Tip #1: Know your camera.
Not everyone will get this, if you don’t… Google “Ansel Adams zone system“
Whether it be a professional camera, mirrorless, point and shoot or even your phone. Make sure you know how to operate your camera. Most importantly, understand how to change the exposure (deliberately making a brighter or a darker photograph or deliberately control the shutter speed). Why is this important? Because the camera has ABSOLUTELY no idea, what it is you are photographing, it simply tries to average out exposure as not to over- or underexpose your photograph.
But maybe you actually DO want an underexposed photograph, seeing details that would otherwise be hidden in the shadows, or that would otherwise be blown out in the highlights. Or maybe you actually DO want to see movement in your photograph by dragging (extending) the shutter speed of your camera.
So… make sure you know your camera and know how to make changes to the settings so that what you envision is actually what is being recorded on the sensor (or film).
Get to know your camera and how to change it’s settings, even if what you use is an mobile phone
Continue reading this article go to Tip #2: Be patient and explore with your eyes as well as your other senses, or go back to the introduction.