Henry Kerrigan
Jun 25, 2025
Let’s be honest — photography can feel intimidating at first. Aperture, ISO, shutter speed... rule of thirds, golden hour, white balance — it’s a lot. But if you’ve ever looked at a photo and thought, “I wish I could take something like that,” the good news is: you absolutely can.
You don’t need a fancy camera
Let’s get this out of the way: you don’t need top-tier gear to take great photos. Your phone right now? It’s probably better than most DSLRs from a decade ago. What matters way more is how you see. Learn to compose — where you place your subject, how much negative space you leave, when to press the shutter.
A well-timed photo in good light will always outshine a boring one shot on a $3000 camera. Gear helps, but it doesn’t make the photo. You do.
Start Noticing Light
This is the secret sauce. Light makes a photo. Start noticing how the sun hits your wall in the morning, or how soft shadows stretch during golden hour. Watch how cloudy days wrap your subject in even light. Good light doesn’t just illuminate — it tells a story.
When you start to recognize it, everything shifts. You’ll begin to see opportunities everywhere, even in everyday stuff like your breakfast or your coffee table.
Practice > Reading More Articles
Honestly, you’ll learn more by shooting than reading 100 photography guides (even this one). Just pick up your phone or camera and start. Indoors, outdoors, clean setups or total chaos — it doesn’t matter. Try different angles. Try weird crops. Shoot too much. Delete most of it.
Every bad photo teaches you something. Every shot sharpens your eye. The trick is to keep going, even when nothing feels “post-worthy.” You’re building instincts. And those only come with practice.