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Productive Photography Habits — 14 Key Habits Which Will Make You A Great Photographer

True artists are never contended with their work. They always try to be more creative and artistic to become better than what they are today. The same holds true for the photographers. Imogen Cunningham said, “Which of the photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow”. With the better understanding of the photography concepts and experience the quality of the work improves. But as a matter of fact your habits make a huge, perceivable difference. Here are 14 key habits of which will as well help you refine yourself as a photographer.

  1. Keeping The Camera Handy

    This sounds basic, but is the most crucial step or perhaps a habit that makes you a better photographer. You never know when you may get lucky. Always keeping the camera with you thus enables you to tap the opportunities and to make the most of the it. Having a camera handy allows you to practice and learn all the time.

  2. Double-Checking Things

    Before getting ready for the shoot, double check everything — appropriate lens, filter, extra batteries, etc. along with the camera-kit. Check the camera settings, ensure there’s nothing out-of-tune from yesterday’s shooting. Backup and format the memory card for the new shoot.

  3. Warming-Up Before The Job

    Heard of anyone warming up for photography. Pick-up your camera, find a common subject and get your creative juices flowing. You’ll know when you are really ready for the shoot.

  4. Planning & Visualizing The Results

    One of the key habits of the great photographers is the visualization. It reminds me of Ansel Adams, where he confides that it all depends on what you visualize. Learning to see is what makes a difference between a newbie and a pro.

  5. Having Boatloads Of Patience

    Timing is of utmost importance in photography. A good photograph is the marriage of timing and creativity. The golden/magic hour for instance or perhaps a full moon to photograph the bird sitting on the tree in the foreground — all require patience.

  6. Giving Every Shot The Best

    Think before you act. Just holding the camera in the hand doesn’t make you any good. Analyze the light carefully, pay attention to composition, expression and mood of the scene before finally releasing the shutter. After taking the shots, transfer the photographs to your computer and sit back to learn from your own shots — note down what makes or breaks them.

    The Evening Dream

    The Evening Dream by jjjohn

  7. Experimenting

    There are so many photographers out there. To establish your own identity you need to portray things from a unique point-of-view. You need a unique perspective. Get used to experimenting with various camera-settings, light setups, new angles, etc. You’ll strike gold.

  8. Abstaining From Overshooting

    Having a digital camera does get you off the limitation of the limited film frames. But that doesn’t mean you must shoot continuously (unless you have to). Too many shots just mean more storage requirements, more effort selecting the best shot and a waste of time and energy. Plan, steady yourself and shoot.

  9. “Finishing” The Shot

    Finishing the shot is about giving it the final touches to see your visualization through to it’s righteous end. Process the images to fine-tune the contrast, sharpness, color temperature, vibrance, saturation, etc. and do it over and again till you are satisfied. Ask yourself, “Is this what I wanted?”

  10. Continuous Self-Learning

    Have extensive experiment as a photographer? Confident? Don’t let it shadow your ability to learn and pick new things. As you grow as a photographer, the level of your understanding and knowledge will grow. But as with any form of art, photography is a continuous learning process. The day you stop learning, your photography starts stagnating.

  11. Caring For The Gear

    Love and respect your tools and equipment which help you create the masterpieces. Cleaning the camera-lens, using the lens-cap, carrying the camera bag, etc assures the safety of the equipment while helping  you get good results.

  12. Getting Inspired

    Getting inspired is a part of learning. Learning from what and how other photographers take the shots helps you in gaining knowledge and provides you inspiration and motivation to try new things.

    Toompea Castle

    Toompea Castle by Claudio.Ar

  13. Sharing The Knowledge

    Great photographers share their knowledge, experience, techniques and tricks with others. Sharing refines your knowledge, perspective and approach. It also projects you as a confident and serious professional. Share your knowledge, inspire others and spread the love of photography.

  14. Challenging Oneself

    Challenge yourself to create something new and different. Take up the task of photographing the subject you have never done before or try some experimentation while post-processing the images. Challenging yourself as an artist pushes you to do more, better. It has direct, immediate and perceivable effect on your photography.

Want to share something that made a difference to your photography?

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4 comments… add one
  • Jay Matthews Dec 23, 2011 @ 23:33

    This is just the editor in me.
    In the first sentence: Should “contended” be “contented”?
    On item #10: Should “experiment” be “experience”?

  • Shivanand Sharma Dec 23, 2011 @ 23:53

    Thanks for correcting us. English was never my first language. Hope that doesn’t come to you as a surprise :)

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