How To Keep Improving As A Landscape Photographer
It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
By Sam Bugas - Sep 2024
As we dive into our photographic journey, progress usually comes quick at first, but slows over time. It’s around this point that most people start to look for answers to the wildly challenging question, “How do I keep improving?” Before you read any further, I should make clear that aside from any single suggestion in this article, the only truly surefire way to grow as a visual storyteller is to do it more often. Yes, this will likely rub some of you the wrong way because it’s what you’ve read on every other blog and heard from every other photographer. It’s true though! You’ll invest thousands of hours into this craft, and there’s no way to shortcut that fact. With that in mind, here are a handful of ways I believe you can make those hours more bountiful.
Find Inspiration
It’s all too easy to begin taking photos, to find a niche, and to surround ourselves with our own work. Instagram makes this all too common by considering our work, and suggesting other people that are very similar for us to view. While there may be some value in absorbing similar work, this unfortunately neglects the mass amount of value in all the work out there that doesn’t look like ours. Furthermore, photographic inspiration may not come from photos at all. A few years ago, I found a handful of great photographers that made exceptional photos that were so different from my own. Their work was guided by a love for humanity, architecture, and cinema, all creative avenues I’d not wanted to pursue. I became obsessed, though, and started gleaning what I could from their composition, their ability to introduce emotion, their use of fleeting moments, and human conflict or emotion. It’s greatly impacted how I shoot. Great cinema often relies on techniques and style that you can learn from as well. All this is to say, take the time to create distance between you and the work you are making to observe the amazing work that other people are making.
Use A New Focal Length
At risk of encouraging the endless pursuit of new glass that you probably don’t need, I believe there is a lot of value in experimenting with a new focal length. First, working to build an acute understanding of a single focal length is a necessary and empowering process. The best thing you can do is learn one single lens in and out, as this allows your creativity, efficiency, and overall voice to thrive. However, a new focal length can change your perspective dramatically. At first, it may feel like trying to run with a new set of feet, but in time, you may start to see new narratives in the world that you otherwise may have neglected. You don’t have to buy a new lens, even renting one for a few days or a week is enough to break the patterns in your mind and open up your creativity. Furthermore, buying a pile of new glass will defeat the reasoning behind this idea. If you shoot wide, consider grabbing an 85mm or a 135mm and seeing how you can tell a new story. Whether you come away with your best work or not, you will absolutely be taking steps towards a more well rounded version of your creative self.
Experiment With Different Genres
Much like choosing to use a new focal length, putting yourself into new environments where you are creating work in a different genre is a very quick way to improve all aspects of your creativity. I am a firm believer that portrait photographers have an exceptional understanding of light, emotion, and depth in a way that I as an adventure and landscape photographer have never grasped so well. I’ve taken the opportunity, though, to shoot full portrait sessions when possible, and every single time I come away with a new understanding of composition that I then can take into my normal work. Weddings likewise are extremely fast events where scripts are seldom useful, emotions are wild, and movement is always evident. Shooting a single wedding can teach you so much about how to be effective in fleeting moments. Every genre has lessons it can teach you, and taking the time to branch out and experiment will teach you an immense amount that you can carry into the work you are most passionate about.
Put Yourself In Uncomfortable Positions
The path of least resistance is often the most obvious one, and the one nearly everyone will take. That’s exactly why this is my favorite piece of advice from this whole post. When you choose to explore, to climb outside of that normal perspective and to seek an angle of the scene that does not come easily, you do a few different things. First, you naturally add intrigue to your photos by making them more unusual, increasingly unique, and more defined by the scene itself rather than the act of snagging a frame that many other people may have already taken. Second, seeking uncomfortable positions is incredibly fun, and it adds life to the creative act. It’s all too common for us to show up to a scene where dozens or hundreds of others are already shooting, and to make an uninspiring photo that didn’t give you any sense of adventure to make. Just by taking the time to push yourself physically towards a more uncomfortable position, you make that photo your own, and very likely you make a photo that others will be inspired by. This may be the hardest tip as it entails literal physical discomfort, but consider that the price for a more compelling portfolio.
Tell A Story
At this point, you’ve likely started picking up on a theme. When we approach photography in a way that goes beyond collecting images, and instead implores creating scenes, our photos can grow into significantly more compelling pieces. This final point will likely take the most practice, but it will also add a new depth to your photos. Every single moment and scene is a story. The light, the ground in front of you, the blowing leaves nearby, every single element ultimately composes a narrative. You can capture the subject, even beautifully, while neglecting the story within which they exist. If you take the time to bring together that story into your frame, your images will thrive.
To Summarize
There is no shortcut for getting better at landscape, or any other type of photography. It starts with the hours. Put them in and you’ll continue to improve. Each hour, though, is an opportunity. I strongly encourage you to consider these five ways to make those hours more productive. Each consideration is a skill in and of itself, and as you practice them, your work will get better, and your ability to improve may accelerate. Thank’s for reading!
About Me:
I have shot photos for six years, with a consistent focus on capturing moments of action and environment while I am outside. I’ve dabbled in quite a few different genres of photography, and I’ve found that my favorite moments to take a photo are when the wind is whipping, the air is freezing, and I’m far away from home. Over the last year, I’ve come to the realization that taking photos and telling stories are two very different things. My goal is to keep improving as a story teller that can work in the harshest environments and come away with compelling sets of photos and written stories that help me, and others, to relive the essence of an adventure. I am focused on continuing to grow as a visual story teller so that I may leverage my skills to successfully work within conservation, expedition photography, and commercial photography.