20 tips and tricks to better photography

Getting better never ends

Photography is a never-ending voyage. There are so many different ways to get better technically and artistically. But it is always good to have some guidelines. In these 20 tips, I thought it might be fun to prioritize skills, techniques, and attitude adjustments instead of just giving everyone a set of rules. photography.

This is coming from yours truly

Remember people. I do not have 30 years of professional experience to my name. I am a modest photographer who, four years ago, decided to get better at photography. All these tips are based on

• Lessons I have learned by shooting
• Other people’s advice whom I admire that I think have valid points
• My personal PHILOSOPHY on my approach to capturing still images

Here are my 20 tips and tricks for you

1) Know light and all its behavior as much as possible. Find out how it flows, bounces, and illuminates as much as you can.

2) If you are to spend money make sure that your priority is your lens kit. All decisions should be made according to that. Buy your lens camera bodies according to your kit and not the opposite.

3)  Knowing your equipment is a lot more useful than having the latest and greatest equipment. Getting new gear will not make you any better. 

4) Do not let the greats intimidate you. Be inspired by what the greats do. Never say that you can never be that good.

Annie Leibovitz’s style is amazing. Get inspired by her portrait of Lindsay Vaughn

5) Prioritize your subject’s well being. Do not TRY to impress. A model will be far more impressed if you offer them a coffee than if you shot with Gwyneth Paltrow.

6) Moments pass and get lost, gear can always be replaced, but moments come and go. Never give up a great shot because you need to have what you believe is the right lens on you. If getting the lens will make you lose the shot. Deal with the gear that is in your hand.

7) Embrace your mistakes. Nothing is tougher to do than to look at an old photoshoot and say “Man I could have done that way better” but it is necessary. Each re-evaluation you do on your work just makes you better. 

Sometimes fleeting moments yield great results

8) Take advice but always consider where the advice is coming from. A photographer’s advice to you is worth nothing if their portfolio has nothing in it that you like. Politely say thank you and ignore advice if the person’s portfolio has nothing you like. On the other hand, take the criticism like a trooper if their portfolio is admirable.

9) Think workflow. The priority in all learning experiences is to nail knowledge of workflow. Although this can be done by reading, it is so important to gain workflow knowledge through experience. Therefore, jump into a photo project knowing full well that you might not get to the perfect goal the first time.

10) The love of gear will be your downfall be aware of that fact. It is so easy in this day in age to only think about gear and not concentrate on the actual idea of photographing things

When looking at a photograph, the last thing that comes to mind is what gear the photographer used

11) Capture emotion! To me, there is nothing else to capture. If you look at any photograph, what really makes it stand out is its ability to touch the person that sees it. It is the observer’s experience that defines it.

12) It is OK to sway from the initial goal. Try to plan your shoots but do not be mad if you come back with photos having nothing to do with your initial photo shoot goal.

13) Never underestimate the utility of a mistake. Look for mistakes! You can learn from them by avoiding the same mistake. You can also get great shots out of a mistake by finding beauty in that error. 

A misfire can be a keeper

14) Communicate a story. I come from a songwriting background and the same rule holds true for songs. Tell a story through your photos and you will succeed in touching people.

15) Do not take all this stuff too seriously. It is important for any artistic project to approach with passion and less with intensity. Have fun!

16) Slow down. You need to realize that you will forget a setting or overlook an element of composition if you are in a rush.

17)  Go out and shoot! It sounds simple but it is surprisingly hard. Reserve time to shoot anything. Chances are that you WILL learn something! Who knows, you might even get a good shot also.

18) After a shoot, look at your settings. One of the biggest bonuses in digital photography is metadata. It allows you to go back in time and re-evaluate what you did during a shoot.

19) Respectfully imitate and give credit where credit is due. I believe that the integrity of any artist is in their capacity to make others shine. Copy others but please make sure you mention that you replicated their technique.

20) Open your mind to what others have done. Even when you do not like somebody else’s work. Try to get why others love it. Complain less.