6 Steps to Become the Best Photographer You Can Be!

I've had a camera in my hand since I was a kid, yet I am still always learning from my heroes and from the very humbling trial-and-error process. What are some of the best tips I've gotten over the years?

1) Tell a story

The most common basic composition tips you'll usually hear are, "Fill your frame," "Include only the important details in your shot," and "Shoot multiple angles to find the winner." But what's the end goal for all these practices? It's to answer this question: What story are you trying to tell? What is the purpose of your photo? What do you want the audience to take away? Perhaps you're trying to show a newsworthy event, or perhaps you want the viewer to feel something. Whatever it is, do it with intent. Art is always up for interpretation, but as the artist, it's up to you to guide the viewer.

2) Shoot for "Wow!"

During my favorite photo class (with my mentor who offers classes, workshops, and prints) called the "Assignments class," we learned about the "wow" factor. Here's the rule: If your editor looks at your shots after an assignment and says, "That's nice," it means, "Anyone could've taken this photo. This won't sell papers."

BUT if your editor looks at your shots and says, "Wow!" then you've done your job right.

This is difficult, but the fun is in the challenge, isn't it?

If you're like me, you take hundreds of shots during your outings and comb through them later, selecting the best ones. Perhaps you carefully curate your shot in the moment and shoot a select few. Either way, I would recommend two things: 1) don't delete anything in your camera, even if it looks bad on the LCD. (Sometimes the little screen is deceiving and your computer upload will reveal a great shot you didn't expect.) And 2) if you have the gift of time, give your eyes and brain a rest before combing through your shots. I'm sometimes too hard on my own photos unless I look at them with fresh eyes. Alternatively, sometimes I'm too easy on my photos until I view them objectively and realize that the composition overpowers the sentiment.

Either way, remember the story you want to tell, and find the "wow" photos.

3) Your eye matters more than your equipment

Yes, photography can quickly become an expensive hobby. Even an entry-level camera and lens can be a $1,000 investment.

But hey, some photographers are making money by shooting with their smartphones! (And their photos are amazing!)

Your equipment doesn't matter. So, go ahead and fawn over the avian photographers and their Hubble telescope lenses. Drool over the newest mirrorless cameras hitting the market.

But keep this in mind: Even if you had $100k worth of equipment, it doesn't make you a better photographer. You can still take photos that suck with the most expensive lens in the world. What makes you a good photographer is your own eye. It's the commitment to getting that great shot. It's the unique perspective with which you view the world that no one else can see. It's the endless hours of devotion and practice.

It may entail simply taking out your smartphone, or your point-and-shoot, or your hand-me-down film camera. Your portrait session lighting may consist of a flashlight and duct tape, or even your phone flashlight. Maybe your photo studio is the great outdoors at the Golden Hour.

So, have fun! Hakuna matata! And if you do find yourself marveling at another photographer's work...

4) Study your heroes

Some of the best takeaways from my photo classes were the pieces of history and the great photographers I learned about.

I'll include links below for your own inspiration. When I find a photographer I like, here's what I do:

- Dive into their gallery/portfolio and comb through their photos one by one

- Look at their lighting, composition, and the story they're trying to tell

- Imagine myself behind their lens, figuring out where they are in relation to the scene in the photo. What's going on around? What was their thought process in the moment?

- Make mental notes of the things I admire and learned

- Then, I go out with my camera and try to recreate some aspect(s) of the photo. Make it my own.

Some inspiration for you:

(***My favorite!***) Margaret Bourke-White: An American who revolutionized industrial photography so much that she was allowed into the Soviet Union to shoot during their own industrial revolution. A photographer for LIFE, she was also a war photographer and the first woman allowed in combat zones during WWII. Margaret even photographed Gandhi, Stalin, and Stalin's mother. (Shameless plug for her autobiography, which is one of my top favorite books of all time.)

Mary Ellen Mark: My other role model, a street photographer who earned the trust of those living on the fringes of society. My favorite MEM photo series revealed the shocking lives of homeless children in Seattle and their everyday lives of drugs, violence, and prostitution.

Ansel Adams: How could I not mention the famed landscape photographer, known for his wonderful eye for lighting in American national parks?

Annie Leibovitz: Of course, Annie's name must sound familiar, but her gallery of celebrity portraits may be even more famous than her name. (You've undoubtedly seen her Yoko Ono/John Lennon photo or her amazing Disney character celebrity recreations.)

Robert Capa: Considered one of the greatest combat photojournalists, having covered five wars, Robert's advice was, "If your photos aren't good enough, you're not close enough."

Richard Avedon: A portrait, fashion, and fine art photographer who also photographed celebrities, like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, Andy Warhol, and Tupac.

Keith Ladzinksi: A Nat Geo photographer who shoots beautiful landscapes, portraits, and animal shots

Cristina Mittermeier: Another Nat Geo photographer who specializes in nature and animal conservation

Danny Johananoff: Has a beautiful motion blur style that will lead you to believe his photos are paintings

Michael Yamashita: One of the best landscape photographers of all time (and today). A Nat Geo photographer who taught English as a second language in Japan!

5) Always have your camera with you

You never know when inspiration will strike or when a once-in-a-lifetime moment will happen (and really, isn't every moment once-in-a-lifetime?). There will be times when you will just feel bored. Perhaps you find yourself waiting in a doctor's office or having arrived too early for an event. Whenever you have free time on your hands, use it to your advantage: practice. Get yourself in the photo mood. It will save you from boredom and make you a stronger artist!

6) Choose an assignment

Remember that Assignments class I told you about? Here was the deal: Each week, we received a general theme (like food photography, self-portrait, black & white, etc) and we'd pick a wild card out of a hat (like a song from which our photo must draw influence, or the ratio we must shoot in). Often, confining yourself forces you to dig deeper into your creativity. Perhaps you want to devote yourself to solely food photography one session (however long you consider a session to be). Maybe you want to only shoot rule-of-thirds or leading lines.

Assignments will get you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow. Want to join me? I'll be trying a few of my own soon, like some of these (particularly the ones that force me to approach strangers; despite having worked in Disney Research, where we were rejected on a daily basis, street photography rejection terrifies me) and these abstract challenges.

Your turn! What's the best advice you've ever gotten? What have you learned? Who are your photo role models? Share in the comments below!