From 2007 to 2015, I get a lot of developments in my photography world. Here are 7 main things that I think quiet important to improve ourselves and in the end, our work.

Learning theory of photography in advance will save a lot of time
Learning photography should begin by studying the theory before practice. Although it is often less fun and boring for some people, but knowing theory will accelerate learning process and improve the photo quality. The main advantage of mastering theory is that we can “make” photos we wanted and could make similar result whenever we want (consistent result). Learning theory can be obtained in various ways such as by reading books, watching videos, blogs, and so on.

Sophisticated gear is good, but good vision is better
I used to assume that expensive gears can make good photos all the time. It’s true the gears such as camera and lenses contribute to the sharpness of the image, the beauty of color and detail. But using the best gears is not enough to produce good photos. The composition, the ability to see and manipulate light, and other sciences are still very important to be learned. Though our gears are simple, but we can create a good work if we focus on improving our creative vision.

Science of photography can be learned and mastered by everyone
Photographer managed to make great photos by hard work and many years of learning, not just talent. According to Thomas Alva Edition, success comes from 1% inspiration and 99% hard work. So don’t worry if we tend to be slow in learning or not really talented in photography. If we have willingness to learn and work hard we can achieve even more than a famous photographer.

Develop your photography style
Everyone has their own preferences on type of photography. There are probably like photojournalism/candid, black and white photography and so on. If what we like does not fit current trends, sometime we get pressure because our photos are not so appreciated by public. Rather than changing our photographic style and follow the trends, better to develop the quality and style of our photo. In addition to more fun, we will also grow faster and more focus.

Photography as a hobby and career are different
Hobby and career are very different things. If we think photography as a hobby, then don’t push yourself to get money from photography. As a hobbyist, we also don’t need to take care of client because purely for our own satisfaction only. There is no demand of ROI (return on investment). On the other hand as a professional, we have to consider many things. And as a pro, our main job is often not photography anymore, but more to the management and marketing. Therefore, please consider carefully if you want to change your hobby into a career.

Lighting is complicated, but really important to learn
Lighting is important to learn, both natural and artificial. When I was a beginner, I underestimate the lighting, just rely on sophisticated camera and expensive lens. But apparently those two things can not solve my problem. All of my photos are mediocre and not as sharp as what supposed to be. After learn lighting, I can get sharper photos and can control the color saturation also light properties.

Find a nice subject
Although an expert photographer able to create a unique photo in a bad environment or common tourist site that is often in the photo, the best results occur when we are in a unique and photogenic environment. Similarly, if we photograph a model/fashion. Beautiful and photogenic model will facilitate our work and make all photos looks much better than ordinary people. This is also occur in still life photography, food and so on.