How to become a better photographer

Im sorry for the cheezy title but... it's kinda the only one that really fits.

...Apart from shooting all the time... Though I 've seen way too many people who claim that they have 20 years of experience and shoot absolute crap. I mean really, their stuff is so subpar that you feel pretty sorry for them. but apart from that...

How do you become better?

It's about learning how to see what's good and what is not.

All the great photogs show only their best stuff. How do we know that this is their best stuff? We haven't seen the entire session in RAW, right?

Here something interesting starts to happen. If the viewer likes the photo that has been processed and previously selected it means that he/she AGREES with the photographer's point of view. It means that there's some sort of being connection established between the two... The stronger the connection - the better the photo is perceived.

In my understanding to gain this skill of building the connection between the viewer and the photographer, the photographer must develop his artistic perception. All these books on composition and color theory are great, BUT they do not provide you with an ultimate guide of masterpiece creation. They only give you a very very vague sense of direction. Same goes for the comments like - "what camera do you use, or what is your lighting setup". It doesn't matter. What matters is the effect achieved at the certain time in certain conditions. We are not limited by our gear. That's what the manufacturers want us to think. We are only limited by our creativity.

To develop your eye as a photographer you absolutely have to look at the work of others. There will be some works that will stun you with their seeming perfection but once you become more and more experienced, your tastes will also change. What seemed to be almost impossible, in time will be achieved with easy. For me it was balancing the flash and the ambient, for example. It took me WEEKS to understand. Now - it takes me 3-5 shots to get the settings right and get started. No light meters, though it is a great tool. But that's only the technical stuff...

What about the ideas? This is that grey area that no one can really understand... Why do some ideas n a photo are so -so and some - just blow your brains out? Where do ideas like these even come from? I think that they are products of our subconscious which never sleeps and constantly processes stuff we see... So... the better the stuff that you look at - the better you become. :) This seems to be right?

But how to you know who is good and who is not when you have no experience? You don't. But there are critics that have decided for you. The photographers that "everyone"considers "the best" or "classic" are usually a good start. Compare your work to the best of the best. Try to do better. It is possible.

So do register on Flickr, go to PLSR.net, check out Photodom.com. The forums are also great. The people there will do their best to teach you new things...

Be aware that there's no limits to how good you can become. There's no limits to how creative you can be. Think of a shot and then find ways to create it.

Challenge yourself with brainstorming ideas

. Get inspired by movies, books, comics, news, youtube... whatever you can get.

get out there and wow the world with your vision of things!

HERE'S a GOOD START

http://www.lauriebartley.com/ EDITORIAL

http://www.haefnerphoto.com/AUTOMOTIVE

http://www.frazierproductions.com/UNDERWATER FASHION

http://www.lachapellestudio.com/POP ART

http://www.robertmekis.com/ LANDSCAPES