How to Improve Your Photography In 2024 (Change THIS!)

If you want to improve your photography, keep reading! This is for you.

Photography is so much more than getting bangers for Instagram.

You’re capturing priceless memories. You’re creating art.

So how do you get the basics down, master the techniques, and become a lean mean photo machine?

This article will be the most useful thing you’ve ever read on the topic, and it’ll only take you 10 minutes. For Free!! Let’s dive in.

Oh, one more thing. I have free courses and a mentorship programme! Check them out.

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Are you a good photographer yet?

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The first thing to realise is this:

Photography is a process. What does that mean?

It means you’re always getting better. I’m a full time professional and I’m still constantly improving!

To begin to improve, you must figure out what your current skill level is, and where you want to end up. You might have some idea - maybe you’re a complete beginner. Maybe you’re a seasoned pro, and you’ve hit a plateau.

If you’re not sure, take the Photography Skills Benchmark and see if you’re as good as you think!

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Essential Photography Equipment

Ok get ready for a shock:

You need a camera! Ok fine I hear you shouting ”WHAT CAMERA?!”

Any camera. An iPhone X, a Nikon D40, a Canon 1DX. Your Nan’s old Konica. As long as it makes a picture happen, you can use it as a tool to improve, learn, and eventually, you can upgrade to the shiny new thing that you’re convinced you need.

For some other important bits you might want, check out my article on Gear Basics.

As well as a camera, you’ll need a computer. Editing is half the job, and improving your editing and selections is a massive part of getting better at taking photos.

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What Settings To Use For Great Photos

Settings often get shared online in specifics. Use 1/250 for this, f/2.8 for this. This is a silly way to get better. You need to learn The Exposure Triangle! Once you understand what each setting does, and how it impacts your other settings, you won’t need to worry about any of the technical stuff at all. It will become second nature, and you’ll be able to spend all of your brain horsepower on being creative!

I think one absolutely CRUCIAL skill when it comes to improving your photography is … failing.

Hear me out!

You can spend days reading all the technical information that exists. (SILLY)

OR

You can get excited to fail! Go out on a walk. Take some photos without thinking about any settings whatsoever.

Now when you look at them, spot your mistakes. What went wrong? Once you have a real world, concrete problem to solve, you can use your settings to FIX THE PROBLEM.

This one strategy will make learning so much more rapid, and rewarding for you in 2024.

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How To Use Composition To Improve Your Photography

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As they say, you need to learn the rules so that you can break them properly. Learning how to compose a great photo is extra fun.

The way to get better at this is to watch lots of movies, and look at lots of paintings, sculptures, and other photography!

Watch your favourite movie. Pay attention to the way the shots are framed. You’ll begin to incorporate these shots into your own work!

Try mixing it up as much as possible. Composition is about taste! You need to be constantly experimenting with different ideas to figure out what you like. Learn how to develop your own style by reading my article on just that.

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Using Light To Improve Your Images

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Photography literally means “Writing with light” so I think it’s fair to say that light is quite an important factor.

In fact, I personally think that lighting makes up 70% of the look of your final image! Editing, lens choice, and framing are all important, but lighting is the absolute key (no pun intended)

This doesn’t mean you need to set up overhead HMIs and a perfect three point lighting setup for every shot! Natural light (the sun) is great too - but you need to be aware of what it’s doing. By now, you should know that sunrise and sunset will give you that warm, golden glow everyone is chasing these days, and just after sunset is Blue Hour, where you can get, well, blue.

Once you start to look at light and where it’s going, you will have a much easier time planning your shoots, and getting the results that you want.

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How to Improve Your Photos with Editing

Editing is a big chunk of the work, so it’s a great skill to learn. If you are still editing in the photos app, stop it. Get some help. One of the highest value skills you can learn in the photography world is the Adobe Suite. Specifically, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. If you’re not sure how to get started, I have a FREE COURSE. You’re welcome!

If you want to skip ahead here, feel free to use presets - I think they're a great way to get started.

To really improve your editing, you need to know what you want. Seems obvious, but again, we come back to the importance of taste!

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How To Take Your Photos To The Next Level

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Once you’ve figured out the basics, you need to start refining. What does this look like in practice? Maybe you can start by making some prints, sharing your work more, even making a zine! Once you’ve got a good idea of what you like and don’t like, you can start to look at building a portfolio, defining or labelling your style, and maybe even getting paid for your work!

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Ok, this but FASTER!

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If you want to get the basics nailed in a quick and easy way, I offer a mentorship programme, which you can learn about here.

Now, here's the deal—you're not done.

Think of it like you're at a crossroads.

With what you've learned, you've got the keys to unlock the secrets of making pictures tell stories. Your camera isn't just a tool; it's how you show the world what you see.

Your camera is like a brush for a canvas waiting to be painted. So, go out there, tell your stories, and make your pictures mean something.

The journey isn't over; the best snapshots are still waiting. Get ready, every click is an adventure waiting to happen.