've talked a little about this before, but I remember when I was first starting out in this industry - things were not the same back then. I couldn't just email someone and ask them questions about photography. everyone was pretty stingy and hush-hush about their knowledge. Now everywhere you turn, you can read online tutorials, blogs, and there's even a couple free sites that host workshops for you to watch. It's been amazing to see the shift in the industry since 2008. So really, there is no excuse to be an uneducated artist these days -- there are so many resources at your fingertips.  
 
I also remember reading on other photographer's blogs (when those became popular) that people were always emailing them asking them questions about photography... I thought to myself. pfft. no one will EVER email me asking me for advice. I'm a nobody.  
 
When I got that first email asking me, "what kind of camera do you use?" -- I thought I had died. Someone actually cared enough about a picture I had posted to ask me about what camera I had used. Albeit, they followed the question up with a - "Well it takes really amazing photos...." 
 
A) I knew she was "lying", because I took terrible photos... 
 
and 
 
B) I had actually been the one taking the photo -- not the camera. I didn't send the camera off alone to have the shoot. "See ya later camera, have a good time.. you'll do great" 
 
insert self high-five here... good one Sharon 
 
And so the change in the industry began.... photographers were finally feeling comfortable asking for advice, and seasoned photographers were finally feeling more generous with their knowledge.  
 
I love where our industry is headed.. I think we're finally getting to the point where we are supportive of those photogs who love to share and the more "hush-hush" photogs are finally turning the corner too!! 
 
SO with all of that being said.. I wanted to offer up some random advice to those of you just starting out - like brand-spanking-new. These are pretty basic pieces of advice, but when you're new to the industry -- you may not be thinking about many other things than finding people to photograph! 
 
1. Shooting Wide Open: Do not feel obligated to shoot using an aperture of 1.2... 1.4... or 1.8 (aka shooting wide open).. just because you read somewhere that all professionals do so. I RARELY shoot this wide open, and you can see in my photos that I don't have any difficulty getting gorgeous bokeh (the blurry part of your image - the part that's not in focus)... Often times I'm shooting at f3.2 or even higher. My rule of thumb for photogs starting out, is to start (at the lowest) around 2.8 per one person -- and increase your f stop by 1 stop for each person you add to the photo. The smaller your f stop, the smaller your 'focal plane' is (focal plane is the part of your image that IS in focus) -- which increases your chance of missing focus because the plane is so small. When I'm trying to get 'artsy', I'll lower my aperture and shoot wide open, but usually I prefer to have my clients entire face in focus. I remember for an entire year back in the 'day', I shot wide open (because I thought I HAD to... it's what everyone was doing) and I HATED the results -- I was getting only one eye in focus, or completely missing the shot because of the small focal plane. So once I realized there was more than 'one' way to shoot, I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. There are some photogs who ONLY shoot wide open and they ROCK it, but I want you to know it's okay if you want to shoot with a higher aperture! 
 
2. Practicing on clients: Never..ever..ever.. practice on paying clients. They are paying you for a service - this is not the time to play around and practice. If you contact some people and offer to do a portfolio building session (which I recommend) -- this is the time for you to practice, because these clients are not paying you for your services and they understand you are building your portfolio. PERFECT!!! Practice away! 
 
3. Seek honest feedback: This is a hard one, but one that will only push your forward in your career. Seek honest feedback... not 'nice' feedback. Your friends and family are more apt to telling you how amazing you are, but if you want honest - mighthurtyourfeelings feedback, contact other local photographers that you trust and admire (and who have good quality work). They will give you truthful feedback about the great things in your image AND the not so great things in your image - and most times they (should) offer you constructive feedback on what you could've done differently. I only wish that I had done this sooner - everyone told me how amazing I was, pft. NO. I was terrible... and I would be so much farther along now, if someone would've just told me sooner. (Not that you are terrible, but you still need to seek this kind of feedback) 
 
4. Rent: Did you know that you can rent lenses/cameras and all sorts of lighting gear?! Check out Borrow Lenses or Lens Rentals to try out that new gear you've been wanting to buy. I always recommend trying before buying - no matter how 'experienced' you are. For those of you charging for sessions, just start calculating how much it would cost to rent XYZ and include that in your price.. that way you're not taking money out of your own pocket. For those of you who aren't getting paid for sessions yet, save up and rent that gear before you buy it! I promise you won't regret it! You might even find that you hate the way the camera feels in your hand, or that the lens you thought everyone hated, is actually YOUR favorite lens! 
 
5. Make a list: Speaking of renting gear before buying.... Don't buy gear - just because you can afford it. You'll end up wasting more money than anything, because you'll end up out-growing the gear and wanting new stuff and you'll sell the gear you just bought. So make a list of all the 'top' gear you want/will need, and start saving up for it! I promise this is the best route to take - in the mean time, refer back to number 4. I simply bought gear that I could afford, so that I could have 'as much gear as possible' -- and I quickly realized that it wasn't keeping up with me, and I had just wasted a ton of money on gear that wouldn't last me a long time... and withstand my growing 'pains'. 
 
6. Don't be afraid: This can reference so many things - Don't be afraid to try... Don't be afraid to practice... Don't be afraid to ask... and Don't be afraid to invest. If you don't try, you'll never know. If you don't practice, you'll never grow... If you don't ask, you're telling yourself no, and if you don't invest, you'll never bring in the 'dough'. 
 
I'm a poet, and didn't even know-it 
 
7. Put down your camera: There's a time and a place to shoot.. and then there's a time and a place to just be. When you're just starting out, you'll want to take your camera EVERYWHERE.. to EVERY event - and you'll miss 'life' in the process... things aren't the same when you experience them behind a lens vs when you experience them through your own 'lens'... so don't miss out on things, just because you have a camera. And on another note, there's a time and a place to shoot... and there's a time and a place to learn 'light' -- photography IS light, and you can't know one without the other... so put your camera down, and watch how the light falls of your husband, your kids... or the way the light peers in the window -- learn shadows, midtones and highlights... and once you learn to see light, you'll already be a better photographer! 
 
Hope these have helped... at least someone =)