There are always reasons to go watch some Simpsons or stare at Facebook. That little voice in your head will give you all of them just when it’s time to work on your photography. We disagree.
1. I don’t have the time
Some people say that they don’t have time to learn new techniques, but if you have time to browse facebook or the internet then you have time to learn new techniques in photography. I always try to spend my idle times by reading articles and looking at photographs, every moment unproductive moment is a wasted time.
2. I know everything I need for now
Photography is a never ending learning experience. One thing I like about being a photographer is knowing that there is always space to improve. You never get bored because there is always something new. People keep inventing new stuff that you can do with photography. But frankly, there is probably quite a bit of old stuff you have not covered too.
Other photographers Your competition keeps on improving their skills, so you should do the same.
3. I now have my own style
Maybe you have found your own style in photography and maybe it works for you. But I’ve been doing photography for 7 years but I have seen how the styles and trends come and go over the years and I know that they will keep on changing.
You can go along with the style that you have but your fans and clients will get bored at one point and want something new or just something different from you. Learning new stuff and adding to your style will get will get you more clients and help you keep the ones you have.
4. I don’t have the Gear
Do you have a camera and a lens? That’s all the gear you need. Gear will always help photographers to create great photographs but never let lack of a certain gear piece stop you from improving. It’s about knowing how a camera works, how it captures light, how to communicate with your subject, and how to light your subject. Your camera is always just a tool. And just the tool you need.
When I started photography, noise handling was so bad that you could not go over ISO 800 or your pictures would look horrible, but today you can get a clean shot even at ISO 6400. So there are things you can do now in your photograph that couldn’t be done 10 years ago. So what, learn to use your gear in a way that works.
5. I don’t know where to start
Everywhere you look is a chance to learn something new.
Most of the time when I look for ideas, either to shoot or for practice, I find them by looking at billboards and magazines. When you start reading and learning photography, you understand how a shot is made, and how you can also do it yourself. You see photographs/ads differently once you learn photography.
Personally I think the internet is one of the best places to learn photography, there are hundreds of tutorials, videos and articles on what you need to know. good news is that this blog is a very good start.
6. Because learning is Expensive
I’m probably killing my own workshop business by saying this but learning photography is actually free. Everyone can learn photography and improve there skills by just looking at photography blogs and tutorials on youtube. There are tons of free tutorials on the net and you can learn almost anything you want just by looking at the right spot.
Although joining workshops and doing hands on activities is actually a whole let better and all worth it but don’t let this stop you from improving your skills.
So there it is, whats your excuse for not improving today?
