Things I’ve Learned as a Photographer
In the few years short years I’ve given my heart and soul and dove head first into the fabulously entertaining world of photography, I feel like I’ve learned enough to fill the Atlantic Ocean. Ok… maybe Lake Michigan. Granted, my Polish genes ensure that I’ll really only retain about 1/32 of the information I’ve come across but still, what I know now compared to what I knew 2 years ago is almost beyond comprehension. There are plenty of books out there that will tell you the ins and outs of photography; how a professional will do this or that to get their amazing photos. For me, I’ve learned the best way to get a great photo is to read those books, promptly forget everything I just read, go out and shoot using all the wrong settings on my camera and then learn from those horrible, horrible mistakes. I retain my information best by doing. Not reading. So yeah, I’ve taken plenty of bad photos. But I’ve also learned a lot too (and the books helped when I finally got back around to rereading them.)
At any rate, I’ve compiled a list of the little and not so little things that being a photographer has taught me. So here goes.
- Sometimes it’s okay to be afraid: Any one of my friends will probably tell you that I’m a big scardy pants. I hate horror movies or anything that has the potential to seriously creep me out and make me check for monsters under the bed (and don’t think I won’t check!) As I’ve progressed as a photographer, I feel like I’m making a lot of huge steps to get to where I want to go. Huge, scary steps. Steps that make me want to hide in the closet and wait until it’s over. But sometimes that fear is a great motivator. It’s helped teach me that if it’s important enough, I’ll get past that fear and if I really want something I won’t let anything stop me, including myself. But I’ll still check under the bed for monsters.
- Doing your own PR is a pain: Well, at least for me it is. Sales is not something that comes easy to a lot of people. I happen to be one of those lucky people. It makes it even more difficult when the product your trying to sell is yourself. Yikes. The internet is a public relation person’s wet dream. For me, it’s great for uploading photos, having my own website, and blogging about random things but trying to form relationships and get contacts? It’s a nightmare. I’ve learned there is an exceptional amount of energy that needs to be invested in meeting, forming and keeping up on relationships with other people in this field. So I mostly avoid doing it, at least until I can find my own PR person. And this is probably the reason why no one’s ever heard of me.
- Most photographers are super helpful: A generalized statement, I know. But true. I’ve found that people in this field are really willing to help out their fellow man (or woman.) People gladly share editing techniques, tips on composition, great books they read, the scoop on the latest equipment… it’s a giant community of helpfulness. I can honestly say this surprised me in the beginning. I fully expected those who were pros and advanced amateur photographers to snub the “little people” (such as myself.) Why shouldn’t they? They’re so much better. But advice and tips are willingly given. There’s always the occasional jerk-face, but most people are great.
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Change it up: One thing I’ve noticed a lot on the different photography sites I belong to is people have a tendency to only shoot within their comfort zone. And they’ll also post the same picture 17 times with just a slightly different composition. While I, myself find my own work fascinating to look at at every possible angle, I have realized that it’s pretty damn boring for others to see the same scene with almost no variation. Another thing I’ve learned is to stretch myself as a photographer. Don’t always shoot the same things. I started out only shooting nature and absolutely refused to take photos that had any people in them. It really limited my capabilities. People didn’t interest me much then, and also I knew how bad I was at capturing that perfect expression on their face. As I developed my skills and got more involved in the photo community, I was blown away by the people photos some of these photographers took. Just astonishing. I decided I wanted to give it a shot. I was ready. Sort of. So, I started practicing. I’ve found that it’s a different challenge altogether. People move a lot faster than most things in a landscape but now I find people almost as interesting as a scenic vista. I’ve discovered that as my ability to capture shots of people in action enhances, that also enhances my skills in general. So when I actually do make it out to capture that glorious sunset, I feel more comfortable with my abilities than I used to. My main rule for myself is to take pictures of anything that peaks my interest whether it be a waterfall, a kid in a playground or some random object on the side of the road. It’s served me well so far and produced some cool photos!
- Find your own style: Yeah, I’m still working on this one. But my point here is this. We all have those photographers whose work just blows us away. And we want nothing more in the world than to create just like them. Well, here’s the skinny. Never gonna happen. Sure, you can try to recreate that cool thing they did and it may kinda look similar to their work, but in the end it’s just not the same. I’ve tried to try it. I see a lot of really great photos and of course I think, “wow! That’s freaking awesome!” And then I try, in a very sad and pathetic attempt, to recreate what cannot be recreated. I usually end up frustrated and annoyed. So I’ve learned that everyone has their own style. I suppose this is what makes us different and interesting although, quite frankly, I’m excessively jealous of a few people and their styles… At any rate, if I force my photo to look like something it doesn’t want to, then neither me or the photo will be satisfied with this and I’ll just have to redo it again at some point. So I have learned the hard way to go with the flow. I go where my photo takes me. Sometimes it takes me to the Recycle Bin. Other times, I really couldn’t tell you how I got the photo to look that good. And then there are the times when I know exactly what I want to do with it and it just happens. Those times are the best.
- Back up, Back up, Back up!: I’m not talking about trucks here. Backing up your work. Wow, did I learn this one the hard way (my favorite way, apparently.) It’s amazing how vital this is to anyone who stores anything on an electronic device and yet how few people actually do it. It’s astonishing how many people stupidly think that keeping everything on an external hard drive means it’s safe (*raises hand* yep, I’m one of them.) I think external hard drives are probably the most fragile piece of equipment I’ve ever encountered. They’re unbelievably wonderful for storing everything. Just pray you never drop it. Like I did. Without a backup. Things to keep in mind – data can potentially be recovered from a damaged/drive. They have “specialists” for these things. BUT, getting your whole life back from that one little drive comes at a hefty price. It’s probably just easier and cheaper to back up your work. Life lessons. Where would we be without them?
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