If I was starting out in photography from 0, this is what I'd do today.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2024
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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. This video will show you how to start out in photography if you aspire to be a professional!
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What’s your best tip when starting out? Please share!
Shoot shoot, and shoot some more! Practice makes perfect, and the best way to improve your photography is to spend more and more time in the field.
Great video as always, thanks Simon!
@@birdswithbeauagree!!
I'm not sure I agree with your tip early on: identify and go with a niche. I think some start out exploring and trying several different genres and then after say half a year they have figured out what they like and are interested in. They then know what focal lengths are more important for them, if they will need to invest in lights or nd filters or whatever. So an alternative is to get a used camera and two lens representing different genres and then explore. After that, take a step up with lenses that suit your chosen genre. That is how I would have done it knowing what I now know.
When I started becoming more serious (as in not only holiday pics) and whenever I get a new lens or body, I go out and take photos of simple stationary objects. Buildings, details of buildings or fences, etc. That way you don't have to stress about it moving or flying away, you can always position yourself so the light and circumstances are perfect. Maybe the photos are not to keep or publishing (although I kept quite a few) but it teaches you important things about your equipment and helps teaching you framing, composition, nice backgrounds, sharpness, etc. etc.
Buy used gear, and the latest camera, won't make you a pro photographer.
Simon is like that cool uncle that is super into photography and wants to share it with you.
I'm fortunate in that my own dad is like this (40+ years amateur experience). I recently got into photography myself and it's like I'm a kid again showing off my work to him lol.
a great saying I heard early on from a pro photographer was 'I date my camera bodies and marry my lenses'. So happy I listened to that advice when building out my kit
Aside from the quality of Monsieur d'Entremont's advice, it remains amazing that someone this accomplished shares his considerable expertise at no cost to such a wide audience.
That's cause the vast vast majority of people won't make a living from this type of work. Same reason pro athletes share tips. Sharing the info is not going to hurt them. Again, cause even if most people put these tips into practice most still won't make a living from photogprahy alone.
@@bonsaipiper3773pro athletes don’t just share tips to the masses. They put together camps or personal sessions and charge lots of money. Sure they might show a tip for the camera as PR if they are being interviewed but not have hours of video footage freely available to anyone. I think that’s what the poster meant.
But you are correct though it’s not really a threat. I can watch a video with Nadal showing me how to swing a tennis racket but that won’t make me a threat to him.
Simon "the anti gatekeeper" d'Entremont
One of the best resources on TH-cam, I've learned a lot from you
Dear Simon, you‘re not only a top photographer but also a great person. I enjoy everyone of your videos and you became a role model for me. I‘m turning 60 today an I‘m so greatful to learn new skills in youtube from so wonerful people like you are. Thank you and best regards from Switzerland, Hannes
Wow, thank you!
Simon, you are the reason that photography will appeal to more and more people. Your advice is second to none, while your easy-going manner is enduring. Never change and thank you so much for your dedication not only to photography but also to people with aspirations towards better photography. The people have spoken...and that's why you are so popular.
Welcome and thanks!
I'm a hobbyist photographer, but 100% agree about lenses over bodies. Shutters eventually die, new bodies come out with more features and better sensors... and lenses that are decades old still bend light competently.
I've done all your tips up to #5. Next step is to start a Squarespace account! Used gear saved me so much money. I bought a basically brand new 5D MKII for $350! With my 70-200mm 2.8, 85mm 1.8, and 50mm 1.8 I can take great pictures!
Fantastic!
I have a used 5DM2 with supposedly rebuild shutter. But I paid I think 500 usd and it is doing nothing but in the IDLE mode. I need to do Squarespace too! Regarding the lenses, I prefer zooms, 70-200 IL , 24-105 IL.
Fr, used gear is absolutely the way to go, I got a used 80D, 18-135, 10-22 and 50mm prime and all for under $800 and I'm extremely happy with the images I'm producing. Ofc if I decide to go professional I'll probably upgrade alone the line but for right now I'm satisfied
How are you liking your 5d ? I'm looking at getting one . No looking to do any working mainly kids and some park runs and some holiday photos
@@KiwiTimmycheck out a compact mirrorless type of camera rather than a hefty DSLR. a used Olympus EM1m2 would be fantastic. Budget friendly, travel able, lots of tech, has stabilisation (meaning you have to use tripods less), loads of lenses available, easy to use…
Don’t buy into the BS that you need more than 16mp if you’re not planning to print huge photos.
I think people watch you because you are a great teacher! The best photography teacher that I've found on youtube yet!
Wow, thank you!
dont plan on going commercial but still watching the video, your videos are the best!
Glad you like them!
I was an advertising photographer for 19 years. The pleasure goes out of the hobby, when you turn professional
@clivemilner yes, an often overlooked point 👈
Some people should just enjoy the hobby but then there's others who will benefit from this video.
You don't have to be the best. You're good enough to teach me! I have several of your videos downloaded for my upcoming flight to Costa Rica. I'm looking forward to that flight being a good learning experience. Thanks for all you do.
I don't know if you're the best photographer out there, but that's not important. I keep coming back to your channel because your very well made videos support your eloquent discourse, making it easy to understand all the technical details and approaches to improve our photography. I enjoy learning from an educated person that knows how to effectively and efficiently convey his knowledge and experience.
I’m an amateur photographer with no plans on being a pro. I don’t post a lot online. Partly because I don’t have a lot of time, and partly because I don’t want my photos pirated. I do use a watermark, but that is likely overcome easily in this digital age. I don’t understand a lot about how to avoid the piracy. This is probably a silly worry, as I’m not at pro level. I’d love to see a video all about cropping, image sizes, watermarks, posting safety, social media, etc. Thanks!
Noted!
I would love that also!!! How do you keep your photos safe? Its a shame but there are a lot of scams and fake these days.
@@simon_dentremontyour watermark is also simple but excellent!
As someone who has been photographing for almost 2 decades, these are amazingly thoughtful tips.. To anyone starting out, take notes from every one of Simon's videos!
I’m a Photography Student and I’m leaning towards portrait photography but none of us are really quite enjoy your videos and I find the instruction helpful. I could say that you are also a portrait photographer, but your subjects are fast moving wildlife, and your studio is nature.
This whole video speaks volumes, but the bonus tip is key. This world certainly needs more people that are a joy to deal with. Thank you sir for promoting that message!
Well said
YOU are always my inspiration for no nonsense advice and inspiration. And you make these videos for free. Thank you!
You are so welcome!
I took a 22 year break from photography. Oh, wow, everything changed. A good friend dragged me back to photography last year, loaned me a spare body and lens. I finally bought my own kit, all used, and am relearning to use it all. I WANT to do it all. But know I can't. Trying to find my niche is a bit of a struggle in my 60s... I was a Navy Photographer, but spent half my career in the maintenance and repair side...
Good advice, Nothing on it. Love your videos...
One of my favorite tips from this video was to practice , make mistakes , fall down and get up again. Amazing.
Excellent tips and advice for those willing to pay their dues to become a professional photographer. But don't make the mistake of thinking that to be a good photographer you have to be a "professional." Years ago I tried my hand at professional photojournalism. It didn't take me long to discover that about 85% of my time was spent getting assignments and about 15% shooting photos. And even then the photos I shot were often not images I wanted to shoot but rather ones editors wanted…and many editors like safe and normal images that they are confident their subscribers will be comfortable with. Not exactly a prescription for creative work. Last but not least many professional photographers would give their eye teeth for the freedom amateurs have to photograph subjects that interest and challenge them. Rather than having to focus on "making money" and "pleasing clients" an amateur can focus upon what interests them. And there is a lot to be said for that!
I still shoot most of my portraits with a D700 and a Nikkor 85mm 1.8D lens. It's hard to replace something that I know will work.
I've only just started watching your videos and already learned a ton. I've been into photography for at least 10 years now doing all kinds of things and recently I learned the hard way how important it is to have a mentor. You said you received hate, then I'm here to tell you that I am the one you helped. I recently upgraded to a full frame and saw that my sharpness is off. It wasn't because of the lens nor because of the camera. The problem was in the camera holder (myself that is). Love the content, stay awesome!
You should be hired as a photography professor in a college and a motivational speaker in photography clubs! You are amazing!
There is a lot of wisdom in this video. Sometimes you find your specialty; sometimes your specialty finds you. I brought my camera along to church events like ordinations (my wife is a clergywoman so she attends these regularly) and posted the images to social media. This led to commissions to cover events like synods. But I didn't set out to make that my focus; I thought it would be concerts and sports. One never knows!
Small and medium sized business accountant. Spot on advice that really applies across business generally and not just photography. Love this so much!!
totally agree - this could be a valuable lecture in start-up/entreprenieurship course
at a business college
Simone, I don’t know who left you a bad comment, but I have to tell you you’re one of the most pleasurable channels to watch about photography. Thank you very much.
Also, the best part of watching this channel regularly is that the outro "I know you can do it!" mantra has a cumulative positive effect when you hear it every few days 😂 thank you for the encouragement!!
I love it!
In retirement , I adopted the same principle when putting together my present system. This was something that cost very little in real terms and four years on I have no regrets .
Knowing your needs and understanding those requirements to making a concept a reality .
Today software matters greatly
I shared this video with a lot of people that are talking about doing photography as a business. I've been there done that and have had enough. I just turned 70 and just want to enjoy the outdoors and capture moments in time.
Beautiful wildlife photos! Thanks for sharing!
The more time you spend shooting and improving BEFORE making big purchases/gear upgrades, the clearer your needs will be and the better the new gear you choose will be suited to you and your needs. It's easy to get excited at the start and spend too much on new cameras and lenses that don't end up being as useful as you thought they might be for you, and then you lose some money selling it on the used market. My film camera collection is full of both cameras I use all the time, and ones I almost never use; and shooting more with my first cameras would have guided me towards the gear I use the most before spending the money on the ones collecting dust on my shelf
I love you so much, not only your work, the way you explain photography , edits, the business, and so much more, you really care for your audience.
Always top notch quality content! I love it! Congrats !
Hi Simon. Always learning with your video's. Great job done. As a retired one (69 years old now) for me I will stay a non professional, but like to make foto's and video's for fun.
From Januari 2023 I use the Canon R6 Mark 2 with the RF 100-500MM 4.5-7.1 L and the RF 24-105 f4 L and like the set. Foto's and video's I place on Facebook and TH-cam for fun. The second thins is when one is in the field, one meats simular people with the same interess. Lots of contact have been made. Also in Canada (Ottawa) who took us to there Park for bird photography. We still have contact with them on Messenger, e-mail and Facebook. As I always say "Join the world and have fun. Life can be short." Greatings Leo
Excellent advice Simon, thank you.
Love all your work and all the videos. They have been insanely helpful as a beginner photographer.
Great video Simon. Very well executed. Thank you and keep up the great work! 🤝
Every thing starts and end with a thing call ATTITUDE! A person with good attitude will be love by many people! Just like you my friend! Cheers from Malaysia!
Great video and good advice, clear skies 🖖
Another great video Simon
Totally agree with each and all these points - all valid and relevant.
Great advice, presented very well !!!
Thank You Simon 😃😃😃
You may not remember, but last year you gave me a recommendation about the canon M50 as I needed a dual purpose camera, so I looked into it. When I did, I was lucky enough to find a US company that also ships here in the UK, and were amazing at listening to my needs. They actually built me a custom bundle for the R50 at less than the cost of getting it direct from canon, & even though I'm still learning its niggles I'm loving it. It's definitely more me that is the issue than the camera. I don't want to be commercial, just better than I am today. I watch you, & keep looking at your work because it keeps me inspired to push on with that. If you are the 7000th best photographer, I don't know the 6999 other photographers that person has placed above you, so that's all that matters to me. I'd gladly sit listening to you talk all day. Thanks for taking the time you do to help the rest of us. It matters.
Thanks very much!
Just be careful - I don't know if it's still the case, but there used to be an issue with grey imports, where Canon, and most other manufacturers, wouldn't recognized the warranty if it wasn't purchased through an official Canon UK distributor. Even if the company is a Canon distributor in the US and will ship to the UK, if it's not an official UK distributor it could invalidate any warranty. Not that I would expect a problem, it's just something to be aware of.
I echo your comments about the channel, always great advice, and I'm actually following the tip to buy used kit at the moment!
@@callandick429 Yeah, I'm aware. I agree on the second hand tip though. I bought my first 7D & kit second hand. I still love it, it's just too heavy for my hands, & not great for video. I'm sad for it that the new kid has it relegated to 'not in use' for now.
“Don’t be a dick” should be tip number 1 IMHO. Treating people with respect, and being decent and honest is never a liability. Great video though. I have always enjoyed photography and just started getting more serious about it. I retire in ten years, and this is what I’d like to do once I do. Thank you for the excellent tips in all your videos.
I mean, that's just the number one rule in life ... that, sadly, seems to be a bit of a secret.
Practice, practice, practice! Well said sir. You have a new fan.
Simon The GOAT 📸📸📸
too kind!
Grateful for your advices! Some of already applied and some to come. Thanks 😊
Decades ago when I knew little about sound systems, but buying my first stereo, an audiophile friend said buy a rather basic receiver of good brand without all the bells and whistles, then put the savings into the best speakers you can afford. I suppose he dated his receivers, but married his speakers. I believe it was good advice and analogous to cameras and lenses.
Great leaders lead by example. Thank you for being such a leader in the field of photography.
Really great information. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent info and content. Thank you.
Differentiating yourself and finding a niche is definitely a key thing. I differentiated myself when I got started by developing a good print routine. Tons of photographers posted online. Few went the extra mile to print. I found it really turned heads to me when I could pull out a print to show someone, something they could physically hold and examine, while other photographers could only hand over a card or point to a website. As a disclaimer, I'm not a pro, just a hobbyist, but I did get a reputation of being the print guy and got some paid opportunities directly as a result.
I subscribed to this channel 2 years ago and I did not regret it. Such an amazing content creator/photographer 👌👌
Great, great tips. Thanks.
Join a serious camera club! Great way to network. Enter their competitions. Buddy up with someone and shoot at different locations. Go on their shooting trips. Always carry a camera or quality cell phone! Practice then practice some more. Know how to use your camera controls without looking! Read books and watch videos! Go for some fantastic lenses! Starting out, you may want to do some pro bono work! I shoot photos for my church web site. Did a couple weddings for some needy folks (practiced at location before the wedding).
great tips
The hardest part of tip number one is on a personal artist level you can start to feel bored or unchallenged creatively if you are not exploring outside of your niche. So I would niche down for business but use your personal work to be more versatile and explore other niches for the purpose of feeding your creative soul. Maybe even create a seperate website or social media channels for the sake of sharing your journey and explorations. This way you have an audience for your commerical work and that's for getting more paid work and a seperate audience for you as an artist and that's for building your artistic legacy.
YOU LEGEND! 🤜🤛🤝👏🏻🫶🏻
Too kind!
Good tips. Thanks! I especially like the attitude that it’s best to specialize rather than being mediocre at a bunch of things. I’ve heard that before but it’s a great reinforcement of a top tip
Still learning the ropes from you Simon....... very educative
Magnificent advice!
Thank You Simon.
My pleasure!
Another great video Simon, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it
This is excellent.
Great advice, especially about gear and not buying the top of the line body and buying better lens
All your videos and friendly tips were my great motivation to improve my photography and get confident. Thanks to you, I'm already starting to earn money on hobby that I love. Thank you a thousandfold! 🖤
Inspiring! Thank you Simon 🙏
Welcome!
This is great advice Simon! Thank you for always being motivating and honest with you audience.
My pleasure!
Simone, great advice as always. Thank you!
You're so welcome!
Like my favourite mottos of Francis Drake "Sic Parvis Magna" - Greatness from little beginning. Works in so many things. Keep up good work Simon!
Love the videos, always good advice and you never say that one thing is always better and give actual advice.
Always!
You have no idea how big of an impact your videos are on my journey to learning photography. You are an amazing person!
That is awesome!
Merci, Simon. I was lucky enough to purchase 3 used cameras with low shutter count, (Nikon D7100 crop sensor, Nikon D800 & D850 full frame) and 3 very good used lenses from Facebook Marketplace at a great cost. All cameras also had battery grips. Just want to thank you for getting me back into photography. Your videos are so educational and I'm having the best time going out shooting photos.
Great video, Simon! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us. I learn so much for you. Bless you and your family.
Same to you!
Great advice. Even after all these years doing professional photos, I keep learning and trying new things. Also the new tech cameras offer new ways to do things. And yet, the basics in photography are still relevant. Editing photos to a high level is a must to stand out from the crowd of photographers. Thanks for your tips and promotion ideas. I am definitely learning to hone my video skills as it is a much needed skill these days in demand.
Another excellent video 🙃! Thanks for all the tipps and tricks, i learned much from you!
Happy to help!
Thank you very much 🙏🏻
Another great video that's packed with useful and positive content.
Glad you think so!
I'd add "professional" in front of "photography" in the title, as the video mainly focusses on that. But that'd probably get less clicks and the video is of course interesting nonetheless. Great content as always
Hi Simon, I adore your work and your educational videos. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us. Even though I have no aspirations for becoming a professional photographer, I still enjoyed every minute of this episode. Particularly the quote about that rude commenter has a lot of teaching value, regardless of the profession one pursues. It certainly tells a lot more about that person’s personality than it does about your photography, which I find stunning, by the way. Cheers, Urs
Good information! I'm into portraiture and scenic.
You have helped me so much. Your teaching ability is amazing and I love your work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
You are so welcome
Another homerun Simon. Thanks so much.
My pleasure!
Great information👏👏
This really made me less anxious about the "insufficient" lenght of my lens and I went on and made some of my best photos this weekend :) thank you :)
Excellent video 😊!
i can do it, thank you Mr Simon
Great advice, I started photography quite some time ago and found encouragement in the ten thousand hours rule, if you want to get good at anything be prepared to put in the necessary effort. That said, finding a good mentor can help shorten the journey. Learning from others has helped me a lot.
I think the last tip is the most important tip ever. Thanks for the video.
Simon, i've always wondered when did you start taking photos. You're channel is relatively new but it has skyrocketed from the very beggining. Do you just learn fast or did you transfer all your skills into a youtube channel one day? I dont know if you've spoken about it but i'm curious. Great vid once again
Maybe a video on that when I hit 500k
Amazing content, thank you for share your knowledge
My pleasure!
Well done presentation. All good advices. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
I couldn't care less about cameras and stuff, but I really like to watch videos from this guy. In the ocean that is the Internet he is a rare one that is not irritating one single bit. And he seems to know what he is talking about
Too kind!
Great advice again and second hand the way to go. I've bought a few bargain camera bodies and quality lenses for a fraction of the cost of a new one.
Simone I always Appreciate and enjoy your advice and videos I have learn't so much from you being a Newbie and complete Novice thankyou
You are so welcome!
Starting the process from western Montana and have watched all your content. Start with Nikon coolpix 810.
Loved this presentation Simon! Your videos and advice are always quite inspiring!!! I have already put one of your tips into practice by ordering a better lens for bird photography, mainly Hummingbirds. I am waiting delivery of a used Canon 70-200mm F/4 L lens, to pair with my Canon 7D. Please keep these awesome videos and lessons coming!
The advice to buy optically better lenses with less performing or maybe older well performing body is a good one. In case anybody has somebody to check for the second hand stuff, second hand is a great way to get more bang for the buck as most of the quality lenses are made to last and tougher bodies can also work a long time. Most of my hardware was a second hand purchase.
I'd add for those willing to explore reviews of lenses for the selected system (or to select a system!) can find out there are few lenses in every system that typically give quite much bang for a quite low buck, these may be a good additional purchase (for Canon these typically were some of the older primes, e.g. 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8 and 100/2, also the non-L 100 Macro).
The reviews are beneficial to find out the optical technical peformance of the lenses. Some high end lenses may be quite bad and some low end lenses pretty good for their prices. The tests are sometimes called "measurebation", as they don't cover an usefulness for a particular purpose one may have, but they are still an useful general guidance.
All we have to do is follow your page and words of wisdom . No other page needed
Hey Simon.
Firstly, Your videos are amazing! They feel simple and are very informative!
Secondly, I am have been wanting to get into photography and I have no clue about storing camera gear over long periods of time.
I dont want to spend the money that I have on a good setup and not on anything to store it properly.
So a camera storage video will be immensely helpful!
Thankyou!