Howzit all 1197 of you!
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Crazy to think that less than a month ago, the first issue of Saturday Selections went out to just 20 people :D
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Thank you all so very much!
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​Getting Better At Photography - What is Better Exactly?​
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When I was in my late 30s, I had a real problem with my photography.

I'd just moved back to the UK and was in the process of opening up my portrait studio in a lovely little converted barn in the Suffolk countryside. It had a great window for natural light and the rent was low - so two major wins in one!

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I was feeling excited about taking portraits again after so long doing weddings and corporate work.
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It felt like this was going to be the start of a new chapter in my photography career. It was time to improve my portrait photography - I didn't know it at the time, but that was going to be a major issue - that simple word - 'Improve'
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Excitement soon gave way to frustration

This was the time of Sue Bryce - a portrait photographer from New Zealand who'd been championed by Creative Live and was making natural light portraiture all the rage. I thought her photography was lovely, and wanted to emulate it.
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I knew enough to take on the basics of the images, the exposure, the use of light, and the like, but something inside still frustrated me and made me get more and more disappointed with the results.
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I was hard on myself - to the point, and this is crazy and I still shake my head about it, even now. Point out what I considered to be flaws in the image TO THE CLIENTS!
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This was part of this weird way I thought I was "improving" my images or making them "better".
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Over time though I'd been talking to other, more knowledgeable photographers than myself. Not just talking, but listening.

One thing stood out, none of them talked about "improving", or "better" images. They talked about growth.
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Often in the world of photography, you'll see statements like 'take better images'. The question this leads to of course is better than what? Better than who?
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It's so hard to measure better because one person's idea of better is totally different from another.
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Because I wasn't sure what better actually looked like for me, or how I could measure improvement in what is a totally subjective medium, I got frustrated.
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A runner can quantifiably measure improved times, but what are we as photographers supposed to do?

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The conclusion I came to from listening to those wiser heads was that if I looked at photography as a journey, and thought about what motivated me on that journey, it would be easier to grow as a photographer because I'd see the bigger picture (pardon the pun).
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Instead of trying to see improvement in every image, I stopped worrying about the single frame and just committed to enjoying the process of taking images.
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From time to time I would look back and take stock of my work.
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The crazy thing was, from this wider view, the development in my images was far more apparent.

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By stopping worrying about improving or getting better at the granular level, I'd actually come on a lot more in my photography.
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This weekend, instead of focusing on trying to work at one aspect of your photography, or trying to take better photos than last week, just think about why you take images, and what gives you enjoyment.

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I wanted to share this story with you because I see so many photographers who are good at the technical side of images get hung up on getting better. Some labor under the impression there is a magic bullet that will instantly make someone with a camera better at taking images.
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This was my reality for a while and it got in the way of my enjoying photography, so if I can help you or someone else avoid this common pitfall it will be worth it.
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Have you ever gotten frustrated with your photography?
Please share your story...
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Alex
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P.S
If part of what you're struggling with in terms of 'being better' with photography is a sense of overwhelm, consider rebooting your photography mind with the Authentic Vision Framework​
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