4 Ways to Grow Your Photography Skills Today

It’s that time of year where most of us have spent some time reflecting on 2017 and then setting some goals for 2018. There are so many different ways you can personalize goal setting to work for you and hopefully one or two of the ideas shared here will resonate with you and inspire you to grab your camera.

1. Group or Individual Projects

This is one of the most common ways that I see photographers jump into a new year. There are so many different kinds of projects and groups that it is worth it to find one that works for your lifestyle, your shooting style, and your goals. Participating in a group project also has the benefit of being able to bounce ideas off other photographers as well as a sense of community.

Bloom has a wonderful group called The Bloom Collective that provides bi-monthly prompts and then the photos are all shared on a blog post. There are other projects similar for P365 (daily shooting) and P52 (weekly shooting) both with and without prompts. There are benefits to both. If you have a prompt, sometimes it gives you a direction to flow when you are stuck but other times it can feel too constraining.

Here are some ideas for projects:
P365
P52
Still Life
Food Photography
Shooting through a variety of Light
Technical challenges
Shoot with one lens for 30 days
All Black & White
Shooting Film
Freelensing
Lensbaby
Self Portraits

There really is no end to the kind of project you can do so I recommend you find one that will help keep you motivated to pick up your camera and remember you can always switch to something else if the project is no longer serving you!

2. Journaling and/or getting introspective

Bloom recently posted some tips for Nurturing Your Creativity on the blog. One of the tips was about journaling but all of them have some aspect of getting introspective and how that can impact your creativity.

I love to use bullet journaling when I have ideas so I can go back to them when I am lacking inspiration. I’ll just list out ideas for places or subjects or projects I want to try.

We’ve started a section in the forum where we are adding in new journaling prompts every few weeks too. You can read the prompts and journal on your own or come back to share and discuss with others.

Journaling is a great way to dig deeper as an artist and learn more about what moves you so you can create from the heart.

3. Find a Mentor, Read a Book or take a workshop

Any of these three things will help you grow as a photographer whether you are working on a new skill or being reflective on your current work.

We can be so close to our own photography that it can be a challenge to look at it objectively. This is where a mentor can be so helpful. They can tell you what they see in your work so you can determine if what you are creating is aligned with your vision. The last mentor I worked with helped me see some areas for improvement that I hadn’t considered. Even the act of curating your work to prepare for a mentor session can be beneficial. Looking through your favorite images to find similarities or themes, for example subject matter or the way you use light can provide information for ah-ha moments related to your photography that could propel you into a new direction.

There are tons of ebooks online as well as old school books you can buy to flip through in person. Either can be good for growth. This is a great way to focus in on one technical area like composition or genre like food photography or portraits.

Here are a few of my favorite old school books:
● Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
● The Photographer’s Mind by Michael Freeman (he has a number of books and all the ones I have read are amazing)
● People Pictures: 30 Exercises for Creating Authentic Photographs by Chris Orwig
● The Luminous Portrait: Capture the Beauty of Natural Light for Glowing, Flattering Photographs by Elizabeth Messina
● Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin

And lastly taking a workshop can be a way for you to both push yourself and hold yourself accountable at the same time. Have you ever bought an ebook or participated as a silent member in an online workshop then totally skipped on doing the actual assignments? Just me? I know when I participate with an active role that I am much more likely to stick with the assignments, post questions, and be there open for feedback. All of those things help me grow my skills. One of the other great things about a workshop is not only having direct access to the instructor but also being able to chat with the other participants who are obviously interested in working on the same areas that you are. Bloom offers some great workshops online if you are looking for a place to start with that one.

4. Shooting

This is the last one. It seems so simple but really, I think it’s the most important one. You can join a group project, journal, and take a workshop but you won’t see improvement if you aren’t actively picking up your camera and shooting as much as possible. Try something new and if it doesn’t work then pick up your camera and keep trying! Shoot for yourself and not for sharing on social media. Shoot what you love and what fills your heart up with joy. When you are engaged with your art you will see your skills improve, change, and grow.

More incredible and inspiring photos from Allison Jacobs can be found here:
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