Here’s a thought: The way to become the best photographer you can be is to simply be consistent. It doesn’t have to do with massive effort, it just has to do with going out there every day and putting in the work.
Practice Every Day
I always improve the most in any skill if I practice it every day. When I graduated from photography school I went straight into working full time at a minimum wage coffee shop. I couldn’t keep up with photographing and there was a solid year where I didn’t improve except for rare occasions when I put in a lot of effort in a small period of time. Then I got a bit older and decided I wanted to spend time with my grandparents, so I moved to Newfoundland. There I worked on the Newfoundland Project, and was able to work part time and spend more of my time improving my photography.
I decided that every day before I drank my coffee I was going to go out and walk ten blocks with my camera no matter if it rained, snowed, or shined. I did this for a bit over a month and I’ve been consistently taking photos almost every day since. This period of structured consistency put the act of taking photos into my conception of something that I needed to do everyday. Of course I’m not 100% perfect but I’d say for at least 26 days out of the month I make some kind of photograph. Consistent work has produced better results for me in the long run than going to photography school, looking at photography books/magazines, or buying superfluous gear. The only way to become a better photographer is to be a photographer more.
Love what you do!
I’m lucky because I really enjoy the act of going out and photographing. Ever since I was a kid I always loved staring out the window while my parents were driving. If I was next to a window in class I knew I always had something to enjoy. Photography is just an expression of that great yes that our visual sense brings us. I think it’s easy to be consistent with tasks when we can find something in them that we enjoy. I think one of the reasons why people don’t like changing their habits or behaviors is because they find it hard to see anything in the task that can entertain them or make them feel like they’re making meaningful progress.
Consistency equals improvement
Consistency has been the number one driver in my creative productivity because it’s the best way to build habits. In terms of health it was once explained to me that small, consistent changes over a long period of time are best for the human body because these are the changes that are going to stick. It’s bad for the body to get shocked by extreme dieting or exercise.
So remember friend, if you want to become a better photographer just pick up your camera and photograph whatever’s next to you. Photograph whatever’s outside your house, or whatever’s ten blocks away. It’s not always about making the perfect expression of the perfect subject, but rather just about making something. If you value the photographic process then there’s no such thing as failure, just necessary work to put in before success.
That’s all I have for today. Have a great day.
-Jeremy