How do you become a better photographer?

How do you become a better photographer?

In this article, you will get five simple exercises to help you improve your photography.

How to grow as a photographer

From beginners to professionals, everyone is working hard to improve their photography skills. However, it is often difficult for us to do this, and we repeatedly ask the question: "How can I actively promote my photography career?"

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Learning to take first-rate photos is not like learning an instrument, where you can practice fingering and scales while slowly gaining skills. When it comes to improving the level of photography, this path seems vague and difficult to grasp.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are more focused ways to improve your photography. Below, I will discuss five of these exercises, if you stick to them, they will help you quickly improve your photography skills.

Exercise 1: Take pictures every day for a month

The first exercise is simple; daily photos. This may sound simple, but it is often not the case. With work, family and life, it is surprisingly difficult to go out for photography.

But I want to emphasize that if you really want to improve your photography skills, start here. Make sure you use your camera every day, even if you only take a picture. Mark a specific effective time in the day. Or, if it is easier for you, carry the camera in your wallet/backpack/briefcase and bring it out during your lunch break.

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I found that photography has a magic power—not just continuous, but daily. Your camera becomes a familiar tool in your hands. You start to see essays everywhere. The photographic medium began to make sense.

Trust me, if you do this, your work will improve quickly.

Exercise 2: Make 10 unique pictures of a theme

One ​​of the main obstacles to the improvement of photography is not technology, but vision.

A great photographer often observes a subject and begins to imagine many possibilities, quickly rejecting those that are not feasible, and choosing those that are feasible.

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So choose a subject and start taking obvious photos.

Then, instead of moving on, force yourself to find more. Take some more abstract or detailed photos up close. Go back to find more environmental pictures. Change the background, angle and/or lighting. If you usually use a tripod, try handheld or vice versa.

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This exercise is to improve your eyesight. Its purpose is to take you out of your comfort zone so that you can go beyond the obvious and begin to delve deeper into your subject. Once this is ingrained and the possibilities of photography begin to open up, your images will become unique and more satisfying.

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Exercise #3: Share only one picture per week

Let me explain. Part of improving a person's photographic level is to become a better self-critician. If you don’t know what you need to improve, it’s difficult to improve. But if you can point out your strengths and weaknesses, then you can improve on the basis of your weaknesses and take advantage of your strengths.

For this, I suggest adding a photo-sharing site, a site dedicated to photography. Flickr, 500PX and Tumblr all work well (or dPS Facebook group). Then only publish one picture per week. Make sure you have browsed your recent works and the pictures you share are your best.

Before posting, you have to say to yourself: "What makes this picture so eye-catching?" What makes it better? What makes me reject the others Picture and chose this one? "Write down your answers, and remember them the next time you go on a field trip."

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So why can’t you do this privately instead of posting to a photo sharing site?

I find it a little bit stressful to publish your photos publicly. This forces you to work harder to identify your best images. However, if you are very reluctant to publish your pictures publicly, you can adjust the settings on the sharing site of your choice so that only you can view the pictures-but imagine that you are assembling them for a gallery display.

Exercise 4: Comment on at least 10 pictures per week

Similar to exercise 3, but with slightly different emphasis. It is good to learn to criticize one's own work, but it is also very important to look at a large number of photographic works with a critical eye. Therefore, join a picture comment forum and comment on at least 10 pictures per week.

There are many forums I recommend to nature photographers like me: Naturescapes, Nature Photographers Network, and Birdphotographers.net are all very good. They should allow you to make a free account to comment on other pictures.

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This will help you in several ways. First of all, constantly looking at the picture will help you internalize the composition, letting you know what is useful and what is not. If you don't know what good photography is like, it will be difficult for you to improve your photography.

Secondly, it can give you your own photography inspiration. I am not saying that you directly copy other people's photos. But you can notice some interesting techniques, camera settings and composition, and incorporate them into your own work.

Third, in written expressions, you must clearly know what you like about pictures so that you can better understand how to make your pictures more pleasing to the eye.

Please note that I did not tell you to post your picture on the comment forum-but if you are confident enough to do so, then this is also a good way to improve.

Exercise #5: Do another type of photography job

This exercise is for those who consider themselves intermediate or advanced photographers. In the early stages of your photography journey, I recommend focusing on a single genre and improving within that genre.

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However, once you have considerable experience, I find it very beneficial to get out of your comfort zone by engaging in another type of photography (the more different the better). Insist on for a month.

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This forces you to expand your photographic horizons and think in new ways. It can often generate unique ideas that you can apply to your main photographic field. When this month has passed and you have returned to your favorite way of photography, you may find that you will see the world from a new perspective.

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In short...

If you want to improve your photography skills, please follow the exercises discussed above.

If you are taking pictures every day, focus on expanding your photography horizons, look at countless photos, learn to criticize your own photos, and expand your photography skills-you are very A higher level of photography will soon be reached. Good luck!

Are there any exercises you think are useful for improving the effect of photography? Share in the comments!

 

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