5 Stages To Improve Your Photography | A Professional Guide
My Approach
Is To Improve Your Photography
Over twenty years of being a landscape/outdoor photographer and turning my passion into a professional status and a business over ten years ago, I have led thousands of outdoor workshops and classes for clients of all abilities, gear, interests, backgrounds, ages and needs.
I started my teaching ethos on the understanding that "Pictures are the expression of the photographer; they reflect perception and individuality, portraying a journey through life."
Therefore, there are not necessarily rights and wrongs in photography; there is only the ability for each individual to bring their own creative and beautiful vision into the images they make for the purpose required. It does not mean that certain aspects of the execution, focusing, exposure, composition and so on can be ignored, they are essential elements of an image, but they are not the reason for making the image.
Photography is a medium to record and express moments, ideals, connections, and interpretations of what we find beautiful, intriguing or important.
Based on these principles, I have created a flexible approach to everyone and use a straightforward methodology to help each person get the most out of every interaction with me as their tutor.
The Photographic Workflow:
The five linear stages of creating a photograph.
see | design | shoot | enhance | share.
See - The ability to observe and develop your creative eye.
Design - The ability to disclose only the vital and compose.
Shoot - The ability to create the best digital negative.
Enhance - The ability to edit the image to realise its potential.
Share - The ability to share images for enjoyment/outcomes.
The Photographic Process
5 Stages To Improve Your Photography
Based on the five stages of the photographic process, I teach people through explanations, cues, demonstrations and suggestions throughout each step. I won't instruct clients and what to shoot but help them on how to shoot. More often than not, clients want to master their use of the camera (shoot) first before improving their ability to observe (see), compose (design) and edit (enhance).
This is the learning workflow where the stages are rearranged to give learning and development to where it is most wanted (needed is another debate). It is a continuous improvement cycle where we all seek to improve our abilities at any stage to bring more satisfaction and enjoyment to our photography.
The Photographic Learning Workflow:
shoot| design| enhance | share | see.
Camera - Shoot - Learn camera settings and functions and when and how to use them.
Composition - Design - Understand how images are composed and why.
Editing - Enhance - Learn to use editing software to make critical photo enhancements.
Feedback - Share - Feedback on your images and affirmation to progress further.
Creativity - See - Expand your creativity through experience, practice, and collaboration.
The Photographic Learning workflow
5 Ways To Improve Your Photography
See
Your capacity to observe, identify, study and create comes through practice and critical thinking at the moment but also after the moment in reflection. Giving your subject full attention requires a mindset and giving yourself time to get into that zone. Often referred to as mindfulness, whatever you call this connection to your topic and environment, it’s an essential part of improving what and how you photograph anything.
My outdoor landscape location workshops are a perfect way to experience new places, meet like-minded people and stimulate your ability to observe and see more. Workshops are carefully planned to suit all levels of experience, and 1-2-1 tuition is provided accordingly. Each location is optimised for timing and interest but not pressured into being a honey-pot bus tour to get the classic shots and move on.
Design
We learn from identifying mistakes and misjudgements and then understanding how and why those errors can be avoided next time. It isn’t a formulaic approach of applying simple textbook rules of thirds, leading lines or any other compositional straight-jackets. Instead, it is about creating balance, harmony, atmosphere and a connection between the photographer and their subject. Creating that feeling in an image is a craft that examines every aspect of what is included in the frame and asks why?
I provide many ways to help you improve your eye for composition and expression. Mentoring/Workshops/Courses/1-2-1 all include image critiques to discuss image design and its intention.
Shoot
Failing to understand how to use camera settings is a bit like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel; It is impossible to arrive at the desired destination. Steering, in reality, camera settings and, specifically, control of exposure settings are the most important part of photography regarding the mechanics of camera operation. Moving from point and shoot, relying on what the camera does in auto exposure mode to make your own choices about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are where you first learn the basics of photography. This is essential to your learning and can’t be bypassed if you want to create images beyond phone snapshots.
My beginner’s photography course and classes are designed to help you take your first significant step into using your camera with all its power and potential. If evening classes or my locations don’t suit you, these essential basics can be taught online via Zoom or on a 1-2-1 basis.
Enhance
Editing an image is not a sin, crime or deceitful! Photographs, by their very nature of using a camera, lens and settings, are not the reality if you base them on human perception and vision. There is a case for debating how much editing is acceptable, but I think this is down to the photographer making that choice. Don’t rely on the camera JPG settings to make those choices. Shoot in RAW format, so you have all ingredients available to fine-tune the image to your taste and vision. Editing your images is part of learning how to improve the decisions you make about camera settings, framing and composing your shots. In fact, I would say with confidence that the process of editing is the fastest route to identifying what you didn’t do or see at the moment you took the shot,
Learning how to use the editing software of your choice is the first step. It is the how rather than why; then comes the decision of how you want to convey your photographic vocabulary expressing your personal interpretation of your subject.
My Beginners Lightroom Course provides all of the basics of how. Through 1-2-1 private lessons, courses and image critiques, we can develop the why further so that you can apply your interpretation to what you want to create.
Share
Sharing an image is generally about getting some affirmation and feedback about the image you created. Though necessary, it doesn’t have to be, nor should that be, a reason for sharing. Sharing can be as simple as showing your friends and family or getting an image printed and framed to give as a gift or hanging on your walls. Those are great outcomes, but when it comes to learning and development objectives, sharing comes more about confirmation that what you created has some merit. Health Warning - social media popularity or competition success/failure should NOT influence your opinion about your images. The key part of sharing, whether public or collaborating with me, is learning and improving all of the process's previous steps.
My courses, workshops, mentoring, and 1-2-1 lessons online or face-to-face all provide the opportunity for constructive feedback and image critiques.