Anything Above Zero Compounds
I believe it was Sahil Bloom who said that “anything above zero compounds” (or at least that is where I first heard the phrase). At first I didn’t give this quote much thought, because it just seemed like a quick, catchy comment. But it stuck in my brain and I kept coming back to it, and realized just how meaningful it is, despite its brevity.
I used to think that I had to find large, dedicated chunks of time to improve my photography, and if I didn’t have a lot of time, it wasn’t worth trying. Why bother if I can’t really dive deep? What can I really get done in 5 or 10 minutes?
Whether this was about going out to shoot or staying home and editing photos, or even writing on the blog, I had in my mind that I needed several hours at a time in order to get in the flow and learn something or create something. Of course in modern life it is hard to find that sort of time, most weeks. We’re all busy and have commitments with family, work, and more. So there were a lot of times when I didn’t do anything, because I didn’t feel like I had the time.
This caused me to push off any attempt at self-improvement (mostly about photography, but it’s applicable to other parts of life as well, I think), and to sometimes feel frustrated that I didn’t have time to do what I wanted to do. It seemed like everyone else could find the time - why not me? And how am I ever going to improve my photography?
But I’ve come to realize that this perceived need for large chunks of free time to improve my photography just isn’t true. You can improve in only a few minutes a day - it just takes a bit of a shift in mindset. You can go deep on something in just a few minutes, and you can get something done. You can’t go deep on a LOT of things, but that’s ok. You can focus on a single thing and improve it. You can make these micro-improvements and they really do compound. Anything above zero helps.
Here are some things that I do to improve my photography in just a few minutes (divided by category):
Capture:
Go out to take some practice shots, and nothing else. It doesn’t have to be a “photo outing”. It’s not a competition, and there is no judgement about what you capture. It’s just a workout. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make great photos. Just get some reps in.
Take a single lens and nothing else. Do not tempt yourself with additional equipment. Simplify.
Do not take a tripod. It’s quicker and easier to wander handheld, and since this isn’t a “big outing”, don’t take all the stuff you normally would take. Make it easy to set up and shoot. Remove any barriers.
Because you have no tripod with you, and a single lens on your camera, do not take a backpack. Just take a small sling bag if you need it, or just have the strap around your neck. Less is more when you are practicing.
Being able to freely move without additional equipment and baggage can free your mind to take photos and get creative, and you aren’t distracted by thinking you should change lenses for any particular shot.
Another thing I do, and maybe this is weird, but I sometimes mentally practice my compositions when I am out, even without a camera. I make a little box with my fingers as though it’s the back of my camera and frame things up, as though I was taking the shot.
Of course, you likely have a pretty capable smartphone in your pocket, and obviously we all use those pretty often, too. But treat it like a “real” camera, get your composition right, and take shots that way too.
Practice your editing on your mobile device too. Whether you use Luminar Mobile, or Snapseed, or something else, you can get some pretty nice results this way, and it only takes a couple of minutes. These aren’t your masterpieces - just some quick snaps you are practicing with.
If you work in an office, take a short walk on your lunch break and capture a few images with your phone. You can get nice images and also practice your composition skills.
Editing:
You don’t have to complete an edit, every time. Just get started. Do a little something. Even if you only edit a portion of a photo, take your time and get it right. There’s no reason to hurry.
Pick a single tool and work on it. Move the sliders around, see what it does to your image, and give it some thought in terms of why it may help your edit. Go slow. Don’t just slap it on the photo and move on. Pay attention to what impact it is having on your image.
Pick a single masking tool and practice. Your use of it doesn’t have to be great, or even good, to help you improve. You can always undo your edits. Just grab a masking tool and practice, practice, practice.
Watch an editing video about whichever subject you are challenged with. Many tutorials are 10-15 minutes so you can often complete these on a quick break. Even if you are at work, and cannot edit along with the video, some of it will stick and you can try it at home later.
Edit a different kind of photo than you normally take/edit. If you are a landscape photographer, take a quick portrait of a family member and practice editing that. It makes you think differently, which is good.
Study some of your previous edits and think about what you could have done differently. Perhaps even go back and re-edit some of them if you have time. Your skills and tastes have likely changed since then.
Look at your edited images as a thumbnail. Sometimes that helps me see them in a different light. When I am looking at it full screen, I look at specific elements and judge my edits, but viewing it as a thumbnail helps me see it more holistically, which can inform what I do with a crop or an edit.
I know this one is a hard one, but can you get up a few minutes early some mornings to edit? I do this pretty often, and sure I may drag a little by the end of the day, but I get my creative time in first when I am energized (and the coffee is flowing) instead of trying to do it at the end of the day when I’m tired and just want to veg out.
Inspiration:
View photos from photographers you like. This is always inspiring to me. Go to their Instagram page, or Facebook page, or Flickr page, or website gallery and scroll. Take it all in. Go slow.
When scrolling, stop on the images you like and look at them, and I mean really look at them. Study their compositions, or their use of light or color, and begin to imagine the sort of edits they did to achieve that final look. You will figure out a lot, even without seeing the original raw files.
Pick up a book about photography. Some of my faves are listed at the bottom of my gear page. I always get inspired when looking at a book of photographs. I also tend to imagine what edits I would have done to the photos.
It’s likely you are thinking about places you can go and shoot. Make a list of these and start planning out the locations you want to shoot when you get there. This is more than just dreaming about it - this is active planning for a trip or outing that you are actively planning to take, whether it is nearby or a plane ride away.
Check out one of your favorite painters online. Even without looking at photographs, you can get inspired looking at beautiful artwork. You’d be surprised at how this can help your photography. Painters were masters at using light and color. Isn’t that what we are trying to do?
There are so many ways to improve your photography in just 5-10 minutes at a time, and it’s way better to do this than to sit around and be frustrated about not improving. These are some ideas that work for me, but there are surely many more available to us. It’s all about a mindset shift towards micro-investments that will help you improve.
What do you do to improve when you don’t have a lot of time?
