AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER GUIDE
Practical photography advice for hobbyists, beginners and travellers.
About Dave King
I’m Dave, an amateur photographer based in Brighton, UK. I’ve been shooting for years, entirely self-taught with no formal training, and this site is where I write about what I’ve learned through real experience, trial and error, and time behind the camera.
The goal is simple. Practical photography advice for hobbyists and beginners who want honest guidance without the fluff.
Brighton, the US, and Why You’ll See Both £ and $
I’m based in the UK but travel to the United States several times a year, and a lot of my photography happens there. That naturally shows up in the writing. Posts covering UK kit, print services, or local gear use £, while posts written from or about US trips use $. Each article makes that clear so there is no confusion.
How I Got Into Photography
It started with a cheap compact camera I brought on a trip to the American Southwest. I was frustrated that my photos looked nothing like what I was actually seeing: flat, badly exposed, and with no sense of scale. I started reading, experimenting, and making mistakes until the gap between what I saw and what came out of the camera started to close.
That process took longer than it needed to, mostly because so much photography advice felt written for professionals or assumed a much bigger budget. I wanted this site to be more honest and more useful, written from the perspective of someone still learning, testing, and improving.
What This Site Covers
Amateur Photographer Guide focuses on practical photography advice for hobbyists and beginners who want to improve without going professional.
- Camera settings and how to understand them properly
- Composition, including what works, what does not, and why
- Budget gear reviews based on real use
- Travel photography across the UK and the US
I’ve shot across 12 US states and tested more than 30 cameras at different price points. The reviews here come from actual hands-on use, not copied product descriptions or manufacturer talking points.
This site does not cover professional studio photography, wedding photography, or high-end commercial work. There are better specialists for those areas.
How I Write
I write in the way I would have wanted photography advice explained when I was starting out: clearly, directly, and without assuming you already know all the terminology. If I have not tested something myself, I say so. If a product is not worth the money, I say that too.
The site uses affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through a link. That does not affect what I recommend. My experience level is enthusiast rather than professional expert, and I think that is useful because it keeps the advice close to the real learning process.