Sunday I was out photographing an amazing school dress rehearsal of She Kills Monsters when a student approached me and asked me a very good question: how do you get good at photography? And I answered with the truth: Go out and do photography.
I intend to write posts that offer advice on how to improve your photography on this blog (in addition to small business advice, and posts on fine arts here and there), but this post will skip 95% of that and tell you the ultimate secret. If you want to get good at photography then you have to go out and photograph things.
Imagine a book about history that is sitting on your desk. Now there are lots of things you can do with that book – use it as a door stop, a paperweight, use it to balance out an uneven table, maybe combat a mosquito with it, etc. But the only way you will ever acquire the knowledge that is written in that book is if you actually sit down and read the book.
The same is true about photography. Whether you have a top of the line brand new mirrorless camera or 2006 smartphone – if you want to get good at photography than I’d suggest you go out and do photography. Early on, it will fill clunky and awkward but as you start to take more and more pictures you start to become more comfortable with the process and your equipment. Eventually, you will get good enough that you will start to know what questions you want to ask to improve your own photography. Once you know what to ask, your research into improving your photography becomes a lot easier.
This is also true of the creative side of photography. I am a bit stronger on the technical side of photography and early on I struggled on the creative side. My advice: don’t view creativity as an all or nothing asset. Think of it more as muscle, the more you build it the easier it comes to you. Sure, when you start off it might look very simple, but few artists start with a flawless and limitless well of creativity. No, they usually build it up over time and you can too. It’s never too late to start and even if you are older when you do keep in mind that your creativity will have a much stronger base of lifetime experiences with which to build upon.
So, if you want to get good at photography then I’d suggest starting with actually photographing things with whatever camera you have access to. Don’t wait for the fancy $10,000 camera with the fancy $10,0000 lens falls in your lap. Just take what you have and go photograph. You won’t regret it.