Give Yourself Assignments

The National Portrait Gallery Washington, D.C.

You will often find a lot of beginner articles on the web about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, exposure triangle, etc. These are certainly important subjects to master, but sometimes what is lacking are reminders that we need to put this knowledge into practice. Regularly.

One of the best ways to do this is to give yourself assignments. Assignments can be as simple as documenting every day activities around the house or even particular things, like a certain shape or color. Set a time limit to motivate yourself to actually do it. You will find that these assignments will increase your awareness of details and, of course, give you practice on your techniques and the other photography skills you have just learned. Here are some assignment ideas to get you started (don't hesitate to create your own instead):

-Photograph just one shape (square, circle, etc.)
-Photograph a favorite color, or any color.
-Photograph when your kids eat or a particular meal (like breakfast every day for two weeks)
-Photograph a day in the life of your kids, or your pets.


When you finish with your assignment, begin sharing your work. Facebook is a great place to keep these albums, if for nothing other than reference.

Most importantly, have fun with your assignment. If it is a dread to do, then what's the point, right?



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