Pressing the shutter release is the simple part. The rest takes time, knowledge, and experience.
Most everything you read, the videos you watch, or the workshops you attend suggest doing one specific thing to suddenly become a better photographer. They pitch it like a silver bullet. But let me clear something up right now: there are no absolutes in photography—only guides.
To actually improve your photography, you need to do two things: take photos, and critically analyze your results.
If I had to name the only true absolutes, they would be composition, focus, and what instructor Matt Kloskowski calls "The Why." Why did you take the photo in the first place? Everything else is a variable. Yes, there are "rules" for composition, but the real skill is knowing which one applies to your specific situation.
Let’s look at a few of these so-called photography rules and unpack the "buts" that the pundits always seem to leave out.
Aperture Priority for landscape, but...
If there is anything moving in your frame—or if things might move because of the wind or people—you have to consider your shutter speed.
Assuming a fixed ISO, your camera is going to create a "proper" exposure based on your other settings (like your Metering mode, White Balance, and Picture Profile). To accomplish that exposure, the camera will automatically adjust the Shutter Speed (SS). But remember the general guideline for a sharp, proper handheld shot: 1/\text{focal length}. If you’re shooting at 50mm, you need to be at least at 1/50s. If Aperture Priority lets the shutter drop below that on a windy day, your sharp landscape is gone.
Shutter Priority for motion, but...
Similarly, if you lock in your shutter speed, the camera will automatically adjust the aperture to balance the exposure.
Here's the catch: your photo might end up soft at the extremes of your scene. Imagine you're shooting a landscape on a windy day. You want the foreground, middle ground, and background free of blur, so you dial in 1/600s. Your camera analyzes the scene and determines the proper aperture for that speed is f/4.0. Is everything from front to back acceptably sharp at f/4.0? Maybe, maybe not.
Low ISO for a cleaner photo, but...
Back in the day—actually, not even that long ago—many preached that you must "always use ISO 100."
Modern camera sensors and processing software have come an incredibly long way. Yes, ISO 100 is technically cleaner with less noise than ISO 12800. However, my humble opinion is this: get the shot. Ensure it's well-exposed, focused, and acceptably sharp. Let your camera sensor or your noise-reduction software handle the noise later. A noisy image can be saved; a blurry, missed shot cannot.
Never use AUTO, but...
Consider using AUTO as a quick guide to check what settings the camera thinks are appropriate, or when you need to hand your camera to someone else to snap a photo of you. Frequently, the resulting photo is perfectly acceptable. It has its place.
Use JPEG, but...
JPEG is fine when you don't plan on doing much post-processing, or if you need to immediately post or share the images with others. Just remember that a JPEG is like a tightly wrapped deli ham sandwich. You can unwrap it and add some condiments, but at the end of the day, it is still a ham sandwich. You can't change its core structure.
Use RAW, but...
On the other hand, a RAW file might look like a plain ham sandwich on your camera’s LCD screen. But because it holds all the data, you can use post-processing to turn it into a toasted turkey and ham sandwich with all the fixings. The choice of flexibility is yours.
Fast shutter speed to eliminate motion blur, but...
Is that actually what you want? Slowing things down is an artistic choice. Do you want to show the passage of time and motion via creative blur, or do you want to completely freeze an arrow or a bird in flight? Don't let a rule choose your artistic intent for you.
Aperture controls Depth of Field (DoF), but...
Yes, a large aperture (a small f-number) yields a shallow DoF. However, there are several other variables in play that dictate what is "acceptably sharp" between the nearest and farthest objects in a photo.
Your sensor size, the distance between the camera and the subject, the distance from the subject to the background, and your focal length all play massive roles. Often, those variables are far more important than the aperture setting itself. If you want to see the physics of this in action, go spend some time playing with an online DoF simulator.
Use Evaluative Metering, but...
All consumer cameras are factory-set to evaluate the light reaching the sensor and average the brightest and darkest areas out to an 18% gray. Remember that the other metering modes—center-weighted and spot—do the exact same thing; they just measure the 18% gray of that specific, localized area. You have to know how the camera is thinking to override it when the scene demands it.
Use Scene Modes, but...
Use them as a loose guide when you're starting out. Once you have traveled further down the photography path, you will seldom use them. They ultimately become nothing more than talking points.
Full Frame or Crop is best, but...
Yes, Full Frame has clear advantages over smaller sensor sizes in certain conditions. But when you view an image, is the glass half full or half empty? You need to evaluate your unique workflow, lenses, and needs to make your own decision.
Lighting...
Back, front, side, shadow, harsh, soft, golden hour, blue hour... You need to learn what these qualities of light are and when to use them. Sometimes, you just have to deal with the exact light you are handed. When that happens, use your feet. Walk around the scene to see what angle of light works best for your photo.
"A new camera will improve my photography"
No, it will not. If you take bad photos with your current gear, brand-new equipment will still take bad photos.
New gear might be physically easier for you to hold, it might assist your eyes with better Auto Focus tracking, and it might provide other features you desire—but it will not magically make a bad composition better. Learn your current camera to the absolute max before you blame the silicon inside it.
The Takeaway
There is no single item, setting, or piece of gear that magically makes you a better photographer. It is the combination of all the items above, and more.
But in my opinion, it all starts with knowing your camera. Which button does what? Which menu item changes that specific behavior? If you don't know your gear inside and out, you will never be able to utilize it to its fullest potential. This applies to the simplest Point and Shoot, a cell phone camera, or the latest whiz-bang mirrorless body.
To paraphrase President Kennedy's famous quote: We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Let's look at it this way: We choose to become better photographers not because it is easy, but because it is hard. And you only get better by taking photos and analyzing your results. Now get out there and shoot.
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