The Beginner Photography Podcast

Everyone wants their photography to have a style. From the colors, use of light, poses, editing, subject matter. The camera is a tool that lets us say something without words. Your style is

In this episode I break down the most common mistakes photographers make when searching for a style and give you practical exercises to train your eye.

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Dina Goldstein began her career 30 years ago as a photojournalist, evolving from a documentary and editorial photographer into an independent artist focusing on large-scale productions of narrative photography tableaux. Goldstein’s work has been the subject of academic essays and dissertations and has been covered extensively in media around the globe. Goldstein continues to independently produce works and show internationally at commercial and public galleries, art centers, festivals, biennales and museums.
In This Episode You'll Learn:

• When Dina knew photography was going to be an important part of her life
• What Dina struggled with most when starting out in photography
• Why Dina left photojournalism
• Where Dina got the idea for her staged project “Fallen Princesses”
• How Dina comes up with concepts for her different photo projects
• The struggle of choosing how to create which images for her various photo projects.

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Gaining confidence as a photographer comes down to things and none of them have to do with the camera. You will naturally get comfortable with the camera as time goes on. Confidence 3 things.
#1 Prep

A wise man once said that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. That couldn’t be more true than in photography. If you want to start taking photos with intention you need to know your gear and how it works inside and out. So the prep stage is knowing your gear, how it works, and how it reacts in different lighting sanarios. Take a listen to episode 243 where I break down step by step how to get to know your camera.

#2 Plan

If you want to be successful as a photographer you will need to shoot more than just reactionary photos but shoot with intention. Sometimes that means planning out your photos. Before a shoot really break down each element. What lens will you use, what lights will you use, how will your subject pose. Hammer those details out so when you get ready to shoot you won’t have to think on the fly, they are already planned out.

#3 Practice

You can read every tutorial and watch every video on youtube but if you don’t actually put in time behind the camera you won’t be retaining much. That’s why practice is so important. To be most efficient when practicing, have a clear goal and work on just one aspect of photography. When just getting started I recommend composition. Composition how you compose the frame of your image with the goal of leading your viewer’s eyes to the subject of the photo. Composition is something you can practice anywhere and even with just the camera on your phone which is why its such a great place to start.

In todays episode of the podcast we breakdown the roadmap in which to learn photography. From buying your first camera to creating beautiful works of art there is a proven roadmap to follow to focus on what matters most.
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Im renaming November to MEvember and focusing on my health. Since photography is a large part of my life I wanted to examine how it contributes to my health. Today I want to share with you the 4 ways that photography is incredibly beneficial to your health and well being and how photography can take care of you.

Memory

Have you ever noticed how you have strong memories of taking photos more so than the event itself? Science may have an answer as to why! Reviewing our photographs builds new path ways from our hippocampus to more visual memory parts of our brain.

Creative

Have you ever wished you were a born creative? According to science, creativity really can be strengthened like a muscle when practiced regularly. The key, the more you do, the more experience you have, the more experience you have, the more you can tweak that experience to apply to the current situation at hand.

Physical

I routinely get 20k steps in at a wedding. While photography is not the most physically demanding job it’s far more demanding than a desk job or video game hobby. Physical exercise also helps in the creative aspect. When you move your body, get your blood flowing to the brain, reduces inflammation, and lowers stress hormones which can help create more connections between brain cells and brain areas.

Feels good to give to others

We all know that when we give to others, the mesolimbic pathway lights up increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex and activating the subgenual area which is also associated with higher levels of social belonging.

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This week we are talking all about curiosity. Building up your creative muscles takes time. The skills needed to work on are similar to how a chef needs to master knife skills before they get to a stove top. Or how a musician needs to practice scales before they can produce face melting solos. Photography is the same. Build the foundation now to free up your mind to be more creative.

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Donato DiCamillo is a New York based street and portrait photographer who today shares how he learned photography while incarcerated. Today Donato captures compelling portraits of people on the street that make you stop and want to explore the image more.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• How Donato got interested in photography
• How Donato taught himself photography without a camera while incarcerated
• What Donato photographed once he got out but was still on house arrest
• How he transitioned to shooting on the street
• The most important element Donato looks for when approaching a stranger to photograph them
• How Donato interacts with his subjects
• How Donato deals with frustration when what hes shooting isnt working.