We live in such a visual world because of the internet and social media. Most people have a high-quality camera in their pockets that people 50 years ago could only dream of. If you look online, it seems like taking nice photographs comes second nature to some. 

Jason Grzesik is a car enthusiast and photographer who is passionate about documenting the excitement of car culture through his own lens. If you want to improve your photography game, here are 5 tips for photography beginners.

  1. Play around with composition. There is definitely an art to this, so it helps to have a creative eye. Using the rule of thirds and making sure horizons are level is a good starting point. Scroll through your Instagram feed to figure out what composition techniques other people are using, and experiment with that.
  2. Use whatever camera you already have, even if it is just your phone camera or an old-school disposable. Having the most expensive equipment will not make you magically better at photography. Push whatever equipment you have to its absolute limit before you splurge on the fancy stuff. 
  3. Use the manual settings. This is a learning curve, but don’t just set your camera to automatic. Learn about the different camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
  4. Please do not zoom. If you are using your phone camera, zooming in on something will greatly reduce the quality of your picture. 
  5. Lighting is everything. Pay attention to how the light is hitting your subject. You may need to move around if you are outside or adjust the lighting inside to take a better picture.