Essential tips for Amateur Photographers

Photography is not just an art or science, beyond certain guidelines it is the way how one perceives the world around. So I believe, some tips which I can provide will be of help to photography enthusiasts. Beyond the basic science and epistemology, photography is an art of perception. So as any arts it is a personalized application of knowledge. Here are some basic tips that can ensure each click is not worthy to be deleted.

1. Use the camera to visualize- By the time you hold a camera, ensure that whatever you see to be clicked is seen through your view finder than the LCD monitor. You will find a great difference and improvement (unless under certain circumstances where focusing through view finder is difficult) when you try to use the viewfinder instead of the LCD
2. Be brave to explore- Photography is a choice to explore beyond the ways one is used to perceive reality. Always try to find a different angle and to explore all possibilites of understanding and recreating the subject. A low level or high level angle or something different from the way one is used to view the subject can make a lot of difference. After all it is all about a different perspective. Camera is not an instrument, it is just a device like spectacles.
3. Innovate and learn- Digital photography reduced cost of photography to a huge magnitude. One need not print each click that has been made. Now none has to limit the number of clicks to 12-36. This gives ample room for experimentation in digital photography. Try clicking from different angles and frames and experiment to understand. Evaluate each image and learn from the basics.
4. Visualize and imagine- Always visualize the final output and understand the subject to get into the subject. Pay attention to light, subject, movements, details and composition.
5. Its not about the subject- Always pay attention to the output photograph as a whole than just the subject. Look into the subject, composition, objects, background, 4 corners of the image and the story the image can convey before pressing the shutter release button. Paying attention before clicking is an integral aspect of photography.