The story of how I got started in photography

Photography normally has me out and about around London but now that we’re on coronavirus lockdown in London and the UK, I’ve barely left the house for 6 weeks. It’s been the perfect time to review the year and a half since buying my first camera and taking my first tentative steps. Actually, I can cross out tentative there and substitute bold! Because although I had no idea what I was doing yet, I had a very clear idea that I wanted to become a good photographer right at the start. It may have been nothing more than a dream at that point but it was one of those dreams that felt real. The kind of dream that you can feel even when you wake up. So, I just launched myself into it right from day one.

I didn’t take any easy options. Using manual settings right from day one - tick. Taking nighttime photos and long exposure shots - tick. Time lapse - tick. Taking photos for businesses - tick. Taking workshops in multiple genres - tick. Launching straight into video with a YouTube channel and teaching myself video editing - tick. Getting to grips with camera gear - tick. Tick, tick, tick! That makes it sound easy. It wasn’t! Sometimes I wanted to run before I could walk and it got very frustrating. Sometimes it took longer to learn a technique than I thought it should have. Sometimes I doubted myself.

I have no idea where this will go and where it will take me. All I know is that I have the desire to take good photos and to be part of the photography world and that drives me on.

In my latest video released yesterday, I talk about my first year and the practical steps I took to get the experience I needed. It’s titled My First Year in Photography - How I Got Started - Beginner Photography. Click here to view it.

City of London skyline at sunset, viewed across the Thames river