Today I’m going to share with you some of the most valuable secrets of photography. You won’t believe how many of the world-famous photographers use these secrets to improve their photography without you even knowing it! If you follow the steps laid out in the rest of this article, I guarantee that you will take better pictures and become a more accomplished shooter.
Secret #1: Hard Work
You may be saying “Andrew, that’s not really a secret.” Yeah, I know. But it’s crazy how many people don’t realize how important hard work can be. Unless you’re a prodigy like Mozart (composing songs at 3), you’re most likely not going to be that good at something without really working on it. I’ve seen a lot of people get really interested in photography, ask me lots of questions, and seem really into it. They want to get the best gear and know the fast-track to being really good. Problem is, they aren’t willing to put in the endless hours of unpaid work that goes into learning the techniques of the trade. They aren’t willing to mess around with their camera for hours only to get one image. They aren’t willing to spend a lot of late nights editing photos or work on a project for hours only to be disappointed with the final product. To be really good at any given thing in this world, it takes time, effort and countless failures. Failures are great. Every failure gives you the opportunity to decide if you’ll allow that failure to hinder your progress or if you’ll choose to learn from your failure.
Secret #2: Time
You may be saying “OK dude, that’s also not a secret...” Hey, you’re right! But again, so many people don’t realize how important time spent is. To truly advance from the beginner stage of photography, you must spend the time honing your craft. There are so many different aspects to photography to be a well-rounded photographer. You need to take the time to improve. Thankfully, with the internet there are countless materials that you can learn nearly anything about photography for free. It’s incredible! Use it. Many of you have probably heard of the 10,000 hours rule. Essentially what this rule says is that if you practice something for 10,000 hours, you’ll be an expert at it. While that’s not necessarily true (quality of practice is more important than quantity of practice), the general rule rings true. There are people who are naturally gifted at certain things, but nobody is truly good and knowledgeable right from the get-go.
Secret #3: Motivation
Ok, you caught me. These aren’t secrets. I’m actually pretty convinced that with any major field, there is no “fast-track” or “secret” to success. Those are just words trying to sell you something. It’s all mostly common-sense stuff. Having quality practice time, a good work ethic and motivation are the biggest factors for improving at anything.
When I started out in photography I started out pretty poorly. I got a camera and enjoyed taking photos but really had no direction. Photography was a hobby back then, and while it was fun I didn’t really know where to go with it. That leads me to. . . finding motivation. Truly, the best thing I ever did with photography was a 365 project. A 365 project is a project where you have to upload one photo a day for a whole year. This gave me a daily motivation to take and edit pictures with a supportive community giving me feedback. I would HIGHLY suggest using https://www.tookapic.com for this. I believe it’s around 70 bucks a year, and if you stick with it I guarantee you will not regret it. In Steemit currency, it’s (currently) about 10 SBD for an entire year.
Tookapic taught me so much. Looking back at the first pictures I posted there is almost embarrassing now. I see now that I really had no idea what I was doing, but I’m so glad I went in all the way. Just go ahead and ask fellow Steemit users @yumyumseth and @jrue about Tookapic. It forced me to churn out one photo a day. It didn’t necessarily matter if the photo was good or not, all that mattered was that I had to release one photo a day. By grinding every single day and practicing different styles of photographs, I truly got better. DO IT.
Secret #4: Conclusion
So, this might not have been the most groundbreaking photography article. That being said, I hope it helps those starting out understand a little bit more about what it takes to improve your pictures. In order be good at photography you must get off the couch, spend the long hours when you don’t feel like it, and keep at it in order to eventually see long-term improvement.. Photography is a game of quick gains, meaning once you start you’ll see dramatic growth. But to truly get to a different level you must keep at it, learning all the tiny details that will make a huge difference in the end.
I hope this article helped and if you have any questions please ask me! I’ll be posting more tutorials here in the future, so stay tuned!
Great post and although the points may seem obvious that's just what we need sometimes. Someone who reminds us how easy the principles are but how passionate you must be about them in order for you to grow.
That's about exactly what I was going for :) Seems like people tend to over-complicate things often, and drown in the technicalities. Thanks for reading!
perseverance, not surrender there are bad days that we get tired and we think that all the pictures of the day are bad and we desist the biggest mistake we can make is that, it is not the team that we have is how we use the tools and our imagination and the history we want tell in the picture ... good help with that post
I couldn't agree more. Your pictures are proof that you've worked hard and it's starting to pay off!
I photographer friend of mine used to say... "shoot, shoot, shoot. shoot. shoot. shoot." :)
Haha! I like it!
Especially in the digital age. The cost of film is not a factor.
I suggest the alternative title “How to Get Good at Anything.” Good work, good advice.
Good thing I'm a two-title kind of guy! Thanks meowster
Time is hardest at first then Motivation becomes the hard one .
No you're completely right! I teach some photography classes and the most common thing is people asking, in the middle of a talk, "what were your settings on that? What lens did you use? What gear do I need to take such and such photo?" It's maddening. .. I always explained, there is no magic formula, no magic gear, no prefect lens. You need to put in the time and effort to learn, so you know how to handle whatever light is thrown at you, or manipulate the light to your liking. Photography is an art! It's about you, not your gear!!
Ok rant over 😊 Awesome post, dude. Cheers!
Couldn't agree more! I remember hearing once that you should never upgrade your gear until you know exactly what you were upgrading. It also reminds me of music. Everyone wants that awesome guitar with all the great pickups etc, but you can barely even play the guitar! Haha. I'll listen to your rants anytime haha
Hehe thanks I have lots of rants to share!! 😂
Yes I worked in photo retail for ten years and it was an exercise in patience not biting off the heads of people who came in wanting to buy a camera "that's takes great portrait shots so I can start a photography business...". etc etc lol it's a fun industry, isn't it? Cheers
Eeesh, ten years in photo retail? You must have a lot of patience, haha! But, I guess in a way it's nice there are people like that, since if everyone was good at photography I wouldn't have a job :)
Haha my patience finally wore out I just quit last month 😁
Ah, well perfect! Haha. Do you still teach some photography stuff?
I will probably do some this year for sure. It can be fun to teach!
Excellent guidance - thanks for this.
It's something I would definitely had said to my kids when they were trying guitars, singing, sports or anything. I'd tell them they had talent but weren't born with a guitar, ball, etc in their hands. They had to hone their talent.
I need to take my own advice. I think I'm crappy with photography because I don't know what I am doing and "should" by now. But I haven't honed my craft. I heard you!
Yeah, I guess it doesn't necessarily apply to photography, more like learning any craft. But it's something I think we all need to remind ourselves daily if we actually want to get better at whatever it is. I'm following you, so I look forward to seeing your posts in the future! If you ever have any questions you wanna throw by me, just let me know :)
Oh great, thank you. I always appreciate sources....thanks for the follow. And the education.
One of the most important things which I feel which was missed is, patience. The same thing doesn't look same at two different times, the lights, the atmosphere, the colors aren't always same. Sometimes, you need to be patient for the perfect time to get the perfect picture.
Yup, I totally agree with you. That can be so frustrating when the same thing you've done fifty times isn't working :) Thanks for your input.
Hardwork, Time, Motivation ... Sounds about right.
A dash of creativity helps but those others are even more important.
Yeah, completely agree. Everyone can get to about the same point of knowledge, but it does take an open and creative mind to get really good unique shots. Like your panoramas :)
You're definitely right. For me it's motivation and hardwork is key. Though some people think hard work is overrated, I see it as a prerequisite
Hard work is a prerequisite. . . I like it :)
I enjoyed reading this post.
I love the way u explained secrets in Detail.
But I believe it is really hard to practice especially for a beginner like me.
It can be hard for a beginner, but if everything was easy everyone would do it.
I would say it also takes a little luck, but then I think you make your own luck most of the time with the neccessary preparation ahead of time.
I think you are right that many people don't appreciate what it takes to be that really good photographer. I know I have a long way to go but enjoy experimenting along the way.
The best advice I can give is to make plenty of mistakes and experiment. If you're not making mistakes - your not learning.
Plus learning is a process that never ends. Especially nowadays with services like Creative live, YouTube and Kelby 1.
Good advice! And you're so right. With new technology and new techniques, those places are amazing sources of information.
Great post dude, you couldn't be more right. Time, Motivation and Hard Work are absolutely bloody essential. It's such a fast paced environment that the truth is 'if you're not moving forwards you're moving backwards'. Even when you've been in the game a while things still change every year, I've got my 10,000 hours and I know how to take photos, but keeping up with the industry - or rather, keeping AHEAD of the industry - takes serious commitment.
It's a fantastic job that has a totally unique lifestyle, but newcomers need to understand the commitment it takes!
Great point! So much new information is coming out, and tons of new technology. If you had told someone they could fly a tiny little drone and capture higher quality photos than some of the best cameras around, they wouldn't have believed you. Staying ahead of the game is super important too. Which it seems like you're doing a good job of :) Great pics man
Absolutely, it's gone nuts! To be honest I think we've reached a point where we're not even seeing things like image improvements. Not in any meaningful way anyway, we're seeing the same tech downsized, extra features, Dynamic Range, ISO etc, but not just raw image quality.
I'll be interested to see where the industry goes over the next decade!
Thanks dude, much appreciated! And likewise!
Interesting, but I think you have a point. Though, for at least the regular photographer (aka, one's not printing their works on billboards etc), is there a need for higher resolution cameras (to an extent)? Curious what your thoughts are on that.
Absolutely not, I don't expect to see innovation there as I really think those days are gone, even for those printing (all but billboards maybe!) I'm not sure what I WANT to see from the industry really, maybe just options that cut out all of the crap. I'm a wedding and portrait photographer, I really have no use for Video capabilities and I could probably do without WiFi, certainly without GPS, yet I've essentially paid for those things regardless. I suppose it's all marketing really anyway!
I got you man, I completely understand. I'm both a videographer and a photographer (mostly photo), so I benefit from having cameras that have both. But I also completely understand where you're coming from as well, since you don't need any of that other fancy stuff.
I guess there is a market, but I just wish someone like Panasonic, with their GH5s announcement would just think about things a bit more in terms of practicality. Take a Sony or a Panasonic for instance, they are built like stills camera's and the ergonomics favour that kind of shooting, yet the GH5s has gone down to a 10.28MP sensor. NOBODY is buying a GH5s at $2500 for photography, so what's the point dressing it up as a photography camera? Just all feels a bit pointless to me!
I grew up with this passion for photography but the cost of setting it up is whooping especially in my country.
Yes, unfortunately photography gear can be expensive, and even some of the starter cameras can cost money depending on your income. Good luck and I hope you're able to purchase a camera soon. Maybe with some Steemit earnings!
I think you've been a steemian for a while now. I post good articles but I don't make much. How can I change that? Thanks!
Can these also work for guys who have phones with badass cameras?
Haha, it's crazy how the new phone cameras are really good. Google is going to be coming out with a camera(phone) in the next few years that will have incredible processing power. Technology is moving fast. But yes, the principles will translate
Okay man,thanks.
Loved the article! I have heard about the 10.000h rule a couple of years ago and I really believe it's true. Most people who are successful in doing something have at least a few years of daily practice under their belt.
Thanks! While I don't think there's a magic number, I do agree with the general rule. Nobody gets good right away.
not all can really understand the piece of info deliver, i study communication management, and among courses took are photo-journalism. so i quite understood you perfect. you kept the game simple. guys add those grammer to it, its same message you will communicate. so i am giving you an up vote for this and may as well follow you for more.
@omega360 thanks! The details of photography are quite in-depth, but yes, as with anything hard work and dedication will pay off.
Thank you so much tutorial @aweber! I really enjoy taking photographs, but since I joined Steemit it became a more than a hobby, I do really love, going out there and doing my self. At the moment I keep using my phone S. Galaxy S6 to take photos but I am planing to get a camera. Can you please recommend me a good camera? Thanks again!
Hey that's great news! A phone can work for now, while you get used to seeing the world through a lens. The first DSLR I started with was a Canon Rebel T2i, and then I bought a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. Looks like on eBay that'll run around 200 USD. If you can afford it, that's definitely a great start!
Thank you very much I definitely I will check it ou!! :)
Can you make a post about composition, I woul.like know more about that. I have some photos, here is one and tell me what you think, if you can follow me.great, I will follow you. See ya.
https://steemit.com/photography/@pavolactico/what-s-going-on-here
I'll definitely take doing a tutorial of composition into consideration! Thanks for your input!
hola saludos, gracias por tus consejos