There is no limit to improvement, a newborn photographer and professional photographer also improve their work. Here we present 9 different ways to improve our photos this year.
As far as we are concerned, we would like to challenge you with a photographic purpose at your fingertips: to improve your photographic capabilities this 2021.
We would simply like that, in a natural way, some of them can help you to start the year strong and advance your knowledge and photographic practice. Are we going to do it?
Below we are going to tell you a series of recommendations that you can carry out in a simple way. It is not that you do them all, nor do we want anyone to be obsessed;
1. Take The Camera For A Walk Every Day
With the pandemic, many of us have recovered the habit of going out for a walk every day (a practice that was especially important when the confinement was lifted) so it is an excellent idea that those outings are accompanied by a camera or mobile phone with the idea of taking some photos.
It is not about making it an obligation, but about having something on hand in case something interesting comes up to portray (for example now with the snowfalls).
If we want to take it a little more seriously, we can force ourselves to take a photo (even just one) every day.
Since it is very likely that our walk will always take place in the same area, this will require creativity not to repeat ourselves, which will allow us to improve our “photographic eye” little by little.
Or maybe it is interesting to take a daily photo of the same place, which could already become a long-term project, which would be the next possibility.
2. Start A Long-term Project
Many times the apathy or lack of motivation to take photos is that we do not know what to portray, so starting a long-term photography project can be a good idea.
For example, what we were saying, taking a daily photo of the same place, like Harvey Keitel’s character in the unforgettable ‘Smoke’, or immortalizing all the sunrises of a whole year.
It doesn’t have to be as long as this one by Noah Kalina, who has been taking self-portraits every day for 20 years, and the subject matter can be extremely varied; the case is to have something to photograph and, on the other hand, a small obligation to fulfill a project (it does not have to be a daily photo) that expands our creativity.
3. Find A Good Book That Inspires You
Without a doubt, a good reading related to photography can encourage us to take the camera and take pictures. It can be any of the books that we usually show you here or here, and it does not matter if it is of a technical nature or those that serve to learn to look and think like photographers.
4. Buy A New Camera, Lens, Or Accessory
It is far from our intention to encourage you to waste money on something you do not need, but it is true that buying a new item for our equipment can be an incentive to take more images. Perhaps a second body to complete our team or a new objective, an element that can be cheaper and will also help us to take pictures.
Even a simple extension ring with which to enter macro photography can be a good push that makes this new year more photographic than the last.
You can check out this review for buying a camera, hopefully this article will help you a lot.
5. Try Other Disciplines
In line with the above, a good tip to make the next year more photographic is to try to delve into disciplines other than those we have tried so far or are used to practicing. What is now said so much about “getting out of our comfort zone” can be a great way to advance our photography practice.
It is true that there are disciplines that require a more specialized team, but most of them can be done without specific means, simply trying to squeeze the equipment that we already have (always talking about not having professional ambitions).
You don’t need a big telephoto lens to shoot sports, a normal one can get decent results with interest and practice.
6. Sign Up For A Course
The best way to learn photography is to read (both books and web pages such as Xataka Foto ) and practice a lot, but sometimes signing up for a course is a good idea, especially if it encourages us to take the camera (even if it forces us a little).
Of course, we must make sure that the course (whether in person or online) is adequate for our knowledge (because if not, we may not learn anything) and also, very importantly, that it is of quality and is taught by a professional who knows what you are talking about.
7. Enter A Contest
You may think that your photos are not of sufficient quality but you should not rule out submitting them to a contest. As you know, there are competitions for all tastes, from all fields and the most varied themes, so by doing a little research one can find a contest in which it is feasible to appear.
Obviously, if you are an amateur without great ambitions, it may not be the best to present yourself to the Sony World Photo Awards, but you can always compete for a prize in a local or regional contest.
Who knows if what luck may bring us and, on the other hand, we will agree that the winners of the contests do not always seem the best photos that have been presented, do not you think?
8. Join A Group
Be it a forum for users of a brand, a Facebook group, or a local association of photographers, having contact with other photographers is a good way to improve; so joining one of these groups may be another good idea for the new year.
Of course, you have to go with an open mind, willing to learn from others, share and enrich ourselves.
Belonging to a group is a good opportunity to show your photos to someone who has certain knowledge, although it is true that you also have to be prepared to accept criticism, because your work may not be received as you expected.
However, you have to be positive and take it as a starting point to learn and improve.
9. Review Your Photos And Do Many More
But without a doubt, the most important thing is to never stop taking photos, even if it is of things that at first seem nondescript. Take photos as much as you can and whenever possible, every day if possible.
And also check your old photos and try to understand why they are not as good as you expected; Think about whether you failed because of a nondescript subject, poor composition, or poor photographic technique, it can all be used as a starting point to learn and improve.
With this, we have finished telling you to improve your photography practice in 2021 just begun but we do not want to end without remembering some related useful links, such as an article with 9 Tricks to take professional photos.