12 Easy Steps to Improve Your Photography Without Photographing

FROM THE ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY NETWORK: Photography, like every other creative art needs inspiration to improve. Be it a professional or an amateur photographer, human beings are prone to running dry of new ideas. Instead of getting frustrated and trying hard to come up with something innovative, take some time to indulge in activities that will provide inspiration to you for your photography and let you start afresh. Given here are 12 such tips. 1. Observe The Work Of Others What better way to improve your photographic skills than taking inspiration from the creation of others. Visit art galleries, observe the photographs in newspapers and magazines, search Google images, browse photographic sites like Flickr, Fotolia etc. — keep a keen eye for photographs, wherever available. 2. Join Photography Forums Photography forums let you showcase your work to others and view the work of other photographers. They also help you obtain useful feedback and suggestions of how you can improve your work. 3. Read Autobiographies/Biographies Of The Masters Going through the life of the experts will give you an idea of what it takes to be a good photographer. Also, the tips and techniques of these great personalities when combined with yours will give a uniqueness and professionalism to your photography. 4. Visit new places New places refresh you mind and provide an ample supply of new ideas for photography. You can visit an entirely new place and discover new locations and subjects. You can also take a walk down the local flea/farmer’s market. These markets are full of life, objects of strange shapes and vivid colors, providing you a scope for unique compositions. 5. Join A Workshop Joining a workshop will help you interact with different levels of photographers and know their photographic qualities and your drawbacks. 6. Learn To See Sometimes, leaning back and observing your subject is the best way to relax and get new photographic ideas at the same time. For example, watching children or pets at play will help you guess the approximate pattern of their unpredictable movements. Similarly, observing a landscape at different times of the day and in different seasons and climates will help you decide the best atmosphere for your landscape photography. 7. Read Your Camera Manual While it may seem a tedious task, going through the camera manual will let you become acquainted with your camera features and help you in the long run. 8. Experiment With Your Photos On Photoshop Post Processing is an important part of obtaining a professional grade photograph. As such, keep experimenting with the tools and features of Photoshop to become well informed about the steps and techniques involved in photo editing. 9. Be In Touch With Photo Critics Keep your critics close so that you can get a constant feedback about your work. Try to improve your flaws that they point out. However, try to ignore silly criticism instead of getting upset. 10. Read Photographic Blogs Photographic blogs are a rich source of new ideas about photography. Read some good photographic blogs on a regular basis get more knowledge about photography. 11. Take A Look At Your Old Photographs Go through your old photographs and understand what’s missing in them. This is a great way to learn from your previous mistakes. Also, editing old photographs in Photoshop for some additional effect is fun. Taking a look at your own portfolio will help you decide which photographs of yours are most liked and which least. 12. Get A New Equipment Adding a new photographic gadget to your collection will make you happy and eager to try it. If possible, get a new equipment and use it to explore its features.