fine art photograph from cancun, mexico
I began photographing when I was a kid. I don’t remember what drew me to it but something pulled me in and since then I have been an avid fan of photography. From the first time I started taking snapshots with my Kodak camera that my Grandparents gave to me, until now, where I teach photography and run a photography business, I have found 4 simple truths that have guided me well.
1. passion
Without passion life and art have little value. You should have passion and drive for photography. Otherwise, why would you do it? Why would you go through all of the time to learn about the camera and then spend all of those hours actually taking photographs if you are not passionate about it. I think that above everything else passion has been the number one driving force for me. It is what pushes me on to keep improving and to keep going when I am tired or hungry or just want to stop. It is the basis for never being satisfied fully so that I want to create more and better things. Passion is a powerful force and you should have it in many areas of your life. This idea is contained in the William Allard quote that I posted a few days ago in ‘Pushing Yourself Harder in Photography‘ when he talks about working hard to improve and to find pictures that others are not seeing. Look at my posts ‘5 Sources of Creative Inspiration‘ and ‘5 More Sources of Creative Inspiration‘ for some motivating ideas.
2. persistence
To get better at anything in life you have to be willing to keep doing it. Do not see failure as an endpoint. Rather see it as a chance to reflect back on what did not go well and then use that knowledge to improve. Failure is a great learning opportunity. Don’t get so ego-centered that you take it personally and stop what you are doing. When you fall, get up and go on. I happen to like the little failures along the way. They let me know that I am human, that I am not perfect, and they show me that there is something more I can aspire to. Maybe that is a better photograph or being a better person. No one is perfect. You would not want to be perfect because that would lead to stagnation and stagnation is death to the creative process.
3. practice
In any endeavor you have to practice to get better. I often tell my students to see photography like learning an instrument. If you were taking piano lessons and did nothing before your lesson the following week, how much better do you think that your playing would be? Not much, yet many people falsely believe that they do not have to go out and practice photography to get better. Well the truth is that you must. I was self taught so I would learn a principle and then design shooting assignments for myself to practice that principle. I worked on one area until I had it down, then I moved on. The more that you use your camera, with knowledge, the better you will become. It is that simple. You have to practice as much as possible even if it is not very much fun. You passion and persistence will drive you on. One of the things that I have always liked about photography is that it is neverending. There is always something new to challenge me, some new area to explore, and it is very satisfying when you conquer these areas.
4. patience
Like any good student you must be patient in this process. You are not going to become a great photographer overnight. If you are passionate about your art, persistent in its execution, and practice often you will become better. How long to become a good, competent photographer is a difficult question to answer, but the 10,000 hour rule is a good starting point. This principle says that you have ‘mastered’ your art after 10,000 hours of dedicated and deliberate practice. It is not just hands-on-camera time. The idea of deliberate practice is that every time you repeat your skill you are challenged, it is a bit difficult, and you come away better than when you began. That’s a lot of hours, so you need to be patient.
Good luck in your creative quests. Remember what the great Chinese philosopher Lao-Tsu said, “The journey of a thousands miles begins with one step.” Take that first step today.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
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