Simple Photography Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner
I’ve been chasing the light since 2008 and documenting my journey here on the blog since 2009. It’s been amazing and fun, and I have loved all of it. I hope to continue for the rest of my days. I’ve also learned a lot from my experiences. But I have wasted a TON of time, made countless mistakes, stressed about things that never mattered, and ignored my own instincts because I was insecure about something.
Here’s what I wish I knew years ago:
Create for yourself, not others
Nobody is really paying close attention, so do what you want
If you like it, it’s a good photo
Don’t copy someone/something that is popular - shoot/edit however you like
Follower counts don’t matter
Everybody takes a lot of terrible photos
Photographers are only showing their good shots
Social media is just a highlight reel - it’s not even close to reality most of the time
It’s ok to shoot super popular spots and take the standard shot everyone else takes
Yes, it’s also good to try and do something original there, but that's hard to do most of the time
Sunrise is generally better than sunset, and definitely better in cities
Nobody knows everything about photography
You’re a better photographer than you think you are
You are ahead of some photographers and behind others in certain areas
Help those that you can help - pay it forward - because it takes a long time to learn on your own
You will never stop learning about photography
Pay attention to the light more than anything else when editing
Composition makes or breaks an image
Foregrounds!
Gear matters but only to a certain point
You don’t need to bring all your gear on a trip
Your shots will be better when you slow down and think about the shot more
You will never shoot it all
Take the shot because you never know if something will change
Learn the buttons and dials on your camera as well as you can, so you don’t always have to look at them
Enjoy every chance you get to work on photography, because it is a joy
Don’t take things too seriously
This list is not comprehensive, but hopefully it gives you some things to think about.
What would you add to the list?
