Photography is all about finding one's voice. As beginners we move through the various genres, testing the water as we go, getting excited about everything connected to our craft, analyzing what we do, seeking critique from those more experienced followers of the discipline. We eagerly try out different pieces of equipment: camera bodies; lenses; bags; tripods; filters. You name it and most of us would have been down the same road; seeking our resting place in the jumbled and confusing order of things. Our journey is a time of experimentation and discovery, a time when we get excited and stimulated by just about everything connected to the craft. Sometimes our learning is easy going, and other times it is difficult and frustrating. But our love for the craft keeps us going, in the hope that a time will come when we can finally see the light and instinctively know where our niche lies. It may take years to reach this point of course, but not everyone is the same! So to put a time limit on how long it takes to get from A to B is quite impossible to do. Some reach their pinnacle surprisingly quickly and yet for others it is a long hard slog towards success. The secret ingredient in all this learning is determination. It is the spark of interest that keeps us driving upward and onwards, regardless of all the failures along the way. When we reach that point where we are close to giving up, we need to stop and think very carefully before we do! This could well be the very moment we have been waiting for, and have at last found our voices and are happy with what we are currently doing.
Tips: Join a photo club; talk with other photographers via forums; look at other people's photography; immerse yourself in personal projects; read books about photography; shoot regularly; try everything and then specialise in one genre. Remember that practice makes perfect.
Tips: Join a photo club; talk with other photographers via forums; look at other people's photography; immerse yourself in personal projects; read books about photography; shoot regularly; try everything and then specialise in one genre. Remember that practice makes perfect.