I wrote the following post in the early 2000’s when my career was just beginning, and recently came across it on my old blog. Still, I think it’s a great little post for new photographers to read through if they are looking to improve their skills.
Getting better at anything is hard work, especially when your ego tells you you’re already an accomplished adventure photographer. To help myself continue to learn how to be a better photographer, I introduced something new to my workflow, and I call it a "Forced Variable." Don't ask me where I got the name, that's just what I ended up calling it.
A forced variable is something that you always change when taking photos. It could be never shooting the same location twice, deciding not to use zoom lenses for a day or shooting with your review screen turned off and not looking at your work until the end of the day. Using a forced variable makes things difficult at times but it is one of the best ways to continue learning how to be a better photographer.
This is something that I use in practice, and while shooting personal projects. Personal projects are what get us our "real" jobs, and keep our portfolios moving along. It's personal work that keeps me getting better at my job, and it's also one of the things that keeps me interested in what I do. Forcing myself to use that time to expand my knowledge and skill set is a natural step. I know in the back of my mind that I can always return to a great location, so it's not that I'm limiting myself, I'm expanding my library of locations by forcing myself to always look for something new and interesting. If I absolutely need that old location, it's there. The benefits of forcing yourself to lear are countless. Just think about that next job you have, and they want you to shoot directly into the sun. There's two ways you can answer them. 1. Gee, my photography class said never to shoot directly into the sun. Or 2. I have some great techniques I've been working on that I'd love to use for this shoot, would you like to see what it looks like?