I’ve never met a photographer who wasn’t extremely passionate about their craft. Not only do they love photography, but they also want to get better, and they’re not afraid of hard work—I find that really inspiring. If y’all are photographers, you can probably relate. Keep reading to learn a few ways to take your photography to the next level.
Never stop learning
As with any skill, hobby, or profession, you never know everything. You may be super knowledgeable about a certain topic or skill, but there’s always more to learn. Let’s put photography into perspective: we’ve used photography for well over a century and we’re still learning about it. Sometimes, to learn something new, all you need to do is try something different and practice.
Challenge yourself and allow yourself to fail
By far one of the best ways to learn something new is by challenging yourself and learning from your failures. For example, if you’re primarily a landscape photographer, that means you’re probably used to shooting with a wide-angle lens. So, to challenge yourself, maybe you could try portrait photography instead. You don’t need a fancy setup, just start somewhere. You could take portraits of your furry friends, or even the bird outside your window. Just start somewhere.
Sell your gear to upgrade
I know you’ve heard the saying before—the quality of your photos depends on your technique, not your gear. While this saying is kind of true, your gear still matters. Put it this way: your gear shouldn’t keep you from progressing. If your gear is holding you back, you need to upgrade. You and I both know that photography gear is expensive, so if you’re looking at upgrading, consider selling your camera. I want you to get the most for your gear, so make sure you check out these tips for selling your camera online before listing it.
Sharpen your post-production skills
Now, this is a little debatable, but some of the magic happens after you take the photo. I’m talking postproduction, y’all! Take some time to sharpen your skills in Photoshop, Lightroom, and so on. Have you ever seen one of those time-lapse photos that show the stars in a galaxy, and they’re extremely vivid? Those are partially done at the time of the photo by using long exposure shots, but the colors really come out in the post-production process.
I love looking back at photographs, whether I took them or not because they bring back memories of all kinds. However, there’s nothing better than looking back at how you’ve progressed as a photographer. Y’all just need practice and try some new things to take your photography to the next level.
