How to improve your photographic skills

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

If you have already mastered the basics of framing, shooting and photography, you can try to improve even more. Make this activity a hobby or even a career, if you want, rather than remain an amateur accustomed to the usual photos taken on vacation, pets or children. The time has come to take stunning shots and let go of simple passable photographs.

Steps

Step 1. Find someone who can help you buy a good camera

It may be that your father or a friend have an extra camera that they don't use. If you don't have a camera, borrow it until you buy your own. Any digital camera or film camera released in the last decade is fine for taking decent shots. It helps a lot to have your own camera.

Step 2. Learn the basics if you haven't already

The basics of photography include composition, essential for choosing the position of the subject in the frame of the photograph; lighting and basic knowledge of the functions of the camera. Check out other articles about this on this site for more information.

Step 3. Be ready

Half the time, the difference between a great photographer and a mediocre one is being in the right place, at the right time and with a camera in hand. Take your camera with you as often as possible. Use it frequently, otherwise it makes no sense to have it with you.

Step 4. Find yourself there

It is not enough to be "ready". As Ken Rockwell said about his early experiences, I was a spectator. I thought photography meant taking pictures of things that happened to you. NO! You have to go outside and go find things. Research and observation are the hardest part […], taking a picture of what you have found is the simplest part.

Get up, get out of here and go take your shots. Go out at all hours of the day every day and look for something. Don't wait for the right opportunity to come (but be prepared in case it does!), Go outside and look for it. Look for the right opportunity wherever you go (whether you are at the supermarket or on the other side of the world), visit new places to find it. If you can see something in your mind, there's a good chance you'll be able to photograph it in the world around you!

Step 5. Stop looking for subjects to photograph and learn to see

• Look for colors. Or do the opposite: look for the total absence of colors, or photograph in black and white.

  

• Look for repetition and rhythm. Or do the opposite, and look for something totally isolated from the context that surrounds it.

  

• Look for the light and the absence of light. Photograph shadows or reflections or the passage of light through particular objects, or objects in the dark.

  

• Look for an emotion or a gesture, if you photograph people. Do they show happiness? Malice? Sadness? Do they seem thoughtful? Or does it seem like one of the many a little disturbed by the fact of being photographed by someone?

  

• Look for textures, shapes and patterns. Many black and white photographs are wonderful because this effect forces the photographer to look for these details.

  

• Look for the contrast. Look for something that stands out from the rest of the shot. When composing, use the widest part of the zoom (or a wide angle) and move closer to zoom in. Look for the contrast between the following: color in monotony, light between shadows, etc. If you photograph people, try to put (or find) your subject in the context in which it stands out. Seek happiness in unexpected places. Look for a person who appears to be out of place in a certain environment. Or ignore all of that and take it out of context, opening the lens to blur the background. In short…

  

• Look for anything that can attract the observer's attention that is not a traditional subject. As you search for your niche, you will find that you are back to photographing subjects again. That's fine. Looking for things that are not subject will improve your skills endlessly. A new world will soon open up to you.

  

Step 6. Try to keep the photos as simple as possible

Try to get as close to the subject as you can. Use your feet and zoom (if you have one) to adjust your composition. Get rid of anything that isn't important in context, to fully capture your photo.

Step 7. Shoot in film

If you already photograph on film, then do it digitally too. Both types are useful for acquiring a good repertoire as a photographer. They both have positive and negative sides and both serve to learn a different set of methods of use. The worst ways of using digital are balanced by the best ways of using film, and vice versa.

• The digital camera immediately gives you an idea of what you are doing wrong and what you are doing correctly. It reduces the cost of photographic experimentation to zero. These two elements are invaluable for a novice photographer. However, saving on digital technology easily leads to the habit of “shooting and hoping”, that is, taking many photos hoping that in the end one of the many will be good.

  

• Film cameras force you to pay more attention to what you are photographing. Even a millionaire would refuse to take thirty-six film photographs of his yacht or his bath towel. The economic incentive of having a higher yield in each shot can cause less experimentation (not a nice thing), but it makes you think more about the shot you are taking (which can be good, if you have a good idea of it. you need to do before taking a picture). In addition, the film still has its charm and it is possible to find it at fairly cheap prices.

  

Step 8. Show off your best shots

This means "search through your shots and show only the best ones." Not even the most prominent photographers take superb shots. They are very selective about what to show to the public.

• Be brutal about this fact. If they're not great shots, don't show them. Your standards will improve over time and even photos that seemed good enough to you will appear insignificant after a while, even if it means that out of all the shots, only one or two are saved per day. That's fine, it means you've been objective enough.
• Do not take pictures with large images. Ken states that the most important parts of the photo are those that can be seen when the image is previewed. There are people who are looking for imperfections that they can only see with 100% framing. Okay, but you don't have to listen to these people. Feel free to overlook those subjects that don't seem so exceptional that you dedicate more than a quarter of the frame (or less) to them.

Step 9. Seek and listen to criticism from others

Don't fall into the trap of those who post photos on the internet saying "criticize them". Usually the internet is full of those pixel curios we just mentioned. It's okay to accept constructive criticism, as long as you care where it comes from.

• Listen to the artists. If someone wants to show some fascinating works, photographic, pictorial, musical and so on, take them seriously. Artists instinctively recognize the visceral effect, whether it's something in their own industry or those of others (and if your photo doesn't create any effect, maybe it's best to delete it). Many non-artists do this too, even if they don't have enough experience to be able to tell you what's right and what's wrong at all (more likely they'll try not to hurt your feelings).

  

• Ignore those who harshly criticize your photos, but have nothing to show. Their opinions are simply useless and should not be listened to.

  

• Try to understand where you are wrong and where you are going fast. If someone likes a photograph of you, ask them what they like. If you don't like it, ask what's wrong. As already mentioned, an artist is able to explain these things to you.

  

• Don't be modest if someone likes what you do. That's fine, photographers like to be praised for their masterpieces, just like anyone else. Try not to brag, though.

Step 10. Look for a subject that inspires you

It doesn't mean it has to be technically flawless. Even a (very rich) clown can stick to a 400mm f / 2.8 lens on a $ 3,000 DSLR and take a well-exposed, super-sharp photograph of a little bird, and that wouldn't make him a Steve Cirone anyway. Instead, try to take a snapshot of something that makes you smile, laugh, cry and so on, not something "well exposed and sharp". If you like photographing people, check out the works of Steve McCurry (photographer of the Afghan Girl), or the shots of Annie Leibowitz. If you're subscribed to Flickr or any other photo sharing platform, try to follow the people who take inspirational shots (don't spend too much time on the computer, though, remember you need to go out and take pictures).

Step 11. Learn some basic technical notions

No, this is not the most important part of photography. In fact, it's one of the least important, that's why it's located below. A wonderful photo, taken by someone who ignores these principles, can be much more interesting than a boring photo, but perfectly focused and sharp. And it is absolutely better than a photo not taken, because there was too much focus on the technical aspect.

It is perfectly fine to have skills in shutter speed, lens aperture, focal length and the effectiveness of all these functions on the shot. However, none of these features can turn an ugly photo into a beautiful one, although sometimes a glitch can cause you to lose a great photo or make great photos even more beautiful.

Step 12. Specialize

You may find that you are very good at photographing people. Or maybe you like being in contact with nature so much that you can take panoramic photos. If you have very large lenses and a great passion for motor racing, you may have fun photographing them. Try a little bit of everything! Find out what you enjoy doing the most, and if you're good, don't just do that.

Advice

• Buy a fairly recent book on photography. You can save a bit if you buy a second-hand book, as long as it's relatively recent. Take a good look at a photography book before buying it. Also get a good amount of magazines (about music, people, houses, gardens, architecture, children - whatever your interests are). Look at the pictures: how did the photographer work?
• Make an effort to make each shot meaningful. Normally one in twenty photos can be pretty, one in a hundred charming, and one in a thousand stunning. If you are lucky you can take the shot of your life, and it will be appreciated by everyone.
• Print your best shots in a large enough format.
• Don't be discouraged. If your photos don't improve after a couple of days or weeks, don't give up. Photography takes time and dedication.
• Try submitting your photos to someone else's review.
• Follow a tutorial. If you have a camera and have the instruction manual, read it and play with the camera to understand all its functions. Read in a place where you cannot be distracted.
• It helps to look at photos of others or photos in magazines. Be critical. Try to list two positive things and two things you would change in the photo.
• Almost every camera made in the last decade, and pretty much every camera out there, is good enough to make a decent photo. Don't worry about professional gear until it's time. Even the best never care about their gear.

• When it comes to choosing your camera, you have to be careful. Just because a camera costs 700 euros does not mean that you will know how to use it to the fullest right away. If you buy an expensive camera, be sure to learn its every function.

  Don't pay for the brand. A $ 200 Nikon for beginners, for example, has the same features (eg 4x optical zoom) as a (less expensive) beginner's camera from any other brand

• Auto mode exists for a reason. It allows you to focus on the subject of the photo rather than the technical parameters, which you shouldn't worry about. Use the camera's "Program" mode, if it is present, and select the different combinations of aperture and shutter speed. If you can only get good results in "Manual" mode, use it. But pretending to be in the 1950s does not make you a professional.
• There are always magazines, wherever you are. They are not always the same, because magazine images are often altered to look more beautiful, but you can still find nice combinations of shapes and colors in 2D format.
• Don't rely on technical or post-processing tricks like HDR to make your photos more interesting. If the photo you take is boring apart from the camera, delete it.