Get your camera out! It’s so simple and yet a perfectly appropriate first tip for the blog: just get your camera out – out of the box, out of the bag, out of the closet – out of wherever it resides too much of the time. The weekend is just a few hours away and precious moments await.
Here’s the trick (brace yourself): You’ve got to turn that baby ON to capture those memories. Stop that thought train because I hear it, “easier said than done photog friend – your camera is on 24/7!” Yes and no. You see me out and about with it but at home, my kids are over it. However, I’ve decided it is my duty as family historian to just ignore the latter. So I got my camera out, snuck around during play time and caught this. It’s a rare moment of cooperation and officially one of my new favorite lifestyle shots of my kiddos. All you have to do is get the camera out and try.
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Much of what I’ve learned over the years has been through trail and error. Play with your focus points, change your white balance, move the dial to one of the more advanced modes like Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority. The beauty of those two modes is that they allow you to chose one important variable in the exposure triangle and let the camera do the rest. It’s an easy step up from Auto mode but if Auto mode is your comfort zone, by all means, stay there. It’s more important to shoot something than nothing. So whatever is holding you back, put it on the shelf not your camera.
Today’s cameras take some pretty incredible pictures without you having to do much at all. With many cameras, it’s as simple as pointing and shooting. Go ahead! Let the camera show you what it can do but remember it can’t show you anything; it can’t capture moments; it can’t document your life if it’s not accessible and ready to go. So take it off the shelf, charge the battery and take pictures this weekend. They don’t have to be perfect. They don’t even have to be good but I promise you two things: 1) you will learn something and 2) a few will be keepers even if they are technically off.
My family albums are full of old pictures that I can shoot better today. It doesn’t matter. I still love them all. I love how they document the growth of my family and selfishly, my growth as a photographer. It makes me feel good to know I didn’t miss a moment and that by simply turning my camera on day after day, I actually got better. You will too. Get your camera out.
Updated January 2015: Click here for more recent photography tips including advice for using both a DSLR and iPhone camera. Once you get that camera out, it’ll be hard to stop. Be warned.
Interested in taking better pictures? I offer one-to-one, hands-on mentoring for photographers of all levels, from beginners to experienced pros. Scroll down to “education” on my Details page or contact me to learn more.
Abbe McCracken is a natural light, on-location portrait and lifestyle photographer serving Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas of Matthews, Ballantyne, Weddington and beyond. She specializes in family, child and event photography.
