HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

Lecture Notes from an excellent YouTube video by Mr. Abhishek Singh

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Videolink: https://youtu.be/KpsIhOwYnbE?si=G7xgJKAL7MuehpJr

• Mindset Matters: To excel in photography, it’s crucial to adopt the right mindset. Whether as a hobby or profession, enjoying the journey and embracing flexibility without fixating on results can significantly enrich one’s experience. This approach helps avoid burnout and keeps the passion alive.
• Passion over Profit: Many photographers enter fields like wedding photography for financial gain but find the repetitive nature uninspiring. If the process isn’t enjoyable, the work can become monotonous, reducing photography to a mere business activity. True fulfilment in photography comes from following personal dreams, like photographing polar bears or fighter jets, which bring excitement and purpose.
• Gear Isn’t Everything: While high-quality equipment can aid photography, skill and vision matter more. One doesn’t need the most expensive gear to capture excellent photos; understanding how to use equipment effectively is essential. Too much emphasis on gear often distracts from developing creative skills.
• Adaptability in Locations: It’s common to arrive at a photography location that doesn’t meet expectations. In such cases, adopting a flexible mindset to find beauty and interest, regardless of the setting, can transform how photographers approach each subject. This adaptability leads to discovering creative compositions even in seemingly ordinary places.
• Entering Flow State: For serious photographers, achieving a “flow state” is an invaluable experience. In this state, ideas come naturally, and the process of capturing images becomes effortless and fulfilling. This flow often happens during high-stakes projects where focus is intense, yet the pressure is less noticeable.

Mastering Technical Aspects:

• Understanding camera settings like the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) is crucial to achieve professional-quality results.
• Having technical knowledge allows photographers to control exposure, lock focus, and choose the right focusing mode for each subject.
• Tools like the histogram, which indicates whether an image is overexposed or underexposed, are essential. Properly reading histograms helps avoid irrecoverable highlights or shadows.
• Different colors in subjects can also affect exposure settings. It’s necessary to learn how to underexpose or overexpose strategically for desired results, such as capturing a true black or white, instead of the camera’s default gray balance.

Developing a Unique Style:

• Every photographer has a unique style influenced by life experiences and emotional connections. This individuality shapes how they compose images — some may prefer monochrome, others vibrant colors, high-key, or low-key styles.
• Iconic photographers develop identifiable styles through repeated themes and methods, just as musicians or actors have signature qualities. A photographer’s style emerges not from technical skills but from their perspective and personal history.

Composition Techniques:

• Composition makes a photographer truly stand out. Key principles like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and focus points help create visually balanced and engaging images.
• Mastering rules enables a photographer to break them effectively, creating compositions that feel fresh and memorable. Observing work from established photographers and experimenting with different perspectives can refine one’s sense of composition.
• Travel photography, which spans multiple genres (landscape, portrait, macro, wildlife), is particularly rewarding for composition as it encompasses diverse subjects and settings.

Continuous Learning and Experimentation:

• Learning from other renowned photographers, observing varied compositions, and experimenting with different techniques are crucial for growth.
• Familiarity with one’s camera equipment allows for versatility. Once technical foundations are solid, photographers can adapt easily to different camera brands and models, as the core principles remain the same across devices.

Understanding the Camera’s Limitations:

• Knowing the limitations of one’s camera and how to maximize its potential is crucial. Technical mastery allows photographers to adapt quickly to professional assignments regardless of the camera model they are using.

Main points for reference:

Enjoy the journey ..don’t be only fixated on results

True fulfilment in photography comes from following personal dreams

Too much emphasis on gear often distracts from developing creative skills

Adopt a flexible mindset to find beauty and interest, regardless of the setting

Recognise Flow State

Having technical knowledge allows photographers to control exposure, lock focus, and choose the right focusing mode for each subject.

Iconic photographers develop identifiable styles through repeated themes and methods, just as musicians or actors have signature qualities.

Composition makes a photographer truly stand out.

Learning from other renowned photographers, observing varied compositions, and experimenting with different techniques are crucial for growth.

Knowing the limitations of one’s camera and how to maximize its potential is crucial.