Ten lessons from the first year

Lesson nr 1 - You can take very good photos without using the most expensive gear. 

Lesson nr 2 - Learn to know how your cameras and lenses work and make the best out of them.

Lesson nr 3 - Using manual mode is so cool when you finally know how you want your photo to look like and how to get there. Learning that takes time and that´s okay. 

Lesson nr 4 - Own your mistakes, learn on the go and remember that you can´t jump over any lessons. One will make the mistakes and that´s ok as long as you won´t let them get on your way. 

Lesson nr 5 - Lightroom and all the other editing programmes are irreplaceable but nothing really beats the feeling when most of the photo is ´made´ in the camera while taking the shot. And overcoocking your photos while editing is not cool. 

Lesson nr 6 - I take a lot of photos of dance on the stage. I need lenses that are fast, with good AF and let a lot of light in. Lens is more important in this than a camera. 

Lesson nr 7 - There is no perfect camera body or lens. There are the good ones and some very good ones for different situations and likings and you just have to find the one that works for you. There is a lot of good gear in the world and you can´t have it all. And honestly you don´t need to. 

Lesson 8 - Learn how light works. Learn composition. Look at other people works. Watch Youtube videos and read reviews - so much that you understand that there is not only one correct answer. Then you will start noticing the details and nuances you did not see before. That´s when the magic will happen. 

Lesson 9 - Not all people who will see your photos will like nor care about them for many different reasons. That´s okay. Maybe you were not good enough just yet or maybe they like macro and you don´t. The more you will learn how to tell your stories there is a chance that more people will like what they see aswell. 

Lesson 10 - I had an amazing year while taking photos and I like it a lot! 

Photo: Kadi Aare