{"id":30481,"date":"2016-09-17T02:00:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-17T09:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=30481"},"modified":"2016-09-14T21:03:02","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T04:03:02","slug":"how-to-take-your-photography-to-the-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/17\/how-to-take-your-photography-to-the-next-level\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Take Your Photography to the Next Level"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Downtown
Downtown LA, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whenever I feel frustrated in life, it is because I have a feeling of inertia. I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not developing or growing.<\/p>\n

This often happens in my photography. I keep taking the same type of photo over and over, and I become bored. I want to innovate, to create something new. I want to take my work to the next level\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but how do I do that?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be satisfied with the past<\/h2>\n
\"Paris,
Paris, 2015 #suits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I feel that it is important to have a sense of gratitude with the work that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done. However if you really want to take your photography to the next level, you need to not be satisfied. Not being satisfied is what helped push the human race forward. If we were all satisfied with horses and carriages, we would never have developed electric cars and rocketships.<\/p>\n

I often look back at my old work (which I thought was great) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and then I wonder, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What was I thinking?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Stay hungry, and think about your next step. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re an avid gym-goer, you probably won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be satisfied lifting the same weight for the rest of your life. You want to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153level up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, get stronger, and push your limits.<\/p>\n

2. Pretend like your old work didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist<\/h2>\n
\"SF,
SF, 2015 #suits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I also feel that our old work traps us. We feel like we need to always shot the way we did in the past. And that prevents us from experimenting, from growing, and from innovating.<\/p>\n

One thing I try to do is pretend like my old work didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist. I wonder to myself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If I started photography all over again from a blank slate, how would I take photos differently?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

A lot of photographers who try to preserve their \u00e2\u20ac\u0153style\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in photography get stuck in a trap. They keep taking the same photo over and over again, only so their work can be easily recognized.<\/p>\n

If you feel like your past work is holding you back, pretend like it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist. Or better yet, mark all your old photos to private, and only keep them for yourselves. Perhaps re-start your social media channels, your portfolio, and your past.<\/p>\n

Always have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153carte blanche\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (blank paper) mentality\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the more white space we have, the more possibilities.<\/p>\n

3. Increase complexity<\/h2>\n
\"Downtown
Downtown LA, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re searching for is additional complexity in our photos, not additional complications.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between \u00e2\u20ac\u0153complexity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153complication\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n