I have been doing photography now for just over 7 years. I started off with an entry level DSLR and kit lens and a vision of doing landscape photography. Below are two of my first images, taken in auto mode.

There are some aspects of the images that I like. For example, I like that the swans are swimming into the frame in the second image. There are a lot of things about them that I don’t like and wouldn’t do today, such as capturing a scene without a proper subject, as in the first image. But at least it was a start, and I hope my photography has improved since then.

In this post I want to share 7 key insights from my 7 years of photography. They won’t be expert tips, and I won’t be giving advice, but they are insights that have helped me to progress on my journey, and which have kept me going even when I felt I wasn’t making progress.

I hope you will find them interesting and useful.

#1 Don’t blame the tools

To be honest, this is something I have struggled with from time to time. When I see reviews of new cameras or lenses, I begin to believe that my photography would improve if I just had this camera or that lens. But deep down I know that’s not true, and I have resisted the temptation to buy something just for the sake of buying something new.

I picked up a tip from a photographer online that has helped me. He suggests giving your own camera or lens some love by looking at what you like about it, finding out something about it that you didn’t realise, and by taking it out and using it as if it’s new to you. Only consider replacing it if it doesn’t do something that you need it to do to progress your photography. That has not happened so far!

#2 Experiment

When I started doing photography, I wanted to be an expert straight away. I didn’t have the patience to learn all about the exposure triangle, my camera settings, composition, and so on. So, I went out and started to take photographs – which were a big disappointment! I quickly realised that my expectations of myself were too high and that I needed to accept my novice status.

So instead of seeking perfection I began to experiment. I observed my subject, tried shooting from different perspectives and angles, photographed in various lighting conditions, worked on composition strategies and became content with less than perfect results as long as I was learning about my photography.

This approach has really paid off in that I still experiment and enjoy the new discoveries I am constantly making.

#3 Take inspiration, but don’t imitate

There is always a tendency when you are new to photography to want to emulate the work of good photographers. I used to look at the camera settings these photographers used and repeat them in my photography, but I could never make the same images. I had to accept the fact that it was skill that was missing from my photography and that was something I could not copy.

I began to buy photography books and follow photographers online for the inspiration they gave me to get out with my camera and work on improving my photography. By trial and error and taking lots of photos, I worked out the best settings for my subjects, my conditions and my vision of what I wanted to say with my photography, and this has given me much more enjoyment than slavishly imitating someone else’s work.

#4 Dare to be Different 

I once saw a sign in a coffee shop that said, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken. I thought it was a good mantra for photography.

It took me quite a while to begin to embrace this concept. I wanted my photography to look good on social media, to be acceptable to those who viewed it. I wanted to take photos that others wanted to see. I have now realised that I really have no idea what others want to see, and it no longer matters. I have my own vision for my photography, and I want to follow that vision. Sometimes I find others whose vision resonates with mine, and that is encouraging, but I don’t rely on it. I am happy to do what piques my interest and see where it takes me, even if it is not photography for the masses.

I now do photography for myself, share it here on my website, and if it appeals to anyone else that’s a bonus, but it’s not my primary aim.

#5 Embrace the Process

This follows the last point in that I prefer to engage in the process of photography than to be overly concerned about the final image. Since I am not a professional photographer and do not have clients to please, I can afford to take risks, to enjoy the experience of making mistakes and learning from them, and to repeat the same process often if I want to attain better results.

There is no pressure, just enjoyment of this wonderful hobby.

#6 Turn Photography into Art 

This might seem to be a little pretentious, but I believe it is a natural stage in our photography journey. It comes when we stop taking photographs and start to create images.

My initial photographs, and those I took for a long time after that, were just photographs. I arrived at a location, saw something I liked, pointed my camera at it and pressed the shutter button. I didn’t really consider subject, composition, framing or lighting conditions.

Creating an image is when we slow down, spend time with a subject, consider how best to frame that subject, decide what to include as supporting elements, what composition strategies to use and how to use the available light to our best advantage. It is a more intentional, more deliberate way of photographing, but it allows us to develop creatively and to produce more meaningful and personally pleasing work.

#7 Enjoy Your Own Journey

All the stages outlined above have brought me to the place where I enjoy my own photography journey.

I know that my images are not perfect, but is there such a thing as a perfect image?

I know that they may never win a photography competition, but do I want to enter a photography competition?

I know that I don’t have a distinctive ‘style’ but I am still experimenting, learning and growing as a photographer, finding out about myself and the types of photography I enjoy, which can be an eclectic mix at times!

FINAL THOUGHTS

These 7 insights sum up my 7 years’ photography experience. I hope they resonate in some way with you who are reading this post and that they will be an inspiration for you on your own creative journey.