David Moses

Quick tips to improve your photography and change the way you shoot forever.

OK - no messing around. You want to take better photos? Here it is.

1 - Take your camera everywhere. Get used to carrying that bad boy around. Get a comfy bag or a belt clip, whatever works for you. You can’t take pictures if you don’t have your camera.

2 - Take pictures every day. In your home, on your way to work, when you walk the dog. Taking pictures in difficult or boring situations is a great way to learn.

3 - LOOK. At your pictures. What do you like about them? What do you dislike about them? Edit ruthlessly.

4 - LOOK. At other photographers. Learn from your favourites. Every now and then you’ll come across some wiseacre who says they don’t look at other peoples work - that is self indulgent tripe. We can all learn from other people.

5 - LOOK. At the situation you are photographing. Don’t just snap and move on. Stop. Count to 30 whilst observing. In that time look at where the light is coming from, where the action is happening, where it is going.

6 - Get Closer. “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” - Robert Capa.

7 - Interact with your subject - a camera is not something to hide behind.

8 - Play with Depth of Field & Shutter Speed.

9 - Learn. Go to workshops. This is the single biggest thing you can do that will improve your photography. Learn from an expert. Duh!

10 - Shoot from the heart. Be honest and open and wholehearted in your approach. When I photograph someone/something, I am heart and soul invested in the process and in them. I want to do justice to my subject and in those moments, nothing else matters.

11 - Buy a better camera/lens - just kidding, they are a complete waste of money.

12 - Learn the rule of thirds - it’s a great starting point for all composition. And once you fully understand the implications of it, you can cheerfully set about breaking the rules in ways that improve your photographs.

I have loads more to say on the subject of becoming a better photographer - and frankly it is because I have made thousands of mistakes. I think that will be my next blog - all the embarrassing mishaps I have had.

Why go on a photography workshop?

You could go alone to somewhere you think will have potential and then hope to stumble across a couple of good spots and then hopefully take some pictures that might work.

Or, you could sign up for workshop from a pro photographer who knows how to get the most out of a given situation, can guide you through the process and be on hand to offer feedback and advice as and when you need it. I know what I prefer. And the good thing is, whatever your preferred taste in photography, there is probably a workshop happening nearby that will be appropriate.

Advantages to you - the biggest advantage from attending workshops is that they give you a way to do things. For example, I don’t know much about wildlife photography. Now I could go and try to take some pictures of animals and maybe I would get lucky. More likely though I would come back with mediocre shots. What I would actually do is attend GPC member Tom Langlands workshop and I would learn tried and trusted methods of getting results. Now that is a much better place to begin isn’t it?

Good photographers are always learning - just like successful people in any industry. They jump at the chance to learn new skills, methods and techniques.

If you are interested in street photography, I am running a workshop in January to show how I approach it, what techniques I use, what settings I start with, what I look for and how I work a scene.