Clear and Simple Strategies to Cut Through the Noise of Photography
Today I’m going to share with you 3 clear and simple strategies for better photography.
Each one should help you cut through the complicated noise of photography, online information, and your own creative struggles.
They certainly have for me.
We’re going to start with the most basic and then gradually progress to slightly more advanced strategies.
And I’ll explain why each strategy works but don’t worry if you don’t fully understand it.
Because you don’t have to, all you gotta do is do the thing.
Lets begin.
Strategy 1 - Focus on Action
The most simple and straightforward approach to photography is to focus on action.
This is because experience is the number one teacher.
And although there are many different things you can do to improve your photography, like watch tutorials, study your own photos, and journal, all of that stuff can get real complicated real fast.
So unless you have it in you to juggle multiple things at once, lets keep it simple.
Just take photos.
The more photos you take, the better you get.
And I don’t just mean random snapshots, firing away, trying to fill your shutter count.
I mean intentional purposeful photography.
The photos you would normally take, only now we’ve cranked up the dials.
A hundred photos a week, two hundred, a thousand, etc.
Shoot intentionally, but fill the gap in volume by going outside more.
Do more things, take more walks, explore more interesting places, and get better photos as a result.
An important thing to note is that focusing on action also means forgetting about anything else.
Forget about what that guy said in that tutorial and just take pictures.
Forget about using the right or best setting and just take pictures.
Forget about all of the extra stuff - it’s just noise.
You’ll figure out what’s actually practical and useful by doing it.
Because the thing many people get wrong about focus is that it’s not simply prioritization.
It’s elimination.
Meaning to focus properly we want to eliminate the attention we’re giving to things that simply don’t matter.
That’s how we keep photography clear and simple.
Strategy 2 - Focus on Testing and Iterating
Perhaps one of the biggest factors that contributes to great work is experimentation.
All the great artists of the past have this approach to their work.
All the great scientists live and die by this.
Why?
Because you have to try a bunch of stuff out to see what works.
No one ever gets it on their first go, and if they’re lucky and do, they probably won’t get it on their second go.
So one of the best strategies is to test and iterate.
And the good news is that this strategy forces you to use Strategy 1 (focusing on action) by default.
So it’s like a two in one.
So what is “testing and iterating”?
Instead of aiming for perfection, approach your photography with the mindset that “I’m just trying stuff out.”
“I’m just doing a bunch of stuff and seeing what works.”
That’s it.
Even if you have a few compositions, frameworks, and strategies that seem to work, leave room to try stuff out.
Because that is what will allow you to be experimental, innovative, and find new solutions.
Testing and iterating is both improvement and creativity in a nutshell.
It’s how we take old methods and make them better.
It’s how we try random stuff and solve new problems.
And if you keep this mindset with whatever you do, it’ll actually lead to less stress, worry, and anxiety.
There’s no pressure around what you’re doing because you’re just trying stuff out.
And ironically, you’ll get better results this way.
Because your head is in a better space to be creative instead of being pressured by trying to be perfect.
So an actionable way to apply this approach is to give yourself a different assignment every time you take photos.
Sometimes you’ll just feel like walking, so your approach can be to capture what you see.
Other times you’re trying a new lens and your only goal is to understand that lens.
Or maybe you’re going to mix it up this time and take photos in an environment you’re not used to.
Whatever it is, pick something new, that’s just outside your creative comfort zone, and try it.
If you keep doing that over and over, your range of photography experience will grow and grow.
And by way of nature, you will learn new things, and you will get better.
That’s the second strategy to better photography.
Strategy 3 - Focus on Building
Building is the final strategy that is the key to creative growth, and perhaps the most powerful.
For a long time, I didn’t understand how this worked.
I was simply doing strategies 1 and 2 - taking action on photography and testing and iterating.
And if you’re still in those stages, focus on that.
But if you feel ready for it, this is the next level.
Because to “build” you need to not only take action but also test and iterate.
So it requires an understanding of our first two strategies to apply.
So how does this work?
Let me put it simply.
You make a project like a zine, photobook, or YouTube video.
By making that project, you get better.
Why do you get better?
Because the project itself challenges you to improve.
It forces you to make up for your lack of skill with action and effort.
You get more practice applying old ideas to a bigger project.
There are also things you don’t know how to do, that you have to learn in order to build this thing.
And there is time, money, and effort invested into something greater than a simple Instagram carousel.
And all of that makes you better.
You see, the biggest thing I didn’t understand when I first began making photobooks was that personal projects are self-improvement vehicles, and should be considered as such.
What do I mean by this?
I mean that a big creative project isn’t something to make when I feel good enough.
Rather, the purpose of the project itself is to make me better.
It’s something that will force me to improve in the challenge to make the thing.
Does that make sense?
Creative growth is just a byproduct of making things.
It’s kind of chicken and egg.
Many people think you have to get good first before making something.
But you can also get good by making something.
And if you’re able to understand and apply that, you can make what you wanna make and get better while doing it.
So here’s the exciting part.
When you understand this, creative projects become a cheat code to improvement.
Nowadays I can’t help but be excited to make something.
Because I know that by making something, I’ll get better.
“You mean to tell me, that if I make 10 photography projects, I’ll be better than I was before?”
Yes, exactly!
And you don’t have to worry about getting better, you just have to worry about making stuff.
Because the more you do the better you get.
This is a simple but powerful way to hack your growth curve.
Let me give you another example.
Think of your favorite musician.
Then, think of their debut album, sophomore album, third album, etc.
Pay attention to their timeline and progression as an artist.
Consider the changes they made in their music, how each album was different, and how each played a role in their development.
Some of the stuff you might not have like.
Some were amazing and you wish they made more of.
But the point is each album built upon the last.
Each album changed them as an artist.
And each next album was a new challenge for them not only as the musician but also the person they became.
I want you to think of photography in this way.
Obviously if you’re just early on in your journey and you’re just trying to figure out how to use your camera, don’t worry about this yet.
But if you’re a more advanced photographer, this may be the missing link to your growth.
Consider challenging yourself with a book.
This is the creative project that will take you to the next level.
It’ll force you to get better, force you to think about photography different, and serve as a record on your timeline as an artist.
And when you’re done with the first one, you’ll understand what I mean.
And then those insights will take you into the second, and so on and so forth.
So lets bring this full circle and make sense of this.
Here are 3 clear and simple strategies to better photography, each one building on the last.
Strategy 1 - focus on action.
This is what I’d recommend for most beginners - just take pictures.
Go outside and take pictures as much and as often as possible.
Intentional photos.
Get your shutter count up and learn through experience.
Strategy 2 - focus on testing and iteration.
Here we want to improve upon our photography formula.
Meaning we want to try new things out and see if they work.
It still means taking action, but it’s taking action with a specific goal in mind.
That goal could vary depending on your skill level: understanding aperture, getting better colors, shooting without looking, etc.
Focus on trying things out and seeing what works.
Strategy 3 - focus on building.
This is the biggest stage most photographers won’t get to.
But if you do, you’ve unlocked the biggest level for your creativity.
Make shit.
You don’t even have to understand this concept.
Just challenge yourself with a bigger project and you’ll get better for it.
Similarly, each project you make becomes a stepping stone for the next.
And you’ll find yourself defining your own road as an artist as you go through this.
And your photography will get better without you realizing.
So those were the 3 strategies to photography growth.
I hope it helped.
If you like photobooks, check out “The Sinking Sun”.
You can also grab free 4x6 print, while you’re at it.
Thanks for reading.
