Shoot what you love!

Beginner photographers are always asking me how they can become better photographer and how they can begin charging money for their services.

Well, I tell all my students starting out as new photographer, Shoot what you love! It’s true, when you go out and shoot what you love then you’ll have the passion and energy to work and try to create magic! You’ll get excited as you look at your images and want to keep shooting because it’s a labor of love and you just can’t get enough it. 

My personal favorite subject to shoot is Landscapes and Nature. I love to pack the car for the day and venture out into nature where I find my passion. I still get excited about shooting sunsets and nature! The two go hand in hand. 

I tell beginner photographers shoot Landscapes and Nature first because of the solitude and the opportunities that abound. You learn as you go, and you do not have to deal with people. With people there’s always issues and conditions you cannot control. In nature, it’s all up to you. 

The photo used with this Shutter Blog above is one of my favorites captured during my career. I was hired to shoot a community in West Asheville, NC and was scouting the job when I saw a beautiful group of flowers with butterflies sailing all over them. It was magical!

Here’s a great tip for new photographers… when magic happens stop and shoot. I wasn’t hired to shoot flowers and butterflies that day but houses and condos. Because I was witnessed to magic, I knew to stop everything I was doing and go photograph the butterflies and flowers. Since that shoot, I have never looked back on the houses or condos I was hired to photograph but I have showcased the image of the butterfly and flowers over and over again.