Starting up in photography

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

ONE time, I was browsing in a photography forum and saw a very interesting question. Somebody was asking for directions. She was asking that aside from the important things like lens, flash and battery grip, what are other things to buy. Yes, you read it right, battery grip. I was surprised to have read it myself.

As I was trying to organize my thoughts so I can write a clear and motivational comment, one guy seem to have read my mind or at least had similar thoughts. He said that in order for a budding photographer to improve his skills set, he needs to find the right mentor and probably enroll in a reputable school.

While it’s true that I didn’t have any formal education in photography, it would have been faster for me to learn if I opted to get good training when I was starting out. Learning it the hard way has its benefits as well. I experienced the failures and the frustrations of which I can share to my students and how I got out of the slump.

Like many of the budding photographers, I too, went through the magic of 50mm. It was one of the cheapest fast lenses you can buy. I started out with a cropped sensor, so the 50mm gave me a quite narrow perspective. But what I love was the magic of blurring the background. I felt like an advanced photographer every time I see my shot.

It didn’t stop there. I spent countless hours in the studio trying to figure out different lighting effects. I did not only spend time but some considerable amount of money as well to buy equipment I needed to achieve a certain effect, not to mention chasing models and makeup artists to collaborate with me.

All the invested time and money with nothing coming back is financial suicide. Books, video tutorials and the works of great photographers in my industry like Richard Avedon and Annie Liebovitz are my guides and inspiration to keep me going. I’m my biggest fan and critic at the same time.

Defining the line between a good photograph from a bad one is an essential sense you have to develop. Believe me, it goes a long way. Be true to yourself and accept failure and use it to fuel your growth. After you’ve reached a significant growth and ready to sell your talent, running your own business is another thing to master.

Keep on shooting, everyone!

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