No matter how expensive/good your camera is, if you don’t know the basics of photography and how to use it, your photos probably won’t look great.

I don’t mean to offend anyone. Your photos won’t be horrible, far from it, but they will lack something. And that something is a mixture of things ranging from using the correct settings for a particular scenery, knowing and using the rules of composition correctly and post processing (or applying ‘filters’ as non photographers call it).

I used to have a Sony NEX-5R, a reasonably priced medium size mirrorless camera with a good 24MP sensor. I was using it on automatic mode and had no knowledge whatsoever as to how to use any settings on it. The only thing I knew about photography back then was the ‘rule of thirds’ and I edited my photos using an app that allowed me to apply filters. I didn’t even go as far as tweaking the filters, I just tried a few and applied the one that looked best.

My photos weren’t bad but they were definitely lacking something.

Here is an example shot with my Sony NEX-5R before I got into photography:

Now I bet you didn’t think ‘Woah!!’ when you saw this picture… It’s not a bad picture but it’s not great either.

Fast-forward to 2^1/2 years later when I visited my sister in Australia. On my way there I read 3 different photography magazines and did a bit of research on the internet about my camera and how to use which settings when, the rules of composition etc… I absorbed all this knowledge, unsure of whether I would actually use it and use it correctly. I spent 2 weeks in Australia and during the first week and a half I struggled to take good photos. But the more I tried the easier it got (or at least it felt) and I was starting to actually feel proud of the photos I was taking.

Then I took this photo a couple of days before I flew home:

Much better isn’t it?

Similarly, a good photographer should be able to take great photos no matter how bad/cheap the camera they are using is.

I mean, we will need a couple of minutes to figure out where to find the settings on the camera and maybe need to take a test shot or two.

This was taken last week in Paris with my phone:

No offence to my phone, it’s not bad/cheap, it’s just not a camera…

If you’d like to learn a little bit more about how to use your camera, what settings to use for a particular scenery and the basics of composition, I can help! I am running a photography workshop called ‘Photograph London’s hotspots by night‘. The workshops lasts 2.5 hours and is limited to 2 participants so you don’t have to fight with 10 other participants to ask questions…

My workshop is available for booking via my AiBnB Experience page and costs £80.

Click here for more details or to book your spot!

Or just email me I’d be happy to answer your questions or even plan a bespoke workshop for you!