#373 On this Community Spotlight episode of The Beginner Photography Podcast, I chat with Sheila Bragg, an active member in the BPP community. Sheila shares her journey into photography and how she struggled with understanding aperture and shutter speed until discovering the podcast. Sheila also shares tips on lenses, finding inspiration, and understanding the exposure triangle. We discuss Sheila's ultimate goal of establishing herself as a photographer and traveling the world. Finally, the conversation shifts to framing, where I ask Sheila about the hardest aspect of composition for her. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, this episode offers valuable insights and tips to take your photography skills to the next level.

Sheila Bragg grew up spending her summers in Ohio with her family's portrait studio where she developed a passion for photography. She always carried a camera with her and loved taking pictures of everything, but it wasn't until she found a podcast that explained aperture and shutter speed in a way that made sense to her that she started shooting manually. Now she can adjust her settings without looking at the camera and even experiments with underexposing her photos for a different effect. Although people always told her she should pursue photography, Sheila never took it seriously until she quit her degree program.

THE BIG IDEAS

• Start Where You Are: Your journey doesn’t need perfect conditions or fancy gear—embrace your current situation and grow from there.
• Learn by Doing: Progress comes from taking action, making mistakes, and learning from real-world experiences, not just theory.
• Comparison with Curiosity: View other photographers’ work as inspiration and guidance, not a competition; every image is a learning opportunity.
• Celebrate Growth: Focus on incremental improvement with each photo rather than perfection, and acknowledge your achievements along the way.

Resources and Links

• Check out Sheila Bragg's Website
• Follow Sheila on Facebook
• Join The Beginner Photography Podcast Community
• Sign up for your free CloudSpot account to deliver beautiful images galleries today
• Free Lightroom Presets!

Grab your free 52 Lightroom Presets at
http://freephotographypresets.com/

Connect with Raymond!

• Go from Confused to Confident behind the camera with The Ultimate Photography Education Bundle - https://beginnerphotopod.com/bundle
• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!