This one’s for the beginners. If you’ve been doing this a while, feel free to skip ahead—you’ve already lived what I’m about to describe.

I’m still a beginner. Still learning, every single day. And I do all of it with just my phone—a Samsung, nothing fancy. Let me take you a little back to how it all started.

There’s a colleague at my office who takes excellent photographs. He loves to travel, just like me, and somehow our conversations always end up in the same place—photography and travel. He’d tell me little things: how to frame a shot while travelling, what to look for, and how to wait for the right moment. I didn’t realize it then, but those casual chats were quietly planting a seed.

Slowly, I got curious. I started noticing travel photography, nature, flowers, landscapes, and portraits—really seeing them for the first time. And then I picked up my phone and just… started. That’s where my path began. (I’ve written more about that first step here: Unforgotten Experience; if you’d like to read it.)

It’s Been a Rollercoaster

I won’t pretend it’s been smooth. Some days I feel like I don’t have a good enough gadget. Some days I feel like I don’t have the time. And some days, honestly, I look at my photos and think—maybe I’m just not made for this.

If you’ve felt that too, you’re not alone. And here’s what’s helped me push through those days.

First: find your “why,” and hold onto it.

When the doubt creeps in, that’s exactly when you need to ask yourself one simple question: why did I start this in the first place? Not to impress anyone. Not to compete. Just—why? Let that answer be your anchor.

Second: do not compare.

Take other photographers as your reference. Let them inspire you. But never compare your journey to theirs. Nobody knows your struggle, and you don’t know theirs—the sleepless nights, the failures, the years it took them to get where they are. Everyone is walking their own path, at their own pace.

Third: and this might be the most important one—don’t chase income before you’ve learned to see.

Even if your dream is to become a professional one day, don’t let “making money from this” sit in the front row of your mind while you’re still starting out. If it does, you’ll rush the process. And photography doesn’t work that way. Before you learn how to shoot, you first have to learn how to see.

What Photography Quietly Teaches You

The more I’ve stayed with it, the more I’ve realized—this hobby gives you far more than good pictures. It gives you:

• Patience: Not everything beautiful happens on your schedule. You learn to wait.
• Readiness: Good things don’t always happen—but you have to be ready the moment they do.
• Perspective: Sometimes all it takes is shifting your angle, physically or mentally, to see something new in the same old scene.
• Empathy: You learn to really talk to people, to be sensitive to situations, to understand before you shoot.
• Acceptance: Some moments can never be recreated. If you missed it, you missed it—and that’s okay.
• A sense of timing over talent: Being present at the right moment often matters more than raw skill.
• Courage against judgment: Not everyone will see your photo the way you do. And that’s fine. Their perspective is not the final word on your work.

To Every Beginner Reading This

Stop overthinking. Stop over-planning. Stop being afraid. Just start.

Don’t blame your phone, your situation, or any excuse standing between you and the shot. Take that first step alone if you have to—but while you’re at it, start looking for a community to walk this journey with. The right community doesn’t just teach you—it holds you up when you want to quit and connects you with people who love this the way you do.

And one day — maybe not soon, but one day — you’ll place your very first photo next to the one you took today. And in that moment, you’ll be quietly, deeply thankful that you took the step.

So—why are you still waiting? Here, penwithpixel, you can have a look at what I shared above.