People always seem to be asking us one major question, (or a variation of the sam question). What can I do to get better pictures? Some times its what book should they read, what camera should they buy, what lens should they buy next or even, where they should be taking their pictures. While gear, books and locations are all very important, they really wont help you-as much as they really could-if you dont know what your doing, Not to mention all the time and money that can be invested in purchasing a new piece of equipment or finding a new location to shoot in.
1) Research 
Read A Book/Browse The Internet
Much like you are doing now, go to google or your local library and do some research. Don’t just reasearch photography, but also reasearch what you’re shooting. Is it a sport? If so, how does the game work? Where is the best spot be for you to position yourself to get the shot you want? Are you photographing animals? How do they act at specific times of the day? When is the best time to go out and look for them? Also learn how to photograph your subject, photographing people is much different from photographing sunrises. We have a post on How You Can Take Better Sunrise Photographs.
2) Read your camera’s manual
Even though it’s boring and dry you will be surprised what you learn from reading your camera manual, even though its not the latest on the bestsellers list.
3) Create a project
Create a project for yourself, even if it’s something simple. Whether it be to get a good portrait of your child swimming while at the local pool, or if it’s a photo of a kid on your son’s hockey team scoring a goal. You’ll learn a lot in the process of achieving your goal. You may not end up completing your goal, but you will definitely learn something if you stick at it log enough! Melissa Played around with some off camera flashes yesterday, so stay tuned for those images later this week.
4) Practice
You know how your teachers always said practice makes perfect? Well they weren’t wrong! Get out there and shoot, but don’t just shoot for the sake of shooting, shoot to hone your skills. Pick one thing that you feel isn’t as good as it should be and go work on it for an hour or two. You may be surprised how much your shooting will improve in as little as 60 minutes. Just identify a weak point in your skill set and go work on it. Just like you have to work out weak muscles to strengthen them the same can be said for your skill set.
5) Experiment
Break the rules and take your time. Just because the books say that you should use the rule of thirds, or that you should always properly expose your photographs doesn’t mean you have to, there are always times when rules need to be broken in photography. Photography isn’t a rushed art form. Take your time to view your surroundings to see what would make a nice photograph. Look at all possible angles and compositions of the image.
