One of the biggest challenges with photography after learning the basics, would arguably be finding *the* subject. There are so many different genres to explore and each one has their own particular skill set with using a camera and post production editing. While I do like to emphasize the importance of being diverse and open to experimenting in different genres, it’s also important to find your own particular style and the first step in doing so would be finding your favorite subject to shoot.
Coming from a place that’s surrounded by nature and the buildings are made so that people can appreciate and respect it, nature has always been my favorite to capture. Some of the first photos I’ve ever taken were either on my camcorder, iPod, or on my mother’s point and shoot camera. I was able to find a couple frames and while some aren’t the best or way over saturated, they show the subject I veered towards. These images are all from 2016-2017.
Noticing What You Notice
Aside from your own personal interests in determining your favorite subject(s) to shoot, would simply be looking through your own camera roll on your phone. You may be thinking “how does that help if it’s filled with funny photos and/or memes?” If the majority of your camera roll is filled with people’s reactions or events filled with people, you may simply be interested in human interaction or capturing the gestures they use to communicate what they’re feeling. If you capture many inanimate objects, you could be interested in more still life or commercial photography. The list could go on, but if you’re second guessing if there’s a genre you could shoot in, there most likely is! Here is a quick list of 51 genres you can experiment or discover your favorite type of photography.
After discovering this subject pattern of mine, I started applying the basics I learned about photography from the Photography club I was in to nature.
The photos here are when I first started to apply the rule of thirds, perspective, and aperture. I started out experimenting with only the aperture or shutter priority.
Growing Confidence
After feeling more confident in my shots, I started to shoot only in manual to be able to have the most control in my images and experiment in the sub-categories of nature photography: landscape, flower, or macro photography. What has definitely helped along the way was the “lucky” shots I’ve taken during my experiments. Definitely do not recommend relying on just luck to make up your photo portfolio, but it boosts your confidence when it comes to a new technique you’re trying or wanting to improve on.
This squirrel photo for example, is still within my top 5 favorite shots. At this time, I was still a bit uncomfortable with relying on manual mode, but I still shot with this mode regardless and luck decided to be on my side. I shot this frame on f5.6, 1/640 sec, and with an ISO of 500 on my 75-300mm lens. While the focus is a bit off of where I would have wanted it to be, the composition and gesture still strikes me to this day.
Moments or “lucky” shots like these always inspire me to continue on my photography journey and push my craft and camera to do more. As I briefly mentioned, I’ve been into macro or animal photography and can’t wait to share more with you all on how I shoot these images! I’ll admit I haven’t been super lucky with being able to plan a day for just nature shots, but I have been able to shoot some other cool things and experiment in completely different genres. If you’d like to see those other genres and experiments, you can find them on my social media accounts either on Instagram or Tiktok too. Have a safe summer and don’t forget to apply your sunblock!