What do I need to start in photography?

In the strictest sense of 'starting,' I’d recommend a Red Dragon…
I'm just kidding. Nowadays, many smartphones offer a variety of tools to get started in photography and filmmaking. As long as you understand the basic concepts like the exposure triangle, manual mode, and different framing techniques, you can achieve stunning photos with virtually any device.

When we starting out, the important thing is to explore as many categories as possible to discover what truly excites us for example, concert photography, portraits, beautiful landscapes, or even food photography.
Take as many photos as you can throughout the day; there’s no better way to learn photography and filmmaking than by practicing. That’s why, in the beginning, choosing a specific device isn’t essential.

Credit: ibookrt

However, starting with a camera obviously has its advantages, such as interchangeable lenses (if the option is available) or built-in telephoto lenses in some cameras, which allow you to capture photos of subjects that are far from your position.

There’s no need to wait until you're 'ready' or have all the 'necessary' equipment to start. These are the biggest limitations to creativity, and the less equipment we have, the creativity emerges to achieve results.

Credit: Alex Andrews

For example, during one of the shoots I attended in my early days as a freelance filmmaker, the power generator failed for the lighting equipment. So I used the high beams from the cars to light up the singers. The result turned out great, despite losing the main lights. The key takeaway from this experience was that even without the intended equipment, we managed to adapt using what was available. In this case, the cars, originally meant to be part of the set design, became our main source of lighting.

Even at Pexels events, some take place at midday, so it's important to find ways to reduce the intensity of sunlight. In one of the latest events, we used white fabric to diffuse it. If we had equipment with a 5-in-1 reflector, we could have reduced it even further.

For example, in this image, you can see the different types of lighting. The light hitting their face is diffused with white fabric, while the light on their head is the harsh midday sunlight.

Coming soon, we will delve deeper into these topics, covering the basics of photography and potential cameras to start exploring this diverse world.

In the meantime, I recommend using your smartphone to take a variety of photos so you can discover what you like and what you don’t. This will help you understand your current and future needs.

Credit: Alberto Cano

So, what could be the conclusions of this article?

• Practice as much as possible with your smartphone.

• Explore different categories of photography and filmmaking

• The key to learning lies more in taking action and practicing than in waiting to have everything before starting.

• Making mistakes accelerates the learning process, as we often learn more from failures than from successes.

• Most importantly, enjoy the process. I know and understand that it can be challenging, but there is nothing more rewarding than embracing the journey of self-discovery.

Credit: Kaique Rocha