How to improve your photography, its about investment in you

On Reflection

I am writing this to all the aspiring photographers who occasionally read my blog. It’s safe to say that the interest from other photographers in my work has grown massively in the last 12 months. The more my work improves and the higher my standards, the more I receive mails and contacts from other photographers, many of them new or aspiring.

Its not hard to look back a few years and see where I started, I was, like the majority of enthusiasts, all the gear and (I’m not going to say no) half an idea. So what did I do to progress and improve?

Portraits in the snow

I am happy to admit my progression has sped up in the past 2 years, and the reason for that is quite simple. I had regular training with my mentor Damian McGillicuddy who is top of his game. Damian has been in the business for a long time and knows his craft and the business inside out, he has guided me and advised me at every stage. I am confident that my progression could have happened without that training discovering things in my own time but I believe it would have taken me 10 years to reach the same standard instead of just 2! When I consider how little free time I have available for shooting, it may have taken longer.

Roxana Reading

Strangely enough hand in hand with that mentoring, my desire to constantly upgrade and get the next piece of “must have gear” has gone. With the right guidance, I’ve learnt that its more about the idea, the technique and the process you follow than it is about what you use. You certainly don’t need the latest full frame SLR with weighty glass, you need to understand the gear you have and understand your light. Yes, some gear can make life easier, but today I only buy things that will improve my photography and most importantly pay for themselves.

A few tips:

1. Invest in training before equipment. What you own will never be as powerful as what you know.
2. Network. I get several emails every week asking to come to a shoot, to assist or help out. What they are really asking me is can they come and learn from me. The reality is that I and probably most pro photographers will be reluctant to allow someone on a paid job whom they do not know and haven’t met. Networking, attending local meets, strobist days, training courses and joining Societies can open doors, but things don’t happen over night. The nature of people means they are far more likely to allow someone they know to assist than someone they don’t. Plus if like me those people pay for training, you can understand why they might not want to give that information away for free to everyone that asks. Get to know people, make the effort, make friends, help out and things will eventually come to you.
3. Work at it, all the training in the world isn’t worth a penny if you don’t follow its advice and don’t put changes in place. I’ve seen individuals on courses who have shot a few nice images on the day and gone home only to carry on like before. Investment isn’t about how much money you spend, its about your dedication.
4. In the early days don’t get obsessed with “finding your style”. When I started I spent so long trying to find my style and the reality was I wasn’t ready to find one. A style takes time to develop, its there buried, your eye, your likes, dislikes all go towards building that style. You know what? You have to shoot a lot before that comes out, my advice on style is shoot what you like, edit how you like and let the process come organically. I’m still waiting for mine, even if perhaps its already showing itself.
5. When seeking out trainers, check out their work, check out their qualifications and history. Seek out reviews and feedback from those who have attended and find a trainer whose style you like and admire. There are lots of cheap trainers out there, but many may know no more than you (some even less scarily), on the flip side the most expensive isn’t necessary the best either.

As for me I train with Damian McGillicuddy and I’ve never looked back. Damian is a specialist in off camera lighting,  Grand Master Photographer with the SWPP and he has honed his craft over many years, winning countless awards and qualifications. It is without doubt the best money I’ve spent on photography, and I know that he takes equal dedication in delivering his training as I do in improving my work. I do the regular tailored mentoring training (Mentor Me On Steroids) many times a year, there are also many 1 day workshops on various themes and levels available. Well worth a look if you want to accelerate your progress.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 16:42. It is filed under Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.