Joe Farace

What advice would I give new photographers?

My advice to new photographers is not to get hung up on equipment to the detriment of vision. Don’t be equipment poor. Buy the least expensive gear from a brand you like and be sure to look at used and refurbished models to save money. When you need specialized gear, rent it. 

Use your camera to make a new picture every day. Make it a self-assignment and post images on a (free) Tumblr blog for the world to see. 

Embrace the concept of testing; don’t practice on your clients. Follow the Boy Scout’s motto of “Be Prepared” so when you walk into that assignment for a new client you’ve got the basics down and are prepared to handle all of the surprises you won’t see coming. 

Part of being prepared is educating yourself. Read photography magazines and books, read blogs and attend seminars to improve your technical skills and expose yourself to other ways of seeing. Lastly and more importantly, find a mentor, an older photographer who attended ‘the school of hard knocks’ and when you’re more experienced remember to pass on what you’ve learned on to a new photographer.

You've got to love a guy who has a blog with the tag line, "Saving the World, One Pixel at a Time". Check out Joe's blog and get him in your RSS feed. His posts are always loaded with great content and just to stay on top of what Joe's doing, follow him on twitter too! 

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Images copyright Joe Farace. All rights reserved.