Me documenting petroglyphs & pictographs along a wall near the Green River. Photo Credit: Trey Moore w/ Eddyhopper Workshops
#1 Patience
This might not the what you were expecting, but IMO patience is the most important thing I've learned and a lifeskill that will carry you far into a more successful journey in and outside of photography.
There are MANY skills and techniques to learn as a photographer, but without the patience to learn, practice, fail, try again, fail, try again, etc you may give up before you succeed on the level you desire.
Patience is a critical component in learning photography, especially for beginners. Here's why:
1. Developing an Artistic Eye:
- Composition: Some "have the eye" naturally while others struggle when they first start out. Regardless quality composition is essential for compelling photographs. It takes time to learn the "rules" (like the rule of thirds) and develop an intuition for framing shots creatively. That being said the good news is, it CAN be learned and improved upon over time.
- "Seeing" ~ Becoming aware, observing, and understating light is another trait requiring patience to obtain while developing an artistic eye. Being to pay attention to the direction, intensity, and color of light.
2. Mastering Technical Skills:
- Learning camera setting: Understanding how to use different settings like ISO, shutter speed, and aperture takes time. Patience is necessary to experiment with these settings and see their effects on your photos. Don't get frustrated with "bad" shots because that's just a part of the learning experience.
- Post-Processing: Becoming proficient with photo editing software and learning how you like your images to look requires education, practice, and you guessed it... patience.
3. Trial and Error:
- Experimentation: Photography involves a lot of trial and error. Not every shot will be perfect, and it takes patience to keep trying different techniques and settings until you achieve the desired result.
- Learning from Mistakes: Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Patience is required to analyze what went wrong, understand why, and avoid similar mistakes in the future. Even after over two decades of being a photographer I practice, experiment, and still take plenty of bad shot to capture the best ones. Patience with yourself and the learning process will go a long way in your in your progression.
4. Building Experience:
- Time Investment: Becoming skilled at photography doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of practice and consistent effort. Patience helps in staying motivated and dedicated to the craft over the long term.
- Portfolio Development: Your portfolio will continually evolve and improve overtime. Begin early in your journey with selecting 8-15 of you best images from each subject matter that you like to photograph.
5. Working with Subjects:
- Portrait Photography: Capturing the perfect expression, pose, or moment requires patience, especially when working with people who might feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. Learn to be patient with both yourself and your subject during portrait shoots.
- Wildlife Photography: This genre demands immense patience, as capturing animal in their natural habitat can involve long periods of waiting to get the best images.
- Landscape Photography: With ever changing weather and light landscape photographers often go back to the same locations over and over. The best light is most often early in the morning, later in the afternoon, early evening, or even at night. And that light is fleeting. Being there early and waiting is often the experience of the landscape photographer.
- Commercial Photography: There is a multitude of genres within commercial photography such as advertising, product, fashion, branding, social media content, and others. There are times these projects are large enough to have numerous roles and multiple levels of production.
5. Financials
- Equipment: You don't necessarily need the latest and greatest when you are first learning, but overtime the better you become the more likely you'll want better performing and higher quality gear. People sometimes say, "It's not the camera, it's the photographer that creates a good photograph". While that can be true at times, I assure you there are situations that your success rate greatly increases with better equipment. Consider what expenses are priority and start saving now for that next lens or upgraded camera. Keep in mind used gear is a great way to go if your budget doesn't allow from brand new.
6. Gaining Recognition (for professionals):
- Building a Reputation: Gaining recognition and building a career in photography takes time. Patience and consistency is crucial for networking, showcasing your work, and gradually building a client base or audience.
- Feedback and Improvement: Constructive criticism from peers and mentors can help improve your photography. Patience is needed to accept feedback positively and work on areas that need improvement.
Photographers: Alex Kent, Alexandra Dugan, and Christian Bruggeman reviewing images for a photo competition at PhotoConX. Photo by Madelyn Amacher
Are you a beginner wanting to learn more?
There are so many great opportunities to learn! Of course YouTube is there like you already know, but hands on experiences like photography workshops, classes, walks, club meetings, and conferences will put you in an immersive environment with various skill levels to learn and grown from. Check out the events and education pages to learn more,
