Many people want to become photographers, some of them are natural some received formal training, others are self-taught. Whether or not they are successful materially, it does not make them great if they do not have following necessary traits.
First of all, you need passion. You need to be obsessed with getting the shot. Not just any shot – The shot. In other words – you need to think about, dream about, talk about and live photography.
Then, you should be dedicated to the craft of photography. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert. It means you need to be dedicated to becoming an expert. No matter how long it takes.
Besides, you ought to be a story teller. Story telling is at the heart of good photography, accordingly, good photographers need to be able to tell stories with their cameras.
Caring about your subject is also necessary. You need to be a subject-matter expert, whether it’s birds or people or cars or waterfalls. Good photographers learn all there is to know about their subjects before they pick up a camera. Always photograph your subject as if it is the only way it will be remembered throughout all time.
A well-crafted photo
Patience, specifically, lots of it are pretty much needed. You should be willing to practice and study often. You need to be willing to search out or wait out the light. You need to be able to sit in a blind waiting for that next bird or sit on the corner waiting for that next perfect subject. And you need to be willing to invest hours, not minutes in those pursuits.
You need a sense of wonder and imagination. You need to be curious about everything you photograph and then you need to be able to play with that curiosity to see what you can come up with.
It isn’t a must but still very significant for you to develop a recognizable style – even if that style is – no style!
Wow! What a list. Re-reading this it looks like it’s hard to be a good photographer. Guess what – it is. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would be a good photographer.
