If you’re just getting started in the world of photography, here are my top 3 tips on how you can start off the journey on the right foot right out of the gate! They may seem like simply steps to improve your photography skills, but they are certainly very important.

1. Read your camera’s user manual

I'll be honest, this is a hard one for me! With all that excitement that comes with purchasing a new camera, it can be easy to overlook the user manual. But honestly, reading it will make sure you know how to best use the camera and all its features. Many times, you can get a PDF version online from your camera manufacturer and put it on your phone for handy reference.

2. Get some education

While YouTube is a great free source of information, especially for beginners - I highly recommend getting a structured course from a website like Creative Live (www.creativelive.com) I have been using them since 2014 and have learned so much from the instructors on there. Most are true professionals who have a passion for education and it's worth a look around.

If you're the kind of person who enjoys reading, there are a ton of photography books out there. When I started, YouTube wasn't anything like it is today and there weren't really other online training sites, so I read! You can view my top photography books here -

3. Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who has photos you admire. Many times, the photography community is helpful and more than happy to offer advice. Putting your work out there can be quite intimidating at first. But the feedback from others can help you find out what you are doing wrong and what needs to be improved. There are groups in photo sharing sites like Flickr, where you can upload your photos for critique. If you are not ready to share your work to the public yet, you may also ask photography enthusiasts in your circle to critique your work. Although it is useful, you do not have to know how to use post-processing tools to improve your shots. Sometimes, a few simple tweaks in your photography set up, knowledge, and approach are all it takes to take better photos.