I found my love for photography on an iPhone 4. Looking back I had all the right perspectives and all the wrong equipment. My editing app was only filters and the camera didn’t have the right resolution. That all being said, my iPhone 4 photos gradually improved as I went along. But how would this all relate to first time shoots and fieldwork? Honestly it’s a matter of trial and error. Knowing what an f-stop is and how exposure works is good first hand knowledge but posing subjects and knowing which f-stop to use is another question.

My first time shooting skylines at night was difficult. I took about 50 photos in one location and it was a matter of knowing what shot you got on a tiny screen. Long story short, each 50 had a different focus point, different exposure, and different f-stop. This is the best way when you have time but some things are time constrained. Sunsets are difficult but when I pressed for time I set my camera on “A” (Nikon model). This is Aperture Priority, it works out shutter speed and you work out what f-stop you want. Typically I’ll shoot with this mode and determine what the camera sees. For example, if it is at 320 and it comes out a bit to the left (underexposed) I will shot in “M”, manual, and set the shutter speed to 250. From there you can pretty much determine what you need in a reasonable amount of time.

With other things such as weddings, it is always best to practice with your equipment. Get use to monitoring the indoor light, you should have a good understanding of what ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed you need to get sharp images. I always start with my f-stop/shutter speed because any ISO above 800 will run into noise and grain in your images. On my first wedding I was fortunate enough to have a well lit room so there was not much need for a flash or high ISO. However, on my second wedding one of the lights down the aisle was out. This meant I had to boost my ISO and boost my flash. If you don’t have a flash, the one on your camera will work but I highly recommend getting a mounted flash.

This is just a snippet of how I handle first time situations. Trial and error is a major part of photography. Don’t be embarrassed of your very first work, that is what got you where you are today and you will continually improve.