3 Steps To Become A Confident Photographer And Share Your Work Without Fear Of Criticism

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​3 Steps To Become A Confident Photographer And Share Your Work Without Fear Of Criticism

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I've been in the photography industry for around 30 years.

During that time, I've won numerous awards for my photography, both professionally, and personally. I've also taken over half a million photos (that's quite crazy when I think about it!) during my time as a wedding and portrait photographer. In fact, I've invested so many hours into mastering my craft that I have more photographs of my shoes (don't know why, it's just a 'thing' I do) than anyone I know...
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But do you want to know a secret?

Despite reading countless books, following 100's of tutorials, and going on a few workshops, I actually only use 3 techniques when I take a photo.

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Step #1: Simplicity

Here’s how it works:

• Something catches my eye
• I take the photograph without overthinking it
• Move on to the next image

This simple template allows you to achieve a unique look to your images because you're trusting your instincts rather than trying to conform to the ideals of others.
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Don't worry about perfect exposures (there's no such thing). Just find something that captures your eye, and try to create a photograph from that subject that comes from your photographer's intuition.

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Step #2: Just Be A Photographer

Here’s how it works:

• Pick up a camera, or anything that takes photos
• Go somewhere you want to take photos
• Take Photos :D

Quick note: Don't Pigeonhole yourself as a specific type of photographer - like a landscape or street photographer. That's a mistake.

Some of the photographers I most admire are the ones who create great images in a variety of genres.
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Wearing a landscape photographer hat for example means you subconsciously start to photograph by the conventions of landscape photographers.
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If you find a scene you want to photograph as a landscape photographer THEN put your landscape photographer hat on if you wish. Just don't wander around being blind to opportunities because 'I'm not that type of photographer...'
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You never know what you're missing
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Step #3: Other People's Opinions

Here’s how it works:

• Avoid bogging yourself down in what other people think of your images
• Instead, just ask yourself - Do I like this photo?
• If you avoid worrying about other people's opinions and focus instead on your own satisfaction with the photo, you'll start to become far more confident in your own unique way of taking photos that come from your photographic instinct.
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  ​The more confident you are, the more you'll take photos.
  The more photos you take the better your instinct will be.
  The better your instinct the more you'll be happy with your images.
  The more pleased you are, the more confident you become.

Easy, right?
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Of course, feel free to share your photos if you want to, but don't let other people's ideas about them cloud the way you see your own photos

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Photography is often made out to be overly complex.​
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Especially for the beginner, and often also for the experienced. I used to really get bogged down in my photos because I was overthinking them, worrying about teeny tiny details I thought were 'wrong' in them, which other people never even noticed.
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When I pared back everything to these three steps, I found that I was a lot happier taking photos. I hope these steps will do the same for you.
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What's great about these three steps is you more or less practice them without a camera! Check out the video I put together on this here​
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Alex
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P.S
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I'm sure someone will ask about exposure when looking at step one.
I've got enough experience now to make deciding on an exposure almost automatic (and to be honest, I mostly shoot on aperture priority and spot metering).

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If you're new to photography or find exposure a sticking point, it's OK to just go full auto for a while. Then when you know the sort of subjects and ideas you're drawn towards instinctively, work out how to expose them in a way that suits those images you want to create.
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P.P.S
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I've been invited to contribute courses to this year's bundle of 5DayDeal.
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If you're not familiar with them, they take some of the best educational courses in the photography space, bundle them together at one amazing price, and pass on the profits to charity.
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​Since 2014, 5DayDeal has raised over $2,000,000 for charity.​
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To help raise as much as we can, I'm creating a new course, which will be included as an added bonus for anyone who purchases the bundle.