You like traveling and want to share your experience with the world but don’t seem to manage to grasp the right atmosphere? Or maybe you are looking for some useful tips to improve the quality of your photos? Mastering the art of photography is a long process but this article will certainly help you to take the first steps. Learn about choosing the right location, time of day, necessary equipment and get recommendations on photo editing techniques. This little guide will walk you through the entire process and provide small but essential tips to make your photos even better.

It’s All About Location

Take a long walk and choose the best locations for your photo shootings. Gorgeous sandy beach, nice view of the city with a clear blue sky, colorful autumn forest are sure options. But you might discover something very special everywhere – at a food market full of traditional cuisine and local people, at a museum with its amazing architecture and tons of tourists from all over the world, or simply on the streets embellished with local stores and street vendors. Maybe you want to recapture the unique culture of this country or make portraits of locals doing their daily routine or show the incredible nature of this region – make your choice and look for the perfect spot accordingly.

Magic of The Golden Hour

Another question an aspiring photograph might have is when is the best time to shoot. It really depends on what exactly you would like to take pictures of. If you are looking for something to demonstrate the local culture and residents, then don’t go out too early or too late – the perfect time would be lunchtime, when people are outside, and the sun is still shining. However, if you want to focus on nature or architecture, then the so-called golden hour is your best choice. The golden hour is the time right after the sunrise and right before the sunset. The sky is breathtaking at this time, projecting beautiful shadows and color tones on the buildings, trees, and other surroundings. You can also look for some nightlife events in town and take a picture of fascinating bright lights, making the city look truly magical.

Equip Yourself with Equipment Knowledge

Firstly, let’s talk about the most important part – the camera. Choosing a camera might be difficult because of the overwhelming number of models on the market. If you are not certain with your choice, first rent a camera for a couple of days and see if it works for you. One of the most popular choices nowadays is a mirrorless camera due to its small size, reasonable price, and high quality.

You will also need lenses: if you are not sure what exactly you might need, take the 24-70 mm, they will fit almost any occasion and are perfect for a newbie. Besides that, you will require a tripod, which allows you to prepare a great composition by giving you more time to set up a perfect shot. Lastly, you will need some extra batteries, memory cards, and a lens cleaning kit. And don’t forget to purchase a camera bag to carry around all the above-mentioned tools.

Your Secret Weapon – Photo Editor

Hopefully, you had a lot of fun taking your first professional pictures! Now it is time to make some alterations with PhotoWorks – an automatic photo editor.

You can enhance the quality of a portrait in one click by applying the Portrait Magic tool or even experiment with facial features using the Face Sculpt tool. Apart from that you can remove the red-eyes effect with Red Eye Remover and smooth out the skin with the Healing Brush.

Furthermore, you can master the art of photo montage with the Change Background tool. The process is very simple and self-explanatory, and you will enjoy making your first montage. You can select a background from a big collection or upload one of your own.

On top of that, PhotoWorks has a vast variety of Instagram-ready filters: highlight your eyes and lips, give your photo a retro look or use a filter with a color theme from your favorite movie. You can choose from over 180 creative effects and artistic filters, which will make your work look fantastic.

Additionally, you get access to professional tools like Curves to fine-tune tone and color and Tone Mapping to stylize the photo with color effects, as well as 3D LUT Color Correction tool for an easy color grading process with an extensive palette of built-in presets and an option to add a custom one from your PC.

In summary, though becoming a professional photographer is nowadays much easier than it used to be, it still is a very challenging and demanding job. But if you take into account all hidden pitfalls, familiarize yourself with the subject and come prepared, you will win!