10 Reasons to Take Better Photos

I’m always trying to take better photos.

Whether I’m snapping better pictures of my baby or taking a shot of birds flying around, there is always an opportunity for me to stop, click, and repeat.  But, I kept wondering: why have I been so intent on taking better photos? I mean, cameras are suppose to take great photos for us, right?  All I need to do is aim and push the button!

But, I realized why I push harder every day to take better photos and it all started after one impossible click…

The impossible click happened in my garden.

I went out there with my inherited, telephoto lens and came across dozens of hummingbirds flying all around the garden.  To date, I’ve never seen anything like it.  They were darting here and there, all different types – it truly was incredible.  I was chasing after one hummingbird sitting in the shadows when I heard a helicopter sound behind me.  I turned around to find a hummingbird about 2ft from me (in the above image) and clicked.

It shouldn’t have worked. 

Not with a telephoto standing so close, not shooting in program mode when I didn’t know anything about settings.  I shouldn’t have landed the shot, but it happened: a gorgeous image.  Great light, great background, great focus, interesting angle…I had no idea how lucky I was!  <—although, photographers would say there’s no luck in photography.  The camera didn’t take the photo on it’s own after all!

But, from that moment on, I had to learn more so that I could keep taking better photos because guess what:

I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO TAKE THE SHOT AGAIN!

I relied entirely on my camera to figure out the shutter speed, aperture, iso, white balance, everything besides where I stood and when I clicked.  And, that’s when I realized I didn’t want to leave it up to my camera (all of the time), I wanted to know how to take better photos EVERY time!

Ten Reasons to Learn to Take Better Photos

1. It’s fun – as you learn to take better photos you’ll be capable of different images which is so fun to see!
2. It’s a valuable skill – Even if you don’t go pro, many people use their DSLR cameras in program mode.  Learning manual mode gives you a skill set other’s don’t have.
3. It’s a money maker – Whether you are a blogger or not, you can sell your photos to make money.  Turn them into postcards and sell them on Etsy.  The options are endless!
4. It’s a way to document – as a Mom, my kids are growing quickly.  I love getting to snap moments when they are together and, now, I can take it in creative ways, too.
5. It’s a gift – people hold onto and value photographs.  I wish I had learned to take better photos before my Grandma’s passing so that I could have really captured her smile.  That would have been priceless.
6. It’s mine – as a Mom, my life is often about my kids, but photography lets me learn my own craft while documenting their precious childhoods, too – win/win!
7. It’s theirs – my daughter is already trying to learn along with me which only motivates me to learn more so that I can teach her more.
8. It’s challenging – my camera keeps my brain going with new information and new challenges – like how to make a blurry background or how to get a subject backlit.
9. It’s theraputic – on the hardest of days, I take my camera out on a hike with the kids and snap away.  It’s the best reason to get outside and have some fun!
10. It connects us – learning to take better photos can connect you with other people.  Learning together is so important to learning more about photography!
11. It’s an art – no, it’s not the camera that takes photos – it’s YOU!  Whether your using an iPhone, program mode, or manual mode you are still holding, composing, and shooting each image.  As you learn more, there is more depth to the art.  More places you can go with it, but don’t be mistaken, the art of photography is not all about the camera!

Come share on our Facebook page why it is that you want to take better photos – we’d love to hear from you!

Have some photos on hand?  Check out how we made our own photo night light for kids.