Restructuring and a New Focus
Recently I have felt that my photography has stagnated. I was taking the same kind of shots that I always took and my skills as a photographer were not improving. This is in part due to the limitations of the approach that I took to get where I am now as a photographer.
For many years I took photos of whatever caught my eye. I had mastered the exposure triangle and the very basics of composition which is not difficult. I enjoyed shooting like this and for the most part I was taking and sharing snapshots.
The First Step Forward
I didn't think it was possible for a photographer to improve this quickly. I believed that photography couldn't be learned; that it was instinctual
A few years ago I was talking with a couple of photographers and they said something to me about my photography which made me evaluate where I was. I can't remember exactly, but I then decided that I needed to get more serious about improving my photography and the first step was to increase how often I shoot and stop being a fair weather photographer.
The anonymous quote is from memory and is paraphrased but it captures what was said to me in a follow-up coffee meet up a couple of months later. This confirmed that getting the reps in to improve was working.
I continued to invest time and effort into improving photography by both shooting often as well as reading books on photography, watching YouTube videos, having discussions with other photographers, and thinking critically about both my photography and that of both masters of photography and other amateurs.
The only photographer you should compare yourself to is the one you used to be.
Re-focus 2025
Over the last few months I've felt that my photography has once again stagnated. I was shooting the same type of shots over and over and not improving. With this plateau in my skills, I lost motivation. However I kept going out weekly just because it was always what I had done despite having lost the joy of photography.
In the last few weeks I've re-evaluated my approach and decided that it is time to focus on quality over quantity. My previous quantity based approach worked for a while, but to get to the next level I need to slow down concentrate on intentional storytelling. I believe this can best be done via projects.
Intentional Storytelling
I’ve been adjusting my approach to include more storytelling, aiming for photos that feel connected rather than isolated. By slowing down and paying attention to details that hint at mood or narrative, I’m finding my images carry more intention and sit more naturally within a larger story.
My approach to this is to work the scene, where possible, and take multiple shots with different angles and compositions. This ensures that I can get the one best shot from each scene.
There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph.
Building more storytelling into my process has already changed how I think about each frame, but it also highlighted something else: the need to be more deliberate overall. Storytelling works best when it’s intentional, and that’s the next area I’m focusing on.
Previously I would often go out and shoot whatever caught my eye in the moment and often shooting from the hip. Going forward, my plan is to be more intentional about what I shoot. This includes: leaving home with a plan for what I want to shoot that day, fewer shots from the hip, and to use projects and themes to guide what types of shots I take.
Projects
Currently I have four projects that I am working on to help me stay intentional and focus my photographic energies. When out on a photography walk that is not productive for the day's plan I can always fallback to one of my projects.
Website Update
I've taken this opportunity to restructure this website to reflect my new approach to improving my photography. I purged most of my content, nearly 2,000 images, to be in alignment with my current skill level and and focus on projects.
Finally I've added dedicated pages for my photography projects:
