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?