If you are interested in photography and trying to improve your craft, here are a few things you can do to take better photos.

1. Take a LOT of photos

If you want to get better at anything you need to do a lot of it, right? If you want to be a better athlete, you practice. If you want to be a better baker, you bake more. If you want to take better photos, you have to take more photos. Get in the habit of taking your camera with you everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. Today I went into the grocery store and was so excited about how great the fruit and veggie displays looked that I carted my two youngest kiddos back out to the car to grab my camera! I was so bummed I didn’t carry it in with me in the first place. You never know when you will want to capture an image so just carry that camera with you.

2. Practice taking pictures in manual mode

This is very important. Get used to manually adjusting your aperture, shutter speed, and iso. Also, use manual focus often so you are familiar and comfortable doing this on your own. Play with these settings in different light, time of day, and locations. Trust me. The more you experiment, the more comfortable you will be and the easier it will be to take better photos.

3. Find out what you are passionate about

Take landscapes, people, architecture, animals, portraits, detail shots, weddings, etc. Figure out what gets you excited and what you are drawn to and then focus your photography there. You will take better photos if you enjoy the photos you are taking.

4. Learn from others

Look at other photographers work, read their blogs, watch them in action. All of these things will both inspire you and make you a better photographer. Also, don’t forget to share what you know with others. Having a community of great photographers around you will only help you to take better photos and grow as a photographer.

Whether you want to start a photography business, improve your business, or just take better photos as a hobby, these tips will get you started.