Never Stop Learning

Lately I have been exploring a bit as a photographer. For years I have been a “Wedding Photographer” and aside from taking pictures of my kids and a few little projects here and there I have not really stretched myself as a Photographer. As I am getting close to closing out the 2012 year of weddings I have noticed that this year has brought me many new challenges. Each wedding I photographed this year had a new challenge that I had to figure out. These challenges often involved difficult locations, lighting and even people. As a Wedding Photographer, it is my job to capture the essence of the event but at the same time, make people look as good as I possibly can. It is a challenging task to take on over and over again.

Today, I had a little revelation. It was something that I always knew but never put into words. Out of nowhere, I opened Facebook and posted, “If you don’t learn something new every time you pick up your camera, you’re doing it wrong.” I realized that at almost every event I had shot I learned something I wished I had known for the previous event. Life kind of goes that way. Each situation we learn something and wish we had known about that while we were enduring the previous situation.

There are typical situations I always find myself in at weddings. During the reception, there is never enough light. Cameras are much better now than when I started in photography but I still run into light issues. I guess what I am trying to say is that unless you are doing the same exact thing over and over again, you need to learn and adapt. Only a few times a year do I shoot at the same location but lighting always changes, so I have to adapt. Years of dealing with situations like unpredictable lighting, have made me a better photographer.

If you are a Photographer or just like taking pictures, always try to learn something every time you pick up your camera.