Signs Your Photography is Improving

After being involved with photography and learning new aspects of the trade over a period of time, you will gradually grow in confidence and notice improvements within your photography journey. In this blog, through personal experience I will explain what those signs may look like, and how the natural progression may occur.

Shooting Less

First and foremost, one of the major signs I’ve gradually came to understand is the fact you are starting to come back from a trip having shot far less. Let me explain, by this I mean in the past you may have came away with hundreds or even thousands of snaps, and now you’re only finishing up with a hundred if that.

In the past I would’ve viewed this as a bad thing, however over recent times I’ve realised it’s because of a variety of reasons, all of which are beneficial to yourself, examples of which we will explore below. In all honesty, when I see people say they’ve come away with thousands of photos now it makes me wonder… are they just spraying and hoping for the best? You will notice over time you will become far more selective with your shots.

Quality Over Quantity

Therefore this leads onto the next point, the next sign of improvement will be the fact you will start prioritising quality over quantity an awful lot more. One of the best aspects of photography is that you can look back on your journey time and time again and therefore reflect on your portfolio of work. As a result of this, you will soon start to realise the amount of photos you take doesn’t necessarily amount to the same amount of quality output. It’s better to come away with a few worthy shots, rather than a whole bunch of random throw away frames.

The Finer Details

Carrying on with the theme of quality, as a whole you will notice yourself becoming more picky and fussy about your photography. What we are talking about here are the finer details within your photos. You will gradually learn how certain aspects such as composition, light, or even specific subjects within a scene can influence the results of your photos. As time goes by, you will naturally train your eye to become adjusted to the more unique frames and compositions within everyday life, creating your own adjusted photography style.

Photography is Getting Difficult

As a result of this, as you fine-tune your photography and the style it leads, over a period of time you will find photography will become more difficult. Believe me when I say this isn’t a bad thing, even though it may feel frustrating at the time. This is because of how you now approach photography and the high standards you strive to hit. I feel recently I’ve experienced this phase, and in theory it is a direct impact of the previous point, and the fact that your style of photography has led to a narrowing of shot choice, but overall for the better.

This once again leads back to the fact that you’ve taught yourself to search for those unique and different scenes and perspectives, rather than for example shooting anything and everything in the years gone bye.

Lens Choice

The choice of lens can turn a good photo into a great one, in turn changing and creating a different perspective. In the past, you may have taken your whole kit bag with a variety of lenses at all focal lengths to cover all possibilities. However, as you become more accustomed to your surroundings and the environments you will be shooting in, a sign of a improvement as a photographer is that you know what lenses to carry with you for certain situations, rather than all your gear.

For example, when in Asia you know with the hustle and bustle and tight nature of the streets, a wide angle lens such as a 35mm will be best suited, and on the flipside in landscape areas such as New Zealand all you will need is a suitable zoom such as a 24-70mm. You’ll learn the specifics in time, and it will save you carried weight in the long-term.

A Change of Interests

Finally, we come to the fact that when it comes to photography, gradually you’ll notice that your interests will change, and the type of scenes and subjects you once enjoyed shooting have now become less enjoyable. This is a sign your photography is improving, and more importantly it shows you’re looking and willing to evolve your skills with new ideas and frames.

Looking back through my work over the years now, I remember at the time thinking the images I shot were great, however now my standards and expectations have risen, those same images now look okay. This will happen to everyone, and I feel that’s one of the best aspects of photography, the fact you can look back and see improvement in your work constantly.

Through time and experience, you will grow and mature as a photographer, you may not see it at first, but over a period of time you will eventually learn to notice the signs that signal your photography is improving.