1) Patience is essential

I have only begun learning photography and so far I have learned that lighting, timing, the subject are not all going to be ready when you’re ready to take a photo. As almost all of my photos are of nature, it’s especially true. I noticed wind to be a big issue for me. Every time I was finally set up to take a photo, the wind would ruin it. A photographer must be really patient in order to capture the perfect photo. It is not going to just happen, it takes time and an understanding that nature is imperfect and that is what makes it perfect for photographers.

2) You’ll find inspiration in the unexpected

Almost all of these photos were taken in my backyard. I see this yard every day and never really think about how beautiful it can be. These macro photos show common backyard plants in a completely new light. After taking a few practice photos in my backyard I realized that I could do full shoots in my backyard. One shoot turned into two, then three. Every single time I found new subjects to capture. This egg pictured above was found in my driveway. I didn't want it to get ran over so I rescued it and decided it would make for the perfect photo. Inspiration truly comes when you're not expecting it.

3)   Trial and error    

My phone now has probably 1000 extra photos that were not there two weeks ago before I began learning photography. I would take 100 photos and only use one of them. However, it's important to realize that it's okay. Anytime you look at your favorite photos from a photography website it is safe to say it probably was not the first picture. Detail can get washed out so you may have to adjust the settings to fit your particular need. Keep taking pictures, not all of them will be good and that is okay. Honestly, learning has been a part of the fun.

4)   Respect the time and effort photography takes

I could be out taking pictures for an hour and only come back with two photos that I really like. Maybe that is just me being hard on myself and wanting to capture the perfect photo, but that is also how photography works. I feel that I now have a deeper appreciation for photographers. For example, in the past I would see a picture of an animal in the wild or underwater and think that it's a cool picture but not think about it that much. I mean, pictures like that are all over so it couldn't be that difficult, right? No, that's not how it is at all. So much time and effort went into it and that should be respected, not overlooked.

5)   Certain types of photography are just way more fun than others   

For me, it’s macro photography. To be honest, I did not enjoy some of the other types I tried while learning photography, that being landscapes and portraits. For some reason, I was just hooked on macro. I think it’s because I was able to see nature in a different way. It’s literally a magnified photo that provides detail that can’t been seen with the naked eye. I felt a deeper appreciation for my subject that I never had while walking by. I mean just look at this dandelion. So many people try to get rid of them in their yards because they are a weed but when I look at this picture I can’t see why. Macro photography really showed me a different side of my backyard.

The camera used for all photos was the Olympus Tough TG-6