If you want to be a better photographer
I’ve written about this before, but there really is just one trick that has helped me improve my photography the most, and that is daily practice. I’ve noticed that the time periods in my life where my photos look the best coincides with when I was actually taking pictures each and every day.
It’s not about the camera. It’s not even about the subject matter. It’s about learning by doing. When you are taking photos each and every day, you can see an evolution. You learn to understand your equipment - whether that’s a smartphone camera or a DSLR. You get more comfortable and confident with your skills and with your eye for details. And you will find it easier to notice great subject material around you.
When you take a photograph every day, you will soon find that it can be tricky to find inspiration or even subjects to take pictures of each day. Start with the items around you. Do you have any collections? What about the items belonging to others in your home? Try photographing toys and household items. They hold still and are easy to move around while you figure out the best backgrounds and lighting. Try placing objects to the side of a well-lit window for soft lighting.
Step outside and capture your surroundings. Do you have a garden? Any interesting plants? How about an urban landscape? I love shooting in natural light and love experimenting with natural scenes like this tomato in my garden years ago. Don’t be afraid to get up close to really capture the details!
Food is another very cooperative subject to practice on. Photograph your meals and snacks. Snap pictures of your favorite recipes in progress. Take a photo at a local farmer’s market or enjoy a picnic to experiment with natural lighting. Outdoor photography is especially nice when you have just a touch of shade to reduce the harsh glare of a full sun.
Once you get the hang of photography still life scenes and objects, try holding a photo session with a favorite pet or animal. They won’t be as cooperative, but they will teach you so much about adding personality and life to your pictures. Focus on their best features and eliminate cluttered backgrounds by getting up close or using good composition when cropping the shot.
Of course, I love to photograph people - especially the people I love! I’m definitely not a portrait photographer, but I love capturing real-life shots that tell a story. You don’t have to have someone looking at the camera and saying “cheese” to take their picture. In fact, I think it’s better if you catch them off guard a bit while they are doing something they love.
There are times when the scenery or the background IS the story. Don’t always zoom in on the people or small details. Take wider shots to show perspective. My family on the bridge provide scale against the big steaming crater in Yellowstone. Some pictures deserve to have the full scene included.
Have you ever heard the saying “when you see red, stop and take a picture”? There’s a reason photographers love red (and bold colors in general) and that’s because it catches your eye! When you are in the habit of taking pictures each day, you learn to treasure beautiful food, places, objects, and people. You notice the good things in life!
If you want to get good at something, you have to practice. It’s just that simple. Sure, you can take classes and read books and embrace the learning that is readily available. All of those activities are good and will also help you improve. But there is no substitute for doing. When I looked over years of my photos to select pictures for this post, I can honestly see the difference regular practice makes. The inverse is true as well, you lose a bit of that gift when you don’t use it. I haven’t been taking many pictures over the last few months and I feel like my photographer’s eye has dulled a bit. This post is just as much for me as it is for anyone else. We need reminders to curate our craft. I hope you will give this some thought in regards to your own photography habits.
Here are some of my previous posts related to photography to give you a creative boost:
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