I don’t think I have a great deal of experience with photography. Growing up, my parents would sometimes provide me with disposable cameras when we were on vacation. The results were often blurry with poor lighting, or worse, covered by my fingers. Now that I have an iphone, the majority of my photos are taken on the go. While there are a lot of great photo features on smartphones, I don’t take advantage of most of them (filters, etc.). Interestingly, I don’t take that many selfies. I generally prefer taking photos somewhat spontaneously when on outings with friends. Essentially I try to capture the moment. Of course, this is mixed with a fair amount of posed pictures as well. Overall, I’m interested in taking photos as essentially a means of documentation. My goal is that reflecting on these photos later will bring back pleasant memories of the day in question.
After examining these articles and resources, I think I could definitely learn to pay better attention to lighting (as of now I generally ignore it unless there’s an obvious problem). I could also start to incorporate different perspectives to help make my photos more dynamic (which can also help better covey the narrative I want to communicate). And of course, I can always improve my observation skills to better scan activities for particularly photogenic moments. Ultimately I think one of the foremost ways I can improve my own photography is through better cognizance of the narrative I wish to tell. Doing so will begin to naturally improve the quality of the photos I take, by simply increasing my own awareness and effort.
