So You Want to Make Better Pictures…
June 7th, 2010
I have a few of steps that may help.
1) Hang out with people who are better photographers than yourself. This means go out and shoot with people who you can learn from. If you want to shoot more than just landscapes, look at magazines and Ads. Find out who’s shooting the pictures you like and contact the photographers. Some photographers will actually respond to you. Make friends at local APA (Advertising Photographers of America) and ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). Most of the photographers that attend these meetings are professional photographers, i.e. they get paid to take pictures. Also, these organizations hold photo contests. Enter all the contests and get feed-back. Which brings me to may next two steps…
2) Take more pictures. It’s easy. I’m not saying you should take your camera everywhere you go. I don’t. But make it a point to go out and shoot. If you take landscapes, research an area and then go photograph it. If you shoot portraits, set up some shoots. You only get better if you practice.
3) Show more people. That’s right, get feed-back. Don’t be afraid to hear that your photo sucks and don’t get mad at someone for saying that your photo sucks. We all take crappy photos. Listen to what people say and then put it to use. That’s why you should contribute to contests. Sure they cost money, but so what. I’m sure you spent an arm and a leg on gear. What’s $50? Participating in a contest and get some great feed back from professionals, people who look at photography all day. Don’t be afraid to show your work.
If you do all of this, you WILL take better pictures.
This post was submitted by Jesse Brown.
