I don’t always get to go out as much as I would like, being a dad and working full-time, but when I do, this little hobby of photography is truly satisfying, and I’ve learned a lot.

So, why did I choose photography, and how did I get started? Well, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly about how I got started, and why…

The Hobby of Photography

One morning, about seven to eight years ago, I was sitting behind my computer building a website for a client and needed a break. Actually, I needed more coffee; it was literally five or six in the morning. I am an early riser.

I grabbed my coffee and decided to turn on an autumn ambience video on YouTube. I was scrolling when I saw a beautiful thumbnail and clicked it, not thinking about or reading the title. It was a video about the basics of photography in the fall by a photographer named Mark Denney.

That was the moment I was sold on the idea of taking up photography, at least as a hobby!

The next thing I knew, I was watching more of his videos and a few from another gentleman, Nigel Danson. I had always loved a good photo or painting; I built websites for a living for nearly ten years; I was not lacking artistic tendencies.

As a matter of fact, I have always liked art; the problem was I could not draw a stick-figure person who did not want to jump off the page to their death. I was not artistically inclined when it came to drawing or painting. Then, I ran into photography, and with a gift for picking out the beautiful things in creation, boom! I found something I knew I would love to practice.

20 million views and nearly 150,000 downloads of my images by creators online and others via a couple of platforms where I post my images; I am loving this hobby, and people like them!

No, I am not consistent when it comes to getting out and about to take photos, but I am finally in a position in my life to make the time to do just that- to get out and take some photos a bit more often (my kids are older, and some have left the nest, ha!).

However, I did make a few early mistakes…

Getting Started, The Early Days

I spent far too much money! I did, sorry, wife o’mine; you were correct, I spent more than I needed to. I also became a perfectionist, and that was just as bad.

I believed I needed everything and had to have the perfect images. What did I know? I was new to it all. So, I bought a nice camera and so many lenses that I was into the thousands of dollars by the time I realized I had been an idiot!

But eventually, years later, I figured it out. What I learned was simple:

It is all about composing an image, one that tells a story or, simply appeals to you.

– me

Do not fall into the ‘over-critical trap’! Yes, you want to take photos with little or no noise and as sharp as possible (and have a basic understanding of the exposure triangle), but don’t be a perfectionist! You’ll never get anywhere with hobby photography if you do.

Yes, you need some good equipment, but if you ask me which is better, a mirrorless or a DSLR, my answer is simple: which one can you afford? When I listen to the likes of Mark or Nigel, I have learned that when you start hobby photography, keep it simple, even if you have plans to “go pro” one day.

Personally, a good DSLR with a 50mm and a basic 18-165mm are the two lenses I would start with today. And instead of some large monthly fee for Lightroom (which I no longer pay for), I would buy (as I did) the Luminar photo editor. It’s perfect! Luminar has it all and is much easier to learn; you can trust me on this.

There is one thing I did early on, and that was to listen to only a few voices, literally three professional landscape photographers. Nigel Danson, Mark Denney (and because my daughter also enjoys hobby photography), Courtney Victoria. Too many voices are just that – too many voices.

Finding Style

Portrait. Landscape. Street. Wildlife. Macro. Fine Art. Documentary. Architecture. There’s even what’s called Moody and Dark; this is based on the play of shadows, high contrast, and muted or rich colors in an image.

Personally, I like macro and Creation photography; my take on Landscape Photography for obvious reasons.

I love macro because you get up close to your subject. It also brings out the minute details many people don’t usually notice in day-to-day life. Landscape, or Creation Photography as I call it, was something I just fell into; it felt, well, right. Whatever you call it, you will get that innate feeling of rightness when you take up that camera and point it.

You’ll know what style you like the most, almost instantly!

However, if you are unsure, take your time, point and click that camera at everything you can get in front of it. Try a few different styles and see what clicks with you (pun intended!)

No matter what, keep it simple. Invest small, and grow big over time when it comes to gear. Get out often, as often as you can. Enjoy, trust me. If you have that feeling right now that photography as a hobby or a profession is for you, the only bad decision you could make is to ignore the feeling.

Oh, and another thing: walking keeps me moving as I get older, and even clears my mind when the stress builds up…

Featured image by David.