5 things that will make you a better photographer.
1. Gear is important, but only if you understand why
One of the biggest pitfalls when starting photography is the infamous Gear Acquisition Syndrome (aka GAS). Most people start with an entry-level DSLR/mirrorless camera + kit lens and then the GAS fuse is lit without them even realising it. You scroll through Instagram galleries of photographers you admire and ask them questions like: “what lens/camera did you use?” or “was that shot taken with a full frame camera?”. In your head a little voice starts to think out loud: “If only I had this or that camera/lens, the pictures I would take…“
The thing is, after you gain some experience (and burned a lot of cash in the process) you realise a camera is just a tool. In capable hands, with a trained eye, it can produce exceptional results. Don’t get me wrong, there is a difference between a flagship and an entry-level camera, but it all depends on your specific photography needs (subject, lighting conditions, …). The majority of people have vastly over-spec’d gear. Basic rule of thumb: outgrow your current camera set-up, understand its limitations, before you buy a new one. If not, stick with what you have.
2. Understand colour theory
Editing RAW photographs in Lightroom or CaptureOne can seem daunting at times, especially once you start exploring the colour editing tools. It really helps if you understand the theory behind the colour wheel.
One of the best ways to learn, is to use the Adobe Color tool at https://color.adobe.com/. There you can play around with different colour palettes and discover different colour harmony schemes (analogous, complementary, shades, …).
You can also upload a photograph and learn which colours are represented in an image. It’s an ideal baseline to start tweaking the colours to your liking in post-processing.
3. Master a photography discipline
The idea here is to choose and try to master a specific type of photography. You can choose from (but not limited to): portraiture, product, architecture, landscape, wedding, … Identify the photography subject that gives you the most joy and try to become great at it.
One of the big advantages here is that you can focus your attention, look for specific photographers in a specific field and learn efficiently. A great way to make productive use of Instagram :-).
4. Observe light
The exposure triangle of aperture, shutter speed and ISO is basically the essence of photography. These variables allow you, the photographer, to manage the light that will hit the film or digital sensor of your camera. When you first discover where the word photography comes from, you begin to understand the importance of LIGHT.
Photography comes from the Greek words “Phōs” and “graphé” which translates into “Drawing with light”
It’s vital to understand that light can bounce, be hard or soft, have a colour temperature or create highlights/shadows. Train your eyes by observing the world around you. Don’t bury your head into a smartphone screen. Look for colours, hard shadows, soft textures, … and try to understand why it looks a certain way. Visit the same location multiple times during the day and analyse what changes. Take pictures and discover how your eyes differ from the images produced by the camera (especially dynamic range).
5. Use the weather forecast
This one is particularly useful for landscape photographers. Before you hike up a mountain to capture the perfect sunset or sunrise, make sure the weather is on your side. Nothing worse than carrying multiple pounds of photography gear up mountain and then discovering the sunset will not happen due to rain clouds.
Example: you want to capture a moody forest picture with fog, like the one above? Then you need to understand which conditions need to be met and plan accordingly:
- Temperature: cool, long nights causing the air temperature to drop near the dew point
- Humidity: high
- Time: early mornings during Autumn
- Wind: none
