 This video is brought to you by Repair It. Think back to the first time that you started taking photographs with intent. Now this could be a couple of days ago, you know, it's Christmas after all, or it could have been last century. Think of what you would have told yourself then, now that you have the benefit of, you know, experience on your side. What advice would you have given to that fledgling photographer? How's it? How's it? That advice that would have been so helpful to me as a fledgling photographer is really kind of what I think is lacking, certainly when we first pick up a camera, that we're all excited, we want to take so many different things. And there seems to be a feeling of overwhelm that you don't quite know where to start. There's, you know, especially these days, cameras are so technologically wow that it can be just even reading the manual can be scary. So I thought, you know, let's just break it down into the things that certainly I would tell my, you know, fledgling photographer self that would be of most benefit to me. And I hope by listening to these, by taking on board and thinking about the things that you would tell yourself, that we can help new photographers, maybe you are a new photographer who's just getting into photography, find their feet to be comfortable with this wonderful expressive art form. So the first piece of advice that I would give myself is to not worry too much about all the technical jargon and some of the stuff that goes on feels like occasionally a bit like mumbo jumbo. So it's a world of f-stops and shutter speeds and isos and things of that nature. All you need to know right now is that you can play around with these things, you can test them out, you don't have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of how they all go together. Right at this stage, when you're just starting out, just relax. Okay, just let the camera do some of the heavy lifting for you. You've got aperture mode, you've got shutter priority, you've got all those cool little gadget things in your camera that can help you to take it easy, right? Sure, learn about the f-stops and the shutter speeds and how they'll work together, but for the moment, don't fret it. Don't worry too much about it. Okay, it will come. It will come, I promise you. You will one day wake up and go, hallelujah, I now understand how exposure works. Having a measure of success or being able to measure your growth is important and I certainly didn't have anything like that when I was younger. I just expected I would go from a novice to a world famous photographer like overnight because it was that, that's all you need. It was so easy. So of course that's, that's ridiculous. So I spent a long time not having any idea about whether or not I was actually improving. I thought I was, but maybe I wasn't because I hadn't set myself any goals. I hadn't had, you know, things that I wanted to achieve with photography. I'm not talking about winning awards or what have you. I'm just talking about measurable things that I could say, yes, you know, I have improved. I now feel that I'm better with doing X, Y and Z things. So within your own photography, you really want to have some sort of idea about something that you'd like to achieve personally, right? So that you can sort of say, well, I'm happy with the progress that I have made with my photography. If it is to be even to say have two or three photographs in a month, you know, that you go, well, I'm really proud of those. I like the way that they have come out, the way that I've put everything together. So have these goals and sort of tied in with having goals and aims and milestones is do not, do not, and I know this is so hard, compare yourself to other photographers, especially online. You don't know these people. You don't know what's going on. You don't know how long they've been taking photographs. You don't know anything about them. So by all means, look at photographs, look at other people's photographs, you know, enjoy them, take them as inspiration, use them as a spur to drive yourself forward if you want to, but do not measure your ability by those that you see around you. All of us have our own paths. All of us march at a different timber. All of us find our feet in different ways. Comparison is the thief of joy. And I think that never had been truer words said than in photography. When you start comparing your photographs with other peoples and you may hear the sound of experience in my voice, I'm talking to my teenage self, that it sucks the enjoyment out of your photography. So stop comparing yourself to anybody else. Be your own photographer. If you are new to this channel, welcome. Thank you ever so much for being here. Please do hit the subscribe button so you can then help share this content with other people like yourself who may find it useful. I'd like you to bear in mind this idea of not comparing yourself with other people right now because I'm going to suggest also that one of the great things that is so so helpful, so beneficial for any photographer at any stage in their life as a photographer is to look at other people's photography. You know, we don't exist in a vacuum. There are there's fantastic photography. I mean, there's amazing photography being produced all the time. I know in the past, maybe, you know, myself and some other people have given Instagram and the likes of those sort of places a hard time, but they serve a purpose and they're a great resource that people use them and go and see like, hey, I'm inspired by this photography that this photograph moves me. It makes me happy. So look around you. If you're new to photography, you're new to taking photographs. The best thing that you can do is to look at as many photographs as possible. And as you become more adept at photography, as you become more in control of the exposures and the f-stops and the things we talked about in the first point, then you will start to recognize these things within these photographs and your enjoyment will become so much stronger. You will start to enjoy it, not just on a visual level, but also on a technical level. And it's fantastic when you start to be able to analyze photographs and look and see why they really are making you connect with them. Of course, in addition to all the modern photographers, there are a huge archive of photographers who have gone before us, who laid foundations, who laid the groundwork for what we nowadays take for granted that we see these sort of things. Revisit them. Some of them you may like, some of them you may not, but that's okay. You're not required to like anybody. You're not required to have certain people that you hold up on a pedestal. Pick and choose the photographers who you like. You never know. There may be a photographer from 100 years ago or 60 years ago or last week whose work really speaks to you. Seek it out. Enjoy it. Bring those inspirations into your own photography. A great trap that you can fall into if you're not careful is pigeonholing yourself as a photographer. When I was young, I was obsessed with the idea of being a music photographer. I wanted to, you know, photograph for the NME and all that sort of band in a cue magazine. And I didn't entertain any ideas in photography that didn't fit in with that vision that I had of myself as a photographer. So all the things that I actually now find really enjoyable in photography, doing my urban architecture and all sorts of things, I did not experience. I didn't even attempt them because they didn't fit into that very tight road that I decided I was going to travel. So as a photographer of any experience, you know, especially if you're new, experiment. Try all sorts of things. Don't sit and think that you have to specialize in a genre. You may be drawn towards genres, sure, you know, as you go on. But right now, and this probably goes for actually every photographer who's watching this, try something new. In 2022, try a genre that you've never tried before, something that challenges you, something that you don't have preconceived ideas about. So as that new photographer, give it all a whirl. You don't know until you try. This is the whole thing is like, there is so much wonderfulness out there. And there are genres that you possibly as a new photographer aren't even aware of. Go and explore, see what you can find. When I was a student, there was a sign up on the wall in the black and white dark and it said it is easier to ask a stupid question than it is to fix a stupid mistake. And that was all about, you know, kind of, if you're not sure, just ask. So, you know, we don't have to fix these things later on. And I feel in photography is certainly as a new photographer that I felt that I didn't want to ask what I thought were basic questions because I would be shot down because I would be, oh, it's that, oh, you're that guy. You're the one who doesn't know, or there'll be the eye rollings and things. There are so many people out there these days that are more than willing to give you advice, to give you proper guidance about your photography. If you are not sure about something, do not be afraid about asking. You know, if the concept of f-stops is confusing you, then just say, hey, I don't quite get it, right? If you're on watching a video on YouTube trying to learn, then ask in the comments. They will always be somebody who's willing to help you. And if you have a question about photography, and it doesn't matter how basic or advanced it is, ask it in the comments section below. You don't see what people have to offer you in regards to advice. You'd be surprised how willing most photographers are to help new photographers, to help people who are not quite at, say, their level improve their skills because this is a win-win for everybody. The best way to learn is to teach. I have learned so much about myself both as a photographer and as somebody who enjoys photography by sharing that with people like yourself on this channel. So ask questions. Be open to getting advice. And if somebody gives you, oh, you don't know what you're talking about, then they have marked themselves as the idiot. They have marked themselves as the person who doesn't know actually anything. So that's great for you because now you know that you don't have to pay attention to anything that they have to say ever again. 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Probably the first one that you may ask as a photographer after how to switch the camera on is what should you photograph? Well, fortunately, for you, I have put together a video right here that you can go and watch, which will give you the answer to that question.