There has never been a better time to become a better photographer than the moment you’re reading this. With the amount of resources online, tips and advice are abundant. Meanwhile, the amount of advice can be overwhelming. Luckily, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice I received from professional photographers to help you improve your photography in 2024.
Earlier in 2023, I started a podcast called The Learn Landscape Photography Podcast, which featured far more than just landscape photography advice. The podcast’s goal was simple — help photographers improve their photography with quick-hitting episodes that get straight to the point. I was fortunate to speak with many photographers, all experts in their craft.
At the end of each episode, I asked one simple question: if you had one piece of advice to give a photographer trying to improve their photos, what would it be? Some of the most common answers I received involved going out to shoot more and consuming more learning resources online. I could write a book talking about each piece of advice. Instead, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best tips from pro photographers on improving your photography in 2024.
How to Improve Your Photography
Know Your Equipment
Having the absolute best camera and lens combination isn’t important, but knowing the equipment you do have is essential to taking better photos, according to photographer Joshua Cripps. One of the most important parts of the image creation journey is your creativity, and nothing kills creativity like fumbling around with your camera settings.
When you’re out in the field, whether shooting grand landscapes, intimate portraits, or anything in between, you need to be able to focus on being creative. Spend the time in 2024 to dive deep into your equipment. The best way to learn is to get out there, shoot, and remember that practice makes perfect.
Never Be Satisfied
Photographer Miles Morgan preached that satisfaction is one of the key differences that separates the best photographers. While it’s great to reflect and be happy with the images you’re creating, the best photographers are always hungry for more. Your body of work should always be evolving, and you should be constantly looking for ways to improve your workflow. You should always feel like your work is improving. When you’re stuck in a creative rut, look for online or in-person courses or workshops to help improve your photography.
Find a Way to Get Feedback
Feedback may be one of the quickest and most effective ways to improve your images overnight. David Thompson advocates that critique is highly beneficial for a photographer who wants to improve. The best kind of feedback is from a photographer whose work you look up to, but there are plenty of other ways to get feedback. Even asking a friend can be a great way to receive feedback. A fresh set of eyes will notice things in your image that you may not, so getting another person to offer feedback is an excellent way to level up your photos.
Shoot Different Subject Matter
As photographers, we oftentimes box ourselves into one subject matter, which hurts the creative process in the long run. Stephen Matera urges photographers to shoot other types of photography, even if you don’t think you’ll be interested. If you’re a landscape photographer, try your hand at portraits and vice versa. Wildlife photographers should try shooting cityscapes and so much more. By trying different kinds of photography, you help to exercise and expand your creative mind, and you may find a new passion for a different kind of photography. Besides, you have absolutely nothing to lose since you already own the equipment.
Understand Light
Sean Bagshaw claims that light is one of the most important ways to enhance your images, which you must understand if you want to take better images. Whether using natural light and shooting landscapes or photographing portraits in the studio, knowing how to use light to shape your images will drastically improve your photos. Especially as a landscape photographer, focusing on capturing light around sunset or sunrise, when the sun is low in the sky, can help you to capture better photos.
Share Your Knowledge
Helping elevate other photographers is a great way to build up the photography community and even improve your own work. Brandt Ryder is passionate about the fact that we were all once beginners, so doing what you can to help others is a great way to improve. Especially today, with the amount of photos being shared on social media, it has never been easier to connect with other creatives. Finding other like-minded photographers can help you build connections that may help you further down the road. In 2024, do what you can to share knowledge with those following in your footsteps!
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Trial and error is one of the most effective learning and improvement methods. If you truly want to get better at photography, you need to embrace failure, according to Sonja Saxe. Sonja talks about how even professional photographers take bad photos, and the best way to learn is by making mistakes and correcting them. Remember that social media is a highlight reel of photographers posting their best work. Use this as inspiration, but don’t let it discourage you from going out and shooting yourself.
Conclusion
Ultimately, if you want to improve, these are a few things you can do to see an uptick in your photography over the next year. Regardless of whether photography is your passion, a side hustle, or a full-time job, getting better is always rewarding as you watch your own work grow. While these pieces of advice just scratch the surface of things you should do to improve, remember that the best piece of advice is just to get out there and shoot. As with anything else in life, practice makes perfect, and the more time you put in, the more you’ll improve.
