Start small. Start simple.

I’ve talked about this a few times already. It’s not about the gear, it’s how you use it.

That’s why I recommend starting small.

Keep in mind I started my photography journey with a Blackberry.

My first proper camera was an Olympus E-500. It cost around $30. I used it for about a year. But even today I find myself looking back and saying, wow how did I take those beautiful pictures? Sometimes I believe I took better pictures with that old camera than with my brand new one. Why? Because I understood and used all the camera’s capabilities. I knew what it could and couldn’t do.

Eventually, I upgraded to a Nikon D3100. Then I went from understanding 99% of my camera to probably 40%. It took me around 5 years to maybe learn 80% of what my new camera can and can’t do.

Then, quite recently, I bought a camera I’ve been dreaming about for 4 years, a Nikon D5300. Again, I went from knowing 80% of my camera to 25%.

Now you might understand when I say, “sometimes it looks like I took better pictures with my first camera”.

Because now I’m overwhelmed with new things I need to learn. I need to try, test and play around with the camera’s new features. See what works and what doesn’t, and that takes time and thousands of pictures and videos.

Your phone is a good start. Learn how to use its camera 100%. Understand what it can and can’t do. Then go buy a camera and play around with it.

Start small. Start simple.

What was your first camera?

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