In this episode of the Beginner Photography Podcast, Indianapolis Wedding Photographer Raymond Hatfield Talks about the value leaned from working with beginner photographers. I share the joy and excitement I get working with brides in my wedding photography and the pleasure I get helping beginner photographers learn and grow their skills and abilities. 

Being a podcast host to you photographers has been such a pleasure and has taught me sooo much about my own self and photography! Today I want to talk about what I have learned about you, the listener and about photography in general!

1: You Don't Need "Good Gear" to Get Great Photos

If you are apart of the group you will see members posting photos they have taken with their cell phones. If you can capture Emotion, light, and composition, you can get a great photo! With the ease of editing these days, it's so quick to transform your photos to something incredible. Its great to see you not being held back by your camera!

2: You have a hard time differentiating conflicting statements

When you see one professional shooting in aperture priority mode and getting great photos it is easy for you to assume that you don't need to learn and master manual mode. That's not always the case. I guarantee that a professional who shoots in aperture priority mode KNOWS how to shoot in manual. They have just found a way to get a look they are happy with using a different program mode. 

3: Beginners put a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself to get a good photo

Beginners are willing to trash a great photo because it's not technically perfect. The emotion is there, it's a perfect moment but because you were not following the rule of thirds then it gets trashed. This is not what photography is about. Look back at old family photo albums, I promise you the photos are technicly garbage but the emotion and memories make up for it! 

4: You are all better photographers than I was!

More people are taking photos than ever before. It is becoming engrained in us because of digital photography in smart phones. Because of this you already have a leg up when starting on your journey. You are in a better spot starting photography now than you would have been if you started shooting 10, 20, 30 years ago!

5: You are not doing enough to protect your photos 

Keeping your photos safe is arguably as important as taking the photo itself. With us humans taking more and more photos every day than ever before we need to have a plan in place to protect what we have worked hard to create. I use Google Photos to back up my phone photos and my Drobo to back up the photos on my computer and the photos I take in my business 

Thank you all so much for everything you have taught me this year! You are the reason I keep going. The reason I keep the podcast alive!