Hi and welcome to Episode 110 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
Before I go on I need your help. I need your questions to answer. More on this at the end
Here is the answery bit. Or in this episode, here are those 10 things.
- Get out more and take photos.
- Learn composition
- Learn your camera properly, and how to use your camera
- Take time to take photos
- Get out more but take fewer photos
- Less is more
- Learn one photo editing software program
- Get a critique
- Really look at your photos and learn what you have done
- Enjoy photography.
Right then – that is my list. These are my 10 actionable tips for photographers.
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
Let’s go through them 1 by 1.
1 – Get out more and take photos
This is the number one way for you and me to improve our photography. Get out more and take photos. Every time you go out you are creating new stuff. And unless someone is standing right next to you using exactly the same gear, and exactly the same camera settings, and pointing their camera at exactly the same thing as you are, what you are creating is unique.
Sit at home staring at gear on your computer and you are not creating anything.
2 – Learn composition
Composition is what you include in the photo, and how the various elements in a photo relate to each other. It is also what you do not include in a photo.
Doesn’t it makes sense then, to learn about composition? If we all think about it, isn’t this the most important thing? What is in a photo?
This is so important that I covered this in episode 12 – Why Is Composition So Important?
I wish someone had told me this years ago.
3 – Learn your camera properly, and how to use your camera
What do I mean? I mean set aside some quiet time, get the manual that came with your camera, and sit down with your camera by your side and go through the manual, start to end.
Yes, really.
I did this. Over 400 pages of my Canon 6D manual. Thankfully they are small pages, with pictures, but this is the only way to learn what your camera can do. I found stuff that I would never have known about if I had not done this.
And once you have done this you are not finished – you need to learn how to apply what the camera can do to your photography. And there is more – look at your photos and understand what your camera is doing.
4 – Take time to take photos
I used to turn up at a location, get my camera out and start snapping away, literally. Sure I took loads of photos, but most of them were rubbish. And I mean snapping away.
These days, I get to a location, whatever that might be, a beach, or construction site, and I walk around. I don’t get my camera out straight away, I walk around and see what is there.
And I think about what I want to take photos of. What is there that is interesting? What the light is doing?
5 – Get out more but take fewer photos
Would you rather have 500 mediocre photos or one stunning photo? Would you rather have 500 photos that are of no use or one excellent, shiny brand new contender for your portfolio?
I know which I would rather have.
My aim on a sunrise shoot? My aim is to get one excellent photo. If I do that mission is accomplished. Now I am not saying that I restrict myself to taking one photo, not at all.
But what I am saying is that I find the best composition and try to get the best photo that I can. And yes I mean photo.
And on a commercial shoot if I am going to give the client 30 images, if I only take 30 images I have nailed it.
No, this does not happen but one day….
But hopefully, you get the point.
6 – Less is more
Talking of which! I am talking about pretty much anything and everything here photography-wise. I have simplified every aspect of my photography over the many years I have been learning, writing, practicing photography.
I am talking about
- Gear
- Camera settings
- The number of photos I take
- My processing
- Distractions
- Irrelevances
- Irrelevant details!
For example, I spend less time processing images now than I ever have, which is a wonderful thing.
I know that you have to go through the process of trying out new stuff and working things out for yourself – that is fine and important. Don’t think though that you will be struggling forever with an endless array of options and choices.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, and I am here to help you get there quicker.
7 – Learn how to use one photo editing software program
I use Lightroom for everything other than
- Photoshop – to remove stuff
- Luminar – to change the skies.
And that is it.
I tried pretty much every editing package out there in the past.
I am not saying use Lightroom, I am saying learn how to use one thing properly.
OK?
8 – Get a critique
Your family and friends will probably tell you your photos are great. Well, why wouldn’t they?
Get a critique from someone who knows about this stuff. Why do I say this?
Well, I applied to join the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP). I submitted a portfolio and had a review meeting with my mentor, a Hasselblad master no less.
And do you know what?
I was not as good as I thought I was. And that was one of those moments when my photography went from competent and OK to another, higher level. This was for sure a turning point for me, and like so many of these things, I wish I had done this years ago.
If you are going to do this you have to take the feedback on board though!
9 – And really look at your photos and learn what you have done
If you are going to get someone else to critique your work or not, you should do this. Really study your photos, and ask yourself what do you like about a photo, and possibly more significantly what you do not like about a photo.
You need to look at your photos coldly and dispassionately. No one knows that you got up at 2 am and walked for 20 miles through driving snow risking life and limb to get that photo. All a person looking at knows is what is in the photo.
And it is a really good thing to be able to do – look at your photos with the eyes of another, with brutal honesty. Of course, this is not the same as getting a critique, and getting a critique will help you to do this.
But looking at your photos like this will help you to improve.
10 – Enjoy photography.
I have been practicing photography for most of my life. The other day we went out for a walk by the coast. I took my Olympus camera and absolutely loved taking photos. I was doing this for pleasure, not for money, not with commercial pressures.
Just for enjoyment.
And I have not been doing this enough recently, I have spent too much time in front of my computer, so getting out and taking photos was an absolute delight.
More on this in the talky bit.
The talky bit
If you are a beginner in photography you need some help and guidance, and that is what I am here for. This list is not your usual list, which is why I love doing this stuff.
I try to tell you things that will actually help you and will have the biggest positive impact.
I also want to get away from the gear-centric areas of photography, which is why there is no mention of photography gear here.
Use what you have. Sure buy the best gear that you can afford, but learn properly how to use it. And use it.
It is better to be out taking photos than it is looking at gear.
The other day I was out with my Olympus EM5 and 14-42mm lens – that was all I took with me and I had a great time.
I left all that fancy full-frame stuff at home and didn’t miss it once.
What do I do?
I enjoy my simplified approach to my photography. I am enjoying photography more now than I ever have. This is what I love to do.
Big takeaway
Get out and take photos and do the things that I have told you about in this episode and you should see big improvements.
Related episodes
Check out the episode page on the podcast website to find out what I have spoken about in the previous 109 episodes. There is too much to list that is related to this to be honest with you. This is pretty much what my podcast is all about ok?
Why do I say to be honest with you? I know it’s just a saying but why do I use it? I am implying that the rest of what I have said is a pack of lies. Which it isn’t……
Next episode
I am enjoying these episodes about cameras and settings, and how we use this clever stuff to help us take better photos.
Shout out
Shout out to me – well why not?
Get your question answered.
This is what my podcast is all about, answering your photography questions. So please get in touch with your question, and not only will I answer your question, but I will give you a shout-out on that episode, which is nice. Just head over to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
OK – I’m done
Thanks for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast. To find out more about my podcast and do stuff to help me check out the podcast website, which is photographyexplainedpodcast.com/.
Brought to you by
This episode was brought to you by erm, can’t remember……
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving 10 (ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
And here is the list of episodes published to date – you can listen to any episode straight from this page which is nice.
Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
Let me send you stuff
I send out a weekly email to my subscribers. It is my take on one photography thing, plus what I have been writing and talking about. Just fill in the box and you can get my weekly photographic musings straight to your inbox. Which is nice.
And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
