Starting out in photography can be both exciting and a bit daunting. Whatever you want to get out of your photography, whether that's becoming more creative, showing the moments you love capturing, telling stories through your images, or looking to grow a photography business, every beginner needs a good starting point.

To help you on your way, we've put together a list of the eight most popular articles for beginner photographers that we've published on Focus. These articles cover the basics and offer practical tips to help you improve. They also provide you with a little more inspiration for your photography too, so if you're stuck in a rut and need some motivation to get out there with your camera, then look no further...

So let's dive in and get started

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1 A beginner's guide to photographing reflections

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Taking truly great photos can be about capturing something unexpected and even downright unbelievable to the viewer. A conceptually very simple way to do that is to photograph your subject with a reflection. There are several ways you can do this. One is to simply photograph your subject with a reflection below it in a lake, a reservoir of a pond. Another way is to photograph only the reflection.

However, what all reflection photography has in common is that opportunities are all around you, all of the time. It takes a keen eye to notice reflections, but there are several ways of working you can learn that will make sure you never pass up the opportunity for an unusual composition that features an unexpected reflection.

Here are some of our top tips to get you started…

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2 How to photograph your pets: 10 tips for brilliant snaps!

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Pets can make for wonderful subjects but it can be a challenge to get that perfect shot. Follow these top tips and simple editing techniques to take your animal photos to the next level...

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3 A beginner's guide to night photography

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From incredible colours to a new perspective on a familiar subject, the cover of night – and, crucially, the lack of light – allows for some creative compositions and special effects. However, working in a new way with less light does demand that you use specific equipment and practice particular techniques. Here are some of our top tips to help you embrace the night.

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4 Improve your street photography with these 10 expert tips

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Street photography is a genre that many will experiment with at some point in their photography journey, even if it’s not their principal subject of interest. It's easily accessible for photographers of all levels, and provides ample opportunity to practice a wide range of photography skills and techniques. Great street photography has the power to evoke a range of emotions with the viewer, turn the environment around us into something extraordinary, and provide an unseen and intimate glimpse into the everyday life of others.

Saying this, capturing great photos within this genre takes time, patience, and above all, practice. So, to help you elevate your street photography–here are our top tips...

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5 How to create beautiful black & white photos: a beginner's guide

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Any image can be desaturated, but the best black and white photos are those that seem designed for the aesthetic, and there has to be a reason for removing the colour. It needs to be more than just an effect you apply to your images in post-production.

It’s not always clear which images will work best in monochrome (black and white), but there are certain things you can look out for, and we'll explore some of the key aspects.

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6 How to take a beautiful sunset photo (with an example)

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For many newbie and hobbyist photographers, sunset is the most loved time to take photographs.
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Below, you’ll see my top tips for sunset photography for those just getting started, along with a short technical breakdown of one of my own sunset pictures. Which I hope gives you a good idea of how you can create a stunning shot of your own, too!

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7 A beginner’s guide to light painting photography

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Although all photography is the art of painting with light beams – in modern times using electronic sensors – there are myriad ways of creating special effects using extra lights. From torches and LED panels to laser pens and glow sticks, almost any standalone source of light, when activated during a long exposure and moved within a composition, can be used to create all kinds of weird static and motion effects. All you need is a manual camera, tripod, darkness and limitless imagination.

Here are some top tips to get you started…

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8 Tips for taking better photos with your smartphone

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With your smartphone, you’ve got a wonderful, easy access camera in your pocket that's always on hand. To help you get the most out of taking photos on your smartphone, here are our top tips...

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Looking for more inspiration?

We hope you enjoyed reading the above articles and it gives you and idea about what you want to do next and where you want to go with your photography! Remember, photography is all about the journey, and you'll find that no matter where you are with it, there's always something new to learn, or something else to try–so embrace it, and don't give up!

If you're looking for more beginner guides or other ways to get creative with your camera, we have loads here on Focus! Checkout our specially-curated Ultimate Beginner Guides collection, which cover all the basics too! Or, take a look at our specific beginners content category which covers a more wide-ranging selection of photography topics.