5 lessons for photo self-improvement

After all, if you come here, you must be interested in photography. It is quite possible that -like me- you want to improve your day-to-day routine and become a better photographer. Don’t believe that you must be born with the photographer’s gene. It’s something that you grow into.

Here are my rules to photography self-improvement:

  1. Think about it permanently. You must start seeing the world with a photographic eye, look for, then find photos anywhere you go (with or without a camera): while driving a car, on the highway, in a small street, in the subway, in a family reunion, in the city, in the country, in the zoos, at work, in the plant, etc.
  2. Experiment. There are millions of specific photo techniques. The digital cameras allow us to try anything without any kind of expense. You must try and try again: backlight, high-angle shots, low-angle shots, panorama, macro, speed, flash, etc.
  3. Pratice. You must shoot a lot and check the results continuously to see what works and what does not. Also, shooting a lot is a good way to learn the inner operation of your photo camera. The first time you drive a car, it’s a bit hard… then it grows on you. And you forget about the moves and stop thinking about it. It’s only then that you can do whatever you want. When I will handle my camera with my eyes closed, I will botch less pictures for my slow reaction.
  4. Push the camera aside. Soemtimes an empty battery, a forgotten camera will allow you to shoot pictures in your head only. No technical constraint: Look.
  5. Never let it go. Endurance is needed to keep going. Never despair. Keep shooting images. It won’t come in a week.

Finally, when you get this level, what will be left? Profit (or not) from your inner photographic self: There are some “natural-born photographers”.