How to become a better photographer? I must admit that I do watch a ton of YouTube videos about photography. I love gear videos but gear will not make me a “better “ photographer now or ever. What interests me in these videos is to see & hear the philosophy of each photographer & how they see a scene & analyze what they’re seeing. How they see light, all of these things influence my creative vision.
For myself, photography consumes me it’s not just a “picture” every time I take a shot, a part of me is in that image. If you have read any of my posts/blogs I refer to my “pictures” as an “image”. To me, a picture is a spur of the moment snapshot. Not saying that there’s anything wrong with taking a snapshot, I do it all the time. In my opinion, an “image” is a thought out composition of a scene through my eyes.
I hear this a lot, how do “I” get better at photography? I always say go out & shoot everything under the sun. Whether if it’s sunrise, sunset, events, people, portraiture with lighting, natural light, documentaries or journalists style of photography… find out what genre drives your passion. Once you find that out go out & shoot as much as you can. You have to put in the time or you’ll get nowhere real fast! I didn’t get to where I am just shooting once a month, I have thousands of hours under my belt. I’ve made a shitload of mistakes, more than I’d like to admit & I still do but it has helped me become a better image storyteller.
If you're complacent with shooting once a week, once a month, staying home & watching YouTube or CreativeLive, you’ll get better, eventually, but it’ll take 100 times longer than someone who’ll watch the video & then go out & shoot that technique. You’ll make a ton of mistakes but the next time you shoot it, you’ll get better, OJT (on the job training) the best practice you can do. Make mistakes & learn from it, that’s what will make you a better photographer!
Photography to me is not a business, it’s not a hobby, it’s not work, it’s an extension of my soul.
Aloha a hui hou my friends!
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