Learning Photography: My First Month
What I learned picking up a camera for the first time
I've always been drawn to good photos. The way light falls, the composition, the moment captured. But I'd never tried taking them myself. Photography seemed complicated—all those settings, all that equipment.
Then a friend lent me their camera for a weekend, and I was hooked. Not because I took great photos—I didn't—but because I enjoyed the process. The act of looking more carefully, of framing a shot, of waiting for the right light.
The camera had more buttons and dials than I knew what to do with. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO. I understood the concepts in theory, but putting them together felt impossible. So I started simple. Put it in auto mode, just point and shoot. See what happens. Some photos were terrible. Some were okay. A few I actually liked.
The rule of thirds was the first thing that clicked. Instead of centering everything, I'd place subjects off to the side. It felt wrong at first, but the photos looked better. Lighting was another revelation. Golden hour—that hour after sunrise or before sunset—made everything look better. Harsh midday sun made everything look worse. I started planning my walks around the light.
I took hundreds of photos. Most were bad. But that's okay. Every bad photo taught me something. Too dark? Need more light. Blurry? Need faster shutter speed. Boring? Need better composition.
I'm still making mistakes. I still take more bad photos than good ones. But the ratio is improving. And I'm having fun, which is the whole point.
Photography made me see the world differently. I notice light and shadows now. I see compositions everywhere. Even when I don't have a camera, I'm looking at things with new eyes.
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