Hard truths about photography

We see all sorts of headlines for blogs, articles, videos, and books saying something like, “30 days to better photography”, or “8 Surefire ways to improve your photography”. What we don’t see so much is headlines or books telling us the hard truths of photography.

Hard Truth One

Photography like any other project takes time and practice to become good. There, typically, isn’t a simple 30-day recipe to get better. I get it, these people want to grab your attention, buy their product, visit their website, and get bombarded with ads and email campaigns.

Hard Truth Two

There are no real surefire ways to better photography. There are ways, but I would hardly call them surefire. The “way” may work it may not because we are all different. Again, I get it. They’re trying to make their money.

Hard Truth Three

Despite people saying they want an honest critique of their work, most do not. I used to give critiques of photographs. I rarely now offer critiques because I take giving a critique seriously. I spend some time studying a photograph, I make notes, and then I write my critique. The next person writes, “Love it”.

The wrap

I could go on and on about the hard truths, but that is not the intent of this blog. My intent of this whole blog site is to encourage, motivate, inspire, and give my honest thoughts. My honest thoughts about most of these headlines are to read with caution. Be skeptical but pay attention. Don’t be afraid to try things you’ve read about but don’t get lured into thinking it is going to be quick and simple. If you’re serious about your photography it won’t be quick or easy. Pay the price of time, dedication, and hard work. These things don’t guarantee success but they can be their own reward when you begin to create the imagery you love. Next week, you may come back to the previous week’s work and wonder why you thought it to be good and strive to do better. A quote I heard from a photographer several years back goes something like this, “If you could have made this photograph 5 years ago you’re not growing”.

Let’s grow and improve together.