Learning Photography the Jules way

21st April 2025 | 5 minute read

Many people have asked me how I developed my photography skills, so I figured it's time to talk about my self-study process. Fun fact: I taught myself photography. I'm not done learning, anyways. I believe that I'm still picking up new things like everyone else. So how long did it take me to reach my current level? Within my 4 years of photography, it took about 2 years to nail down compositions and around 3 years to master editing. I never paid for any classes, except for one I took at school for fun 1.5 years after starting photography. Back to the main topic, how can you pick up photography on your own? Like me? Lo and behold—here are my learning secrets.

Go out and shoot regularly, without forgetting to review your photos taken.
In my noob days, whenever I went out I'd always carry my camera, whether if its to shoot something or not. You never know when something will catch your attention. But after shooting, I don't let my photos sit on my SD card. Reviewing your shots are important. Quickly import those RAW files into Lightroom, or whichever software you use, and review them. You may cringe at your photos as I did in the beginning and at times would hold off looking at the photos but reviewing is part of the learning process. You gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn't from your previous shoots. It's a cycle, letting you firm up before the next shoot.
Learning to edit your photos.
Some people have the notion that photos shouldn't really edited, or so as I thought as a newbie. Innocent me thought a camera can do it all, the picture taken looks perfect on the screen or viewfinder. But that's not always the case. For example, you may have captured a nice shot that has been underexposed. What do you do with it? Reject it because it's underexposed? No, you save it! Another case for when editing is important is especially if you want to print photos. Adjustments and checking should be done before printing. At least learn some basic editing and understand how picture control/colour correction works. Knowing the key terms like highlights, contrasts, tone curve etc is useful. If Lightroom or Photoshop feels intimidating (though they aren't), it's perfectly fine not to use them. There are always standard photo gallery or editing apps on phones to work with. For myself, I had a fear of Photoshop in the beginning. After getting used to Lightroom, this knowledge gained was transferrable and I was able to use camera raw, adjustment layers if I ever feel like switching up my edits.

Here's my personal learning recommendations from Youtube for absolute beginners:

Pay close attention to the photographers you like and find out about their methods.
Monkey see, monkey do. Looking at your faves photos long enough doesn't guarantee that one day you'll magically be able to edit like them. You must apply to learn. Not everyone releases free video guides to their secrets. The way I would go about this is to find alternative photographers who have a similar style and provide some guides, then try to emulate them as exercises. With enough repetition, you'll get the gist of their workflow and eventually, come up with your own unique way to edit like your faves or be good enough on your own. If you're lucky, the photographers would give out free presets which I find is the best material to understand how one edits because you can break it down on Lightroom by yourself even without an explanation from the creator themselves. I personally never use presets or made any for myself but I used this breakdown method to understand better. Saved me a lot of guesswork by going straight to the point.
Keep a copy of the photos you like. Everywhere and in any format permissible.
I used to keep a treasure trove of screenshots of photos I liked on my phone. Some scattered in my PC, laptop, you name it. Could even be a physical book, poster, something printed, art. Use them as references for your own work. If hoarding data isn't your thing, you could save them on Instagram (personally, I think it's a hassle to sort or revisit) or Pinterest (though I never used it for photography). You could even journal if that's your thing or have phone wallpapers to force yourself to look at them daily. I confess I actually did the latter until I set my own photos as wallpapers 😅.
Get comfortable with your camera. Or be comfortable for your camera.
I frequently complain that my Nikon D7000 is a brick. Later on during my hiatus, I became a gym bro and now handle it with no problem at all (real). To get comfy, simply utilise the camera more and this gets you, plus your other body parts acquainted with it. Hands, eyes, brains etc. Read the camera manual as well; the buttons are meant to help you, not scare you. Getting used would also help you determine if you would want to pimp your camera. Add a lens hood, carry some filters, maybe a nice strap too. Treat your camera like a queen, and in return, you'll get nice photos.
Passively absorb as much photography content as possible.
Not suggesting that you should watch photography TikTok tutorials 24/7 although during the 4-year of hiatus I did watched a number of reels. Since I wasn't holding a camera, I was still passively engaged with photography content. This is fine to do so past the beginner stage because your knowledge of photography has already solidified. If you understand how the retention curve works, this is exactly that. I'm also lucky to have photographic memory, so there was zero struggle when I opened Lightroom after a long time. I would not suggest short-form videos for beginners, YouTube is still the way to go. Really take your time with the tutorials. Balance practice and theory, though what I just wrote covers just the theory part, aha.
Don't give up. Although this person did.
Practice may not make perfect, but the more you do it, the better you'll become. I often look back and think, 'Wow, look at how far my photography has come.' The progress observed would feel like magic.

These tips are pretty much it! I've stuck to these principles since my beginner days and still follow them now. If you’re thinking about picking up photography on your own, don’t be afraid to dive in. The journey can feel overwhelming at first. With consistent practice, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from both your successes and mistakes, you’ll see real progress. Remember, every great photographer started as a beginner. So grab your camera, trust the process, and enjoy capturing the world through your unique perspective!