Take pictures.

When I first decided I wanted to get better at photography, I set a goal to take 50 pictures a day, 4 days a week. I got the idea from playing basketball in high school. We always heard stories of how the great players shot ‘x’ number of shots each day. I’m not sure how that sounds to you, but it quickly adds up. In hindsight, I think it’s one of the most beneficial ideas I had.

Here’s a few reasons why…

1. You Stay On Your Game. Shooting daily (consistently) allows you to build on the things you learn. If you shoot periodically, you find yourself having to relearn things.
2. Forced Creativity. After a few weeks of this, things started getting a little repetitive. Initially, everywhere I went was new and meant new images. That made everything easier. After a while, choosing new locations became impractical. In order to get new and interesting pictures in the same old places, I was forced to see the locations in new and interesting ways. Then I was forced to use my camera in new and interesting ways. Definitely one of the best lessons learned from the whole experience.
3. Familiarity leads to discovery. Think of it like driving a car. When you first start driving, you’re so absorbed with not crashing that it’s difficult to turn on the AC or radio. After some time driving you find yourself eating, adjusting the radio, setting the temperature, texting, and, oh yeah, driving. The same goes with the camera. After some experience, all those settings become more accessible and even fun to use.
4. Familiarity develops confidence. After shooting so many pictures I found myself recognizing certain situations. I’d see a fence and immediately know what angle I wanted to shoot at. I’d see the way the light hit a tree and know how it would look in the camera. This meant I was learning what worked and what didn’t work in a given scenario.

Here’s how I did it.

• I set about 30-45 minutes a day to shoot. If I had more time, I’d travel. If not, I’d shoot around my neighborhood or even around the house.
• I brought along the iPod. I love music. That’s just how I go.
• I often brought a friend.
• I wouldn’t delete any pictures I took until I got back.
• I’d stop at 50 and go home.
• I’d load the pics on the computer and look over them. I deleted the bad and kept the interesting. This is key. This is where you’ll begin to see what you like and what you don’t like it’s hard to tell on the camera.
• I picked one and blogged it. This held me accountable and forced me to see my images through the eyes of other people. Scary at first, then fun!
• For extra credit, I’d give myself assignments. Examples? Don’t frame anything in the center for 50 pictures. Tilt the camera for 50 pictures. Shoot from the ground for 50 pictures. Basically, anything that I felt like I needed to work on. This is how I finally began to understand aperture.

And there you go. 50 pictures is a lot. Maybe that’s not for you. What is for you? 10 a day? 5? Anything is better than just talking about being a better photographer.

Oh, and my favorite result? My whole world became more interesting. I developed a habit of looking for the good wherever I was…