It is easy to get stagnated as a photographer, what with the same angles, lighting, and style. You will need to take a conscious decision to break out from the mold of repetitiveness. If you don’t, you are certain to lose interest and fail to improve your photography skills. However, there are ways in which you can reignite your passion and take your photography to the next level.
#1 Change the subject
Every photographer possesses some expertise. Some are good at taking close-ups, some in capturing portraits and some in landscape photography. If you are experienced in capturing portraits and feel that you are doing the same thing over and over again, opt for something different, such as food photography, travel photography, wildlife photography and the like. The new challenges thrown up by these options are certain to rejuvenate your passion for photography and also add more skills to your repertoire.
#2 Don’t shoot arbitrarily
You may be in the habit of taking photos of subjects as you come across them and sort your shots out later. This, more often than not, lose glaring gaps in your collection compelling you to go back and fill up the gaps. However, working on a brief obviates that. With a brief, you only focus on the given photography subject without wasting time on irrelevant shots. Always make a brief, even if the task is as simple as covering a local event. A brief not only makes you stick to the relevant but also make you think things out differently.
#3 Rectify weakness consciously
Go over your photograph portfolios created previously and search out what is missing. For example, it there is a lack of close-ups in your portfolio, take up the challenge of capturing one close-up every day to hone your close-up skill. If you feel reluctant to ask people to pose, take it up as a challenge and go out of your comfort zone to ask them to pose. This will not only open a new photography avenue but also boost your self-confidence. This will automatically take you to the next level in photography.
#4 Gain additional knowledge
New ideas in photography never come out of the blue; you have to seek them. And the best source for these ideas are the works of established photographers, such as Robert Capa, Steve McCurry, Ansel Adams, and others. Follow them on the social media, study their creations and try to include their styles into your photography.
Also, increase your knowledge by reading books on photography that provide tips to become a better photographer. There are some inspirational books on photography too, such as ‘The Bang Bang Club’ that recounts how four incredible young men-photographers capture the violent days of white rule in South Africa. You should also subscribe to photography magazines to get the latest news and information on photography.
#5 Get a photo pal
Make friends with someone who shares your passion for photography and keep him or her by your side whenever you go out for a shoot. It is this pal of yours who will prove invaluable in judging how well you are doing. Not only this, having someone by your side will prove a great help in setting up the shoot and also enable you to discuss things. The best source for such a photo pal is your local photography club that has many likeminded individuals.
#6 Regress to a film roll camera
Remember the days when the old-time camera required a film roll that costed money? To save on money, you would carefully think out the shot before taking it. Get hold of an old camera and a film roll, figure out the shot in your mind’s eye and take the picture. Of course, in this kind of photography, you won’t have the luxury of immediately looking at the result in the rear window of the camera, like that in a digital camera. This whole exercise is aimed at making you think through all your shots in greater details and in a different light. This is certain to take your photography to the next level.
#7 Hunt for newer subjects
Subjects available locally are passé, since they don’t provide any fresh perspective. Your best bet is to search for newer subjects and what better way than going on a photo tour. A trip to the countryside with the aim of capturing new and unique photos is one of the excellent ways of boosting your photography skills. Since your photo tour will also include other likeminded photographers, you get an excellent opportunity to rectify your weaknesses.
Conclusion
The key to taking your photography to the next level is to follow the tips mentioned above that will not only boost your photography skills but also broaden your mind to create some unique and mind-blowing pics.
