How To Improve as a Photographer

With my background in education, I believe strongly that the mark of a true professional  lies in our ability to continually look for opportunities to improve our skills through education and training. This applies to any profession whether you are a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, a heavy equipment mechanic, or a photographer. For that reason I made myself a promise when I started in photography that I would never sit still and would invest in myself every year to continuously improve my skills not only in photography but in other areas such as business, marketing, and communication.

Not only does this  benefit me but also my clients as they are hiring someone who is keeping up with the latest techniques and technologies to deliver a product that is fresh and modern. If you are in the market for a photographer, you may want to ask them what they have been doing to keep up their skills, learn new techniques, and otherwise improve their photography. This year I have already attended the following workshops and classes which have benefited my clients in several ways:

• PPOC Seminar at NAIT featuring sessions with Jesh De Rox and Rob and Lauren
• Wedding Workshop with David Ziser
• Photoshop World 2009 in Boston
• Continuous online training via Kelbytraining.com
• Photography Marketing Bootcamp with Rob Provencher
• GOYA Shoot with members of the PPOC

This weekend I will be headed to Canmore for another photography workshop with Richard Berry. This time the focus will be on landscape photography which I haven’t had a great deal of exposure to in terms of workshops so I’m excited to learn something new and try my hand at something less familiar. I find that no matter what the focus of the workshop or session I’m always able to take what I learn and apply it in a variety of photographic situations. Whether it be a session on lighting, posing, framing, or even how to use neutral density filters; I love that I can take elements learned in one workshop and apply it to a totally different shooting situation. I can’t wait to see what skills I pick up from this workshop that I can apply to my portrait, event, and wedding photography.

My training calendar doesn’t end there. When I get back from Canmore I will be taking another marketing workshop this time with Mitche Graf and then I’ll be flying down to Phoenix to spend a couple of days with Phoenix Wedding Photographer Melissa Jill and her MJ 2 Day Workshop.

2009 has been a very busy year for me in terms of photography training and I plan to continue that in the years to come. I encourage everyone, regardless of your profession, to continue to invest in yourselves not only for the benefit of your clients and customers but also to help you grow as an individual. If you are looking to hire a photographer for your wedding, event, commercial work or other project, take a moment to find out how they’ve been investing in themselves to ensure that you’re hiring a true professional who cares about their craft and invests in themselves.