also important when looking for a dose of inspiration because it will allow you to open yourself to new perspectives which will show in the visuals that you create.

Lastly, following other creators' work can help you in looking for photography inspiration. Researching other photographers will allow you to discover how other creators visually see the world and what their perspectives are. This can help inspire you by being challenged to learn more photography skills and develop more advanced content for your social media profiles. Some skills that it can help you improve on are editing techniques, processing styles, Adobe Photoshop skills, and more! Overall, exploring your imagination, keeping an open mind, and following the new social trends can be key factors in finding photography inspiration, as well as re-connecting with the outside world and keeping a creative mindset.

Building Your Portfolio

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for all of us to endure. There are, however, opportunities that are born within a crisis. If you're looking to build your photography career, then you should start with learning how to make a digital photography portfolio. The best way to build a strong photography portfolio is to determine your style and be consistent with it. Decide what photography is going to be the most interesting for you to share. This will allow you to create relevant content for your business. In your photo portfolio, you should include images that speak for themselves. The best images are ones that boost self-confidence, start a conversation, and showcase the values both you and your client believe. This will build trust with your client and also is the best way to share photos with clients. Creating your artistic style with inspire your online photography portfolio and lead you down the path to your future client.

While creating your digital portfolio can be an exciting new venture, it can be intimidating. So many other existing photographers have already built their audiences and achieved multiple accomplishments that it can be scary to take that chance to start your own photography. The next step is to understand that it's okay to make mistakes. Everyone starts somewhere. Building an online presence takes time and in order for a relationship to build with ideal clients, you have to start somewhere. Take time to learn all there is about photography and build your career path. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Instead, become a member of photography communities, learn different approaches to different skills, and make adjustments as you go along. Find comfort in your photography style and in your portfolio. When you create your own personal aesthetic for your photography portfolio and be proud of your effort, you'll find yourself drowning out the noise of self-doubt and encourage yourself to make amazing images.

Instagram and Social Media

The pressure to be one of the best "insta photographers" has been heightened as Instagram continues to be one of the leading social media platforms. Instagram's impact has had a massive effect on the creative community, so as photographers, we adapt to the platform to showcase our work. This can be through grid posts, Instagram stories, and/or IG Reels. For beginner photographers, take Instagram and social media as a challenge that doesn't intimidate you. Lean into your creative photography and feature your work on the platforms with confidence. Here are some quality tips to build your confidence as a photographer on Instagram:

Photographer: @cmg_mmedia

Separate Personal and Commercial Content

There is a big difference between commercial photography and personal content. Understanding your target audience will be crucial in differentiating the two because there can be negative effects to your business if they're not clearly defined. Commercial photography is content primarily used for commercial and promotional purposes while personal photography is content centered around your life and your own personal experiences.

Choosing Relevant Content

The best Instagram photo ideas are ones that are most relevant to your target audience. Stick to your photography aesthetic style and be consistent with your content. You're showcasing your talent as a photographer. Let your work shine and share your creativity with your potential clients. Make sure that you're editing content before posting and keep a close eye on making sure that each post is different, whether it's a grid post, IG story, etc. Your Instagram profile is yours at the end of the day. Own it and showcase your art to the world.

Preparing Your Photos for Instagram

Getting the right photography aesthetic is an important factor in creating quality content for Instagram, however, preparing your photos for the platform is just as important. Building an understanding of photo editing basics will help you know more about the right image size, color, contrast, sharpness, and saturation of your photos. This will help create stunning visuals for your feed and will help you stand out on the platform.

Be Strategic

Every post to have a reason behind it. There's a method to the madness when it comes to Instagram. In order to come up with cool Instagram photo ideas, you have to be strategic with the content you're putting online. Learn about which days are the best days for posting, keep up with the algorithm updates, and discover insights about your target audience that will help you better understand the content that resonates best with them. At the end of the day, your followers are the ones that could become your clients, therefore, it's crucial that you understand the content that is performing the best.

Conclusion

Starting a creative photography business is a lot of hard work. There is, however, nothing more rewarding than seeing your hard work pay off by the happiness and joy you provide your clients with your photography. I've had a great experience working as a photographer and videographer and the career opportunities continue to keep growing. Remember to be realistic when starting out, but know that as time goes on, your skills will improve and you will achieve soaring success after mastering the fundamentals of photography.

The best advice I can give to aspiring photographers would be to attend online photography courses and continue to teach yourself new skills. By creating an action plan for success, you will pave the way for a very successful future in photography and in your content creation workflow. See what works for you and what doesn't and you will decide the best route to take in your photography. Creating videography and photography is my passion and I hope you discover your style and build your creative photography and brand. If you're interested in working together, contact me at CMG Multimedia today and book your session today! I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!