Become Proficient With Your Camera #109

Become Proficient With Your Camera #109

One of the things I hear really often out on safari, especially on my overseas tours, is I just want to get more proficient with my camera. In the YouTube era, it seems like people feel like they should just be able to do stuff simply because they saw it on YouTube. Everything seems so easy. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. Everything takes time and experience to learn. Even learning to walk took time and experience. The more you shoot, the more comfortable you'll get with your camera.

But it should be noted that most people tend to shoot the same thing over and over and over again. And unfortunately, they will only learn that portion of their camera. So if you really want to get proficient with your camera, you need to shoot different things. Moving objects, landscapes, long exposure, macro, and so on. Shooting long exposure will help you better understand f-stops and shutter speeds. Shooting macro and portraits will give you a better understanding of depth of field and finding critical focus.

Shooting sports and animals will help you better understand shutter speed, motion, and continuous focus. Shooting interiors and landscapes will help you learn how to shoot with a short lens. Try shooting portraits with a really long lens to better understand compression. Then shoot it with an ultra-wide lens and learn how to force your perspective. The more variety and experience you have with your shooting, the more comfortable you'll get with your camera. Also, you have to do it on the regular. If you do not use your skills regularly, and I'm talking about weekly, you never develop the muscle memory. And over time, that skill will dwindle. And it'll feel like you're starting over again every time you pick up the camera. I hope that was helpful. Until next time, keep on shooting.