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You might be new to photography, or perhaps you’ve just hit a creative ‘slump’. Or, maybe, you just want to step back and revisit the basics of photography. Wherever you are, here are 12 tips that might help you:

• There’s a lot to learn, especially with some modern cameras, so, give yourself time and just take things one at a time. I always recommend a structured course if you’re just starting, the reason being that if you miss a basic step, you can be in for a very frustrating time.
• Learn to use the camera in fully manual mode (i.e. focus, shutter speed, ISO and aperture). Also, learn how your camera's metering works. It might feel irrelevant given the amount of automation available, but it will serve you well.
• Experiment with higher ISO’s. It’s better to have a grainy image that’s sharp than a smooth image that’s blurry. And it can give your photos a certain look that you might find attractive.
• While the latest gear always looks great, you probably don’t need it.
• Learn to look at how different photographers use light. This is fundamental to photography and the better you understand the use of light, the better your results will be.
• Practice getting everything right in the viewfinder (or screen) before you press the shutter button. Post-processing is helpful, but don’t rely on it.
• Always shoot in RAW.
• Learn about your preferred post-processing package by making adjustments manually. Don’t rely on presets as they will limit your results.
• Learn the rules so that when you break them, you know which ones you’ve broken. Consistency is the sign of a good photographer.
• If you do hit a slump, where you feel your photographs are getting worse, don’t worry. It happens to most of us. Just step back and return to basics. What isn’t working? What can you do to change it?
• Keep having fun recording the day-to-day. Creating great ‘art’ is rewarding, but you have a day-to-day life too.
• Photography is a continuous learning experience, so enjoy the journey!

I hope you find this useful.

Graham

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HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

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My guest on this podcast is Rachel Harris, Managing Director of EHRA Namibia.

EHRA is a project I’ve personally been involved with and I recently returned from a fundraising event with them in Namibia. Rachel talks about the aims of EHRA, their beginnings and their current activities.

She has built up an award-winning eco-tourism volunteer programme (active since 2004) which helps to fund their conservation activities. EHRA also runs a community education programme to help the local people live with the elephants and minimise conflicts.

If you’d like to learn more about EHRA or get involved in their work, you can find out more on their website: https://www.ehranamibia.org/

And you can follow them on social media: #ehranamibia

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Website
Please check out my website for the latest collections, photography tips and challenges, and more!

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: graham@ge.photography

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

I was asked this question by a listener (thank you) who is planning an exciting trip to see gorillas (and other animals). So what can you do to protect your camera in different environments?

To protect my lenses, I do a couple of things:

1. Buy a good quality UV filter to protect the glass at the end of the lens. While I've never scratched a lens, I would far rather replace a UV filter than have to look at an expensive repair or even scrap a good lens.
2. Use the lens hood. If you're moving around and the lens swings unexpectedly, the chances are that the lens hood will absorb the impact and protect the lens itself.

For the lens and body, I have invested in a splash cover from Aquatech. This has an elasticated opening at one end (that I put around the lens hood) and an opening at the other that allows access to the camera controls. A clear window at the back of the hood lets me see the camera screen.
This is great in wet environments and dusty environments and minimises the chances of water and dust getting into the camera or lens.

Other hacks:

• Keep the lens cap on until you need to use the camera.
• If it rains, wear a good rain jacket (I recommend gore-tex as it breathes) and push your camera inside.
• You can use a plastic bag to keep water off too.
• Buy a backpack with hip straps and a rain cover (usually in a compartment at the bottom of the backpack).
• Consider a camera mount you can clip to the shoulder strap of your backpack. Peak Design offer these clips.
• Dedicated underwater housings if you need one (you can get these for smartphones too).
• A small hand towel to wrap around the camera/lens for general protection.
• In cold conditions keep a spare battery in your clothing close to your body (to take advantage of body heat) - battery performance drops in the cold.
• Silica gel desiccant dehumidifiers for very wet environments.

I hope you find this useful.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Website
Please check out my website for the latest collections, photography tips and challenges, and more!

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: graham@ge.photography

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.