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Whether it’s a road trip with friends, a great backyard party, or just a nice sunset, most of us want to capture the moment in just the right way. We want to look back on it, or maybe impress our friends. Photography is the best way to do that these days. But picking up a camera, switching it to manual, and starting to shoot can feel intimidating.

Like most arts, you learn photography mainly through years of practice. The greatest photographers learned simply by shooting every day and studying their failures. I know this firsthand — over a few years of shooting, I made many of the same mistakes the greats did. Now I want to share some tips to help you skip those wrong turns and start impressing your friends with your skills.

Subjects

My first tip: avoid the classic, easy shots. Sure, a close-up of a flower or a sunset in a parking lot looks nice. But that’s the exact problem — everyone’s seen them already. If you want a shot like that to stand out, add a second subject. Try a bee landing on a flower, or a sunset reflecting off the side of a champagne glass. The choice is yours. Just use the cliché shot as your background, and let a stronger subject take the spotlight. That’s how you elevate your skill above the ordinary.

Storage

Here’s another useful habit: don’t be afraid to use up your SD card’s storage. You paid for the whole thing, so use it. Take 20 to 30 shots of the same scene without hesitation. Most beginners make one big mistake — they take only one or two photos of a scene. Then, when they look back, they notice an imperfection they can’t fix. Multiple shots solve this problem. They give you the freedom to choose the best one from many.

Portfolio

Finally, build some kind of portfolio. It doesn’t need to be an archive of every photo you’ve ever taken. Personally, I pick a handful of good shots from the month and post them on a photography Instagram page. That way, whenever I want to track my progress or show someone my work, I can just open the page and see it all in one place.

Conclusion

Take your time. Experiment. Press that shutter button as many times as you can. Don’t be afraid to push boundaries and make mistakes — people respond to that honesty, and it’s the fastest way to grow as a photographer. Clicking the shutter costs you nothing. The results might just surprise you.