3 Tips I Would Give Myself if I Started Photography All Over Again

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A list of stuff I wish I knew if I started photography all over again, at age 18.

Dear Eric,

This is your 29 year old self, writing to your 18 year old self. Mom just bought you a Canon point-and-shoot, SD 600. You will love it.

The next 11 years, you will experience a lot of bullshit and false information on the internet about photography. I am going to drop some bombs of wisdom on you:

1. Megapixels don’t matter

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Disregard the megapixel myth. More megapixels doesn’t equate to better photos. If anything; more megapixels, more problems. The bigger your megapixels, the harder to backup your photos, and to upload and share them with others.

More megapixels doesn’t equate better image quality. It is all about the sensor.

You can have a camera with fewer megapixels, with better image quality.

And don’t even care about the sensor too much. Funny enough, 10 years from now, nobody will even care about DSLR’s that much anymore. There will be this thing called a ‘smartphone’ which will probably be the easiest way to document, photograph, and capture your life.

2. Don’t be distracted by social media

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You’re going to (one day) become famous for being a blogger. You will think social media is what is going to help you build your name. Not really. Most people will discover you through Google search, or from your YouTube videos.

So don’t get caught up in the treadmill for getting more likes. It is like money; you can never have too much of it.

And caring too much about likes is going to cause you frustration, anxiety, and despair. Because no matter how many likes you have, you will never have enough to satisfy your hunger.

3. Photograph your loved ones

Don’t care about traveling and seeing the world. Rather, photograph your loved ones, and document them faithfully.

You’re going to regret that during your time in college, you didn’t take enough photos of your precious memories, at school, at church, or of your friends or loved ones. You are going to be too focused on making ‘artistic’ photos— not meaningful photos.

So photograph with your heart and soul. Photograph your loved ones like it is their last. Because in a few years, your grandfather is going to pass away. And one day, your mom is gonna pass away too.

So don’t waste your time. Photograph your loved ones immediately.

Conclusion

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You’re on the right path. Have faith in yourself. Care less about traveling, and more about documenting your own personal experiences, and your local community.

Don’t get caught up in the hype of DSLR’s and Leica’s. You will waste a lot of time, effort, and money.

Instead, relish that little point and shoot. Always keep it in your front pocket, and don’t think too much. Make photos and have fun. And make your soul sing through your photos.

Have fun,
Eric