10 Steps To Becoming A Better Photographer

When you read the title of this post, what was your first thought?

Did you think “better photographer” meant learning how to use your camera more effectively?

Did you think “better photographer” meant taking better photographs?

Did you think “better photographer” meant building a stronger, more successful business?

In reality, it can mean all of this and more. Photography has so many facets; each one you delve into can take years to learn and perfect.

Yet if you had to sum it up in 10 steps, what would they be? As I thought more about it and looked back over the past 20 years I’ve been a photographer, I realized I didn’t just look at it from a “taking pictures” angle. To me, being a better photographer also means building the business. And since that is the purpose of this blog, I thought I would divide it into 10 steps.

Know Your Subject

What is your area of expertise? What do you want to photograph from this point forward? People will photograph differently than landscapes. Models will photograph differently than a product or still life. Yet they all have their own unique qualities and can be made to look average … or the best they’ve ever looked. Whatever your choice of photography niche, study it and understand how to make your images that absolute best they can be.

Understand Composition

When you pick up the camera, do you know exactly what to look for, how to frame it, and how it will look as a final image? Do you see it in your mind before you ever snap the image? Or do you approach it from the “spray and pray” methodology, knowing you’ll have at least one good look somewhere in there? Composition is everything in the world of photograph, even though its seemed to lose some of its true value in the digital world. Yet if you can “see” it first and shoot it second, I guarantee you’ll have a much better image … and a much better portfolio over all.

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