How to Make Better Photos

You don’t take a photo, you make it (Ansel Adams)

Only photograph what you love

Photograph what you love and care for. For me that is humanity!

Choose your poison

To shoot color or monochrome? You can shoot both!

My tip:

Focus on one aesthetic for a year at a time.

For example one year nothing but 35mm color film Portra 400. The next year nothing but digital monochrome (RICOH GR III).

This means:

Spend SOME periods of time being consistent with your approach and aesthetic. But once you get bored of it, move on!

Benchmark against yourself

Better to compete with yourself and strive to become a better photographer, week over week. Never compete against anyone else but yourself.

My Mom / Hanoi, 2017

My Mom / Hanoi, 2017

Spend much time analyzing your photos after the fact.

I’m always curious:

Why do I like these photos? What are the details which interest and fascinate me?

This drives me.

I screenshot details I also like:

Generally these details I am interested in:

Study the masters

Hard to know if modern photographers will last. Study the classic masters.

Like William Klein:

Klein as the master of layered photos:

See how close Klein gets to the action!