If you’re just starting out in photography my recommendation would be to keep things simple. So many people get lost in feeling like they have to know every thing about their camera. Not true, just remember it’s just a tool for capturing light, the rest is all window dressing. It’s you and your perspective that’s important.

• Play, play, play with the camera. It won’t break! They can take more punishment than you think. Get used to it in your hand, on your shoulder etc so you comfortable with it, like an extension of you. Like the American Marines are taught ‘This is my rifle, there are many like it, but this one is mine!’ They also sleep with them too. Over to you on that front.

• Get your head around shutter speed, aperture and ISO. These are the main starting points and when you master them you can really start playing with the light. Check out our simplified video tutorials on these to get you going.

• Shoot something simple to start with. Objects are easier than people and landscapes for this. Roll some fruit or a toy car in front of the camera and play with shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Put stuff in the background to understand depth of field. It doesn’t matter how the shots come out. It’s like having a kick around before the big game, it doesn’t matter too much.

• When you’re cool with getting your stabilizers off (Off automatic) and can use the priorities or jump to manual from these then pick some topics really dear to your heart and shoot away.

• Most important is to shoot what is dear to your heart or fascinates you in life. Forget what you think you should shoot to be a good photographer and feel what you want to shoot. This is how the greats got there. From Testino to Adams, Pollock to Warhol they all created what they wanted to, rather than what they thought others would want. This is the key and the hardest part to maintain as time, experience and knowledge shifts you. But if you can do it then your images will be locked in time, not just by trend or fashion.

• Happy Shooting. You’re now not only an artist of light, but a poet of it!