I am not a professional photographer. I have made maybe fewer than a thousand dollars off of photography as a trade. Like most disciplines, I didn’t formally study photography; I am entirely self-taught.
That said, my photos have racked up hundreds of millions of views and millions of “likes,” have served as the foundation for other people’s art, have been included in many commercial products, and generally make me personally very happy.
I still don’t think I’m a good photographer, but I’ve come up with a few rules that lead to me taking photos that I actually like.
- It’s hard to not take a mundane photograph of a mundane thing. You have to go where the photos are.
- Know your tools and how to use them. Your camera is a tool; you have to understand it and appreciate it in order to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy and understand your camera, you’re not going to take photos you enjoy.
- Try shooting with a fully-manual lens on a digital camera; carry this around for a week and you’ll get it.
- By far the most popular photograph I’ve ever taken was captured on a Pixel 2. Conversely, I honestly don’t like the photographs that my iPhone takes.
- There is a magic layer of art in a good photograph that you absolutely cannot force. Most of the time, you will see the magic before you engage the shutter, but it’s not something you can artificially introduce.
- Edit your photos, especially for color balance. Don’t be afraid to go wild with it.
