Let's face it, constantly learning new things takes commitment and work. To put in the time and patience to understand concepts while reinforcing them demands some hardcore discipline. Hate to break it to you but ultimately there are no easy shortcuts to mastering anything worth investing into. But there are ways of speeding up the process. Accelerating your growth may sound like a no brainer in choosing the alternative but it's not always the easiest.
Most concepts I internalized were never completed with from finishing a book or video. The circle only completed itself after trying it out in a tangible way. Not just once but multiple times over and over until it became innate. The books and information out there is important but it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the book we just read ends the journey to mastery. Don't get me wrong, useful information sets the foundation to higher learning. It makes you think of possibilities never imagined if only based on experience alone. But understand that once the book is shut, it's time to get up and start making some moves and making it happen! Or else the ideas and information can stagnate in our minds and eventually getting into the loop of constantly ingesting information without ever taking what we learn into application.
“The life of an idea is created by just doing it”
A lot of the shoots that I've prepped for have most of time come out fantastic. In an ideal world I would love for all my jobs to come out this way. But the reality is in the world of business your always going to be faced with tight deadlines and seemingly impossible to manage schedules. There's always going to be an unforeseen problem come up at the last minute.
So how does one come to terms with these facts of business? Developing an action oriented attitude is the first step. Now when I say "develop" what I really mean is that it won't just be a behavior you can adopt right then and there. It takes building up your will power muscles to get through the procrastination process and ride the wave of uncertainty. But taking action is more than just being a headlined doer in the light of the stereotypical business tycoon.
What taking action means in the true sense is to be able to flow with all that life throws at you. Going with the flow of constant change will increase your skills ten fold because your not on the sidelines preparing and studying all the theory to walk on your feet. The only way it can be done is simply doing the action of walking. There's no other way to go about it. The "mistakes" I've had granted me the learning I could never get from a book or course. To be honest some shoots have been a disaster to my standards but in it is always the nugget of gold from a hard earned lesson.
The master of taking action Art Williams gives one of his most memorable speeches on taking action. No matter the excuses we just have to DO IT!
Being a musician in the past I like to think of taking action on shoots in the same way as jamming a song. Setting up my expectations to a level where I'm open to explore and grab hold of any good ideas that come and drive that one to its limit. It does require you to have some skills as a foundation upfront so I wouldn't suggest doing it for paid clients if your not passed beginner levels.
But if your a seasoned photographer then get outside of your comfort zone and try out a shoot on the fly and see where it takes you. Chances are you'll come out with a couple of new ways of shooting the same subject you've probably been covering many times before.
“Preparation is the measure to how far the launch pad takes you.”
No matter how much I try, I still can't shake off the need to be prepared. Some people have the natural tendency to be otherwise but not everyone is wired the same. As much as I like to push myself by being spontaneous I do want to have some foundation going into a session. That way if things go screwy I can always fall back to at least a five minute plan I set up right before going out the door and preforming on the job.
Having a set plan helps to organize my anxiety and keeps me focused on the client. But I make sure not to be to attached to it. Being stuck on our prepared ideas without any flexibility can be just as bad as not having any plan at all. if we're to clingy on our ideas and don't want to morph and change them when they don't work then we'll be setting ourselves up for some major disappointments.
A plan doesn't have to have all the details put into a micromanaged data base of every little thing in clear and concise formats. Give me a break! Especially when it's our first time trying something. A good plan could be as simple as having image examples and a thirty minute arrival before the subject arrives to scout some locations for a border line stress free plan. If you feel panicked about not having all your ducks in line then at least come up with something that will have you focused on the experience rather than if you doing things right.
If you ever have things come out that bad in a shoot know that you can always recover in some way with post production. Now I'm not saying it should always be that way but it can compensate for a not so great shoot. You first standard is to have amazing work without the editing but think of post production as a fail safe and last resort if things go totally wrong. But we know that it's a not miracle worker unless you have the time and energy to spend countless hours in front of a computer screen. Get it right in camera above all other things.
In the end I like to think of it this way. I've got three opportunities to make the work I do come out right. First chance is in the quality of the planning. Or shall we say the pre-production phase. Then it's the actual shooting itself which the technical term calls it the production. And the final chance to make it fantastic is the post production which for photographers is the editing and retouching.
So when taking action and learning on the go make sure you can nail at least two out the three steps. Leaning as you go you'll be able to roll with the set backs better and better as time and repetition follows. So if you looking to try something new and don't know where to go all it takes is simply doing it. Step up your expectations to a work in progess mindset and be open to receive any new knowledge that comes your way by simply going with the flow. You do it, and do it and do it until the job gets done!
Keep Snappin'!
Chris From MKMI Photo