New to photography? Heres what you need.

Welcome back, everybody! My name is Jeremy Gouge, and I'm glad you're here. Glad you're kicking it with me. Sorry for the hiatus, as usual—life got in the way, and I've just been busy living. But that’s okay; that’s what we should be doing, in my opinion.

This video is for those of you out there, hopefully you, if you’re watching this, who might be on the journey of deciding what camera to buy next, whether you should buy a camera soon, or what lens to get. I’ve thought a lot about this lately, and my opinion might be a little jaded, maybe even controversial to some degree. I’m sure there are some people out there who are like, “No, you should absolutely buy this, and do this instead.” Well, sorry, not sorry.

Here’s my approach: If I had to give myself—my younger self—some advice today, what would I say? Things are very different today compared to when I started 20 years ago. If I were starting today, I’d tell myself that the best camera available to me is the one in my pocket. That’s right, our cell phones. We all have one, we all use it regularly. But it's easy to get to the point where you think, “Yeah, but it’s just not enough. It’s not doing the thing I want it to do.” Or maybe there’s no depth of field, or all the other things. I get it, and I hear you. You're not wrong.

But I think it’s much more important to find an app, or a software, that works for you. I say “app” because we’re talking about phones, right? Leica just came out with their own photo-developing camera app. It’s like $10 a month, and I’m sure it’s fantastic because it says Leica on it. Leica doesn’t do anything poorly. But, in my opinion, Lightroom Mobile is the way to go for several reasons:

It’s free.

It’s mobile, meaning it’s designed specifically for your phone, with that purpose in mind. It’s not an app that does both desktop and mobile; it’s built for your phone’s camera.

I’m not saying there won’t come a time when you’ll need to invest in another camera or gear. Please don’t misunderstand me. What I’m saying is, until you are completely sure of a few things—and we’ll get to that in a second—I don’t think you need to rush into buying a new camera. Don’t throw money at a problem that doesn’t exist yet. I’m notorious for doing that myself. You know, “The grass is greener.” Learn from my mistakes, as I tell my kids.

So, what’s most important? Find your style. Find what you like to photograph. That’s one of the points I want to make. Once you really figure out what you love photographing—whether it’s people, cars, food, babies, weddings—don’t shoot a wedding by yourself if you’re not ready, that’s all I’m saying. We’re not there yet. But once you find your lane, the thing you want to pursue, everything else falls into place.

Yes, a lot of us shoot multiple things. That’s normal. But for me, I love taking portraits of people—whether it’s for weddings, senior sessions, headshots, or other projects. There’s a lot of variety within that, but the core is always people. So, I don’t want you to niche down too hard, but get an idea of what you really enjoy, what connects with you emotionally, and what pours back into you. Once you find that, it’ll lead you toward your next purchase. It will help you make an educated decision when the time comes.

Once you’ve developed your style and gotten comfortable with your phone’s camera and apps like Lightroom, you’ll automatically start seeing improvements in your photos. You’ll have this grace period to learn the app, and then learn to develop your style. This is so important because once you have your style, it will carry over no matter what camera you’re using.

I’m confident that I can shoot with any camera and still make the same type of work. Sure, there are cameras I prefer over others. I’ve had a lot of Fuji cameras, and I’m really in my head about wanting another one. But when I edit my Fujifilm files, they just feel different from what I usually shoot. It’s not bad, it’s just not me. It doesn’t feel like home.

So, to wrap this up: Use your phone. Use it with Lightroom Mobile or whatever app works best for you—Snapseed, Lightroom, whatever. Test things out. Take the same photos you’ve been taking, but edit them in a new way. Create your own presets. Find a look you like, save it, and then apply it to other photos. You’ll have to tweak them, of course, but it’s a start.

Once you’ve done that for a while and you’re really sure you love photography, then you can start looking at other cameras, lenses, and gear. That’s a whole different conversation. I have a list of cameras I’d recommend for people who are at that point, or have a very specific purpose in mind—travel, film, portraits, whatever. But for now, if you’re new to photography and you want to figure it out, just use your phone.

And just so you know, I’m shooting this entire video on my iPhone. I have a Z8 in the bag, just for proof (not that anyone would call me a liar, but here’s the Z8). My Z30 is in my Pelican case. But I’m shooting this entire thing on my iPhone, just to show you that it’s good enough. I wouldn’t make a video encouraging you to use your phone if I wasn’t willing to do it myself.

So, get out there, make something cool, and if you feel like your work is getting closer to your style, tag me in it! I’d love to see it. I say this all the time, but no one ever does. I really want to follow your journey. Drop your handles below in the comments, or let me know where I can follow you. If you want feedback, I’m here for it. I’m in it—minute to win it!

Alright, I’m going to let you get after it now. I’m going to get out and make something I want to make too. I’ve been blessed this year with sessions that feel good, important, and meaningful. Now I need to keep pushing that envelope.

Thanks for being here, thanks for being you, and later, neighbor.