As a photographer, understanding your equipment and how to use it is extremely important. Without being able to correctly and quickly assess and change camera settings and equipment, such as lenses, you can miss the perfect shot or waste a lot of time. A great photo does not just happen. It takes work. And while understanding your equipment is one of the largest steps to getting a great photograph, it's not all! Composition, lighting, editing - these are all important steps as well. But don't worry, these skills can be learned over time and with lots of practice! Nobody was born a photographer; while some are quicker to catch on, photography can definitely be learned.

When I first became interested in photography, I was quite lazy. I wanted to get those pretty pictures that I often saw, but did not take the time to really learn. That was a poor choice! Not only did I take poor photos {I cringe every time I look at them}, I also entirely quit photography. I hadn't touched my camera for over a year. That is something that I do not want you all to have to go through. I do not want you all to completely give up photography simply because your photos are not up to par wit your liking or because you are lazy.

I have decided to create a free online course that will help you avoid the mistakes that I made. If you are motivated and want to become a better photographer, then this course will be for you! All that is required is dedication, patience, and time to practice what you learn! Every week, I will share a post with information to help you become a photographer in no time as well as a prompt that will inspire you to take pictures that week.

Lets Define a Few Things

Aperture:  A circle-shaped opening in a lens that light passes through. You can adjust this setting to either allow in more light or allow in less light, according to your settings and what you are trying to photograph. Aperture is expressed in f-stops, so if you see a number such as f/11 or f/1.4, that is the aperture. 

Shutter Speed: The amount of time a camera's shutter remains open. This determines the amount of time light can enter your camera, or, in other words, the exposure. The faster the shutter speed, the less exposed your photo will be, and the slower the shutter speed, the more exposed your photo will be.

ISO: Another feature that controls the exposure by making the camera either more ore less sensitive to light. The higher the ISO, the brighter the photo will be. However, the higher the ISO (1600 or 3200) the noisier (or grainier) the photo will be. The lower the ISO, the darker and less noisier (80 or 100) the photo will be.

AV: This stands for Aperture Priority, which is a mode that allows you to manually set the apertuure to your liking (thus prioritizing it). While you can choose the aperture, the shutter speed is automatically chosen to correspond with the aperture you selected. AV is basically an automatic camera that gives you the option to select your aperture. 

Shutter Priority: Read above, only switch aperture out for shutter speed and vice versus. 

Depth of Field: The zone in a photo that is in focus and acceptably sharp compared to the remaining parts of the photo, which is out-of-focus and blurry. This is controlled by the aperture (f-stops). The shallower your depth of field, the more distance you will create between your subject and background, thus making your subject sharper and more in-focus. A deeper depth of field is used to keep everything in focus and sharp.

Next week, it all begins! 

Creating a good photo starts in the camera. There is not enough editing in the world that can make a photo with poor composition, irreparable lighting, and no meaning behind it good. As a photographer, it is your duty to create a good photo straight out of the camera. The greatness is what can happen in the editing stage - you simply have to make it to that stage.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express

2. Fotor

3. PicMonkey

4. Pixlr

When you take your camera and shoot pictures, whatever photographs are produced are your property. They belong to you and only you. Your work is copyrighted as soon as it is produced. This goes for any type of creative or non-creative work: writing, books, drawings, pictures, music. Anything that comes from your mind and is available to be seen or heard by others is copyrighted. Unfortunately, despite this warning, there are still quite a few thieves out there that likes to steal other's work and portray that it is theirs. While you can take legal action if you find your work to be stolen, there are a few preventative measures that you can take. The best one (and my favorite) is watermarking.

What is watermarking?

Why should you use a watermark?

Examples of watermarks

I remember when Rihanna's first single "Pon de Replay" came out. Those days seem like so long ago, but in reality, it was only 11 years ago. Wait, woah - yeah, that definitely was some time ago. It seems crazy how fast the years pass by. Now, we have Rihanna's popular "Work" playing constantly on the radio. Her newest album ANTI is quickly making its way to my favorite Rihanna album. Some other songs that I love from the album include "Desparado," "Consideration" feat. SZA, and "Sex With Me." Do yourself a favor and check out the entire album below if you have not heard it already. {Even if you have, check it out just one more time.}

Traveling is an experience all of itself. There is aplenty of sights to see, food to taste, and people to meet. However, what you cannot bank on without open arms and an open mind is experience. Experience comes from the nitty-gritty, unexpected moments and lessons that one can get from traveling. One of my favorite ways to garner a bit of experience is to stay in a hostel. For those of you who are unaware, a hostel is a cheap place (similar to a hotel) that allows you to stay and share a room with other [same-gendered] people for a night or however long you plan to stay. It is a pretty cool way to meet people from all over the world.

One of my favorite hostels that I have ever stayed in was in Frankfurt, Germany. Of course, I am a bit biased because of the people that I spent time with there, and it was also the last place I stayed at in Germany; however, it was great! They had an enlarged map with pins in each place that someone came from. It was cool to see where past or present guests of the hostel came from. The common area stayed open until about 2 AM. The architecture was pretty awesome! And they had free WiFi and computers (!), which was important for me to contact people because I had no data plan in Germany at that time. Aside from those things, I cannot really speak as to how sleeping overnight went because I never went to sleep that one night we stayed there; a couple of new friends and I stayed up, drank, and talked the whole night until we had to go to the airport. Great memories, guys.

Anyways, considering the fact that I may not have already convinced you to stay in a hostel by now, here are just a couple of reasons why you should:

1. All of the Peeps

2. You Save Loot

3. Live More Like a Native

4. Best Way to Stay Connected & Unconnected

5. Food

While I enjoy all types of photography, pet photography is quickly becoming my number one. Not only am I able to surround myself with furry friends, I am able to capture some of the most candid shots because, let's be real, animals are really unpredictable. One moment you think you know what they are going to do and bam! The exact opposite happens. But the spontaneity is exciting, and I live for it.

1. Bring toys, particularly their favorite one. (Treats are a bonus!)

2. Bring in their humans.

3. Don't be afraid to get up close!

4. Get up on it. Or down. Or in its face. Or somewhere, anywhere, really.

5. Shoot in Black + White.

6. Keep the flash at bay.

7. Don't pose, pose, pose.

I have a particularly late graduation when compared to other high schools. Mine is June 7th. {Almost there!} With graduation comes many opportunities for photos, which I am beyond excited about. Unfortunately, though, I will be on the other side of the camera. I'll be the one walking across the stage and receiving my diploma! But I still have some tips for photographers; keep reading to learn about graduation day photography!

1. Know the rules for the venue.

2. Understand what type of photos your subject wants.

3. Make what you shoot into a story.

4. Don't forget the "simple" things.

5. Anticipate the moment.

6. Know your gear.

7. Prepare for horrible lighting.