LEVEL UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH GABRIELLE TOUCHETTE

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Becoming a good photographer involves three different types of skills.

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And yes, even pro photographers struggle to develop these skills. I can personally attest to this!

When I was first starting out, I would see so many good photos by other photographers, but whenever I tried to recreate them, my photos always looked painfully bad.

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They were either too dark, too unclear, too cheesy or too boring.

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Soooooo many cheesy photos. If you search the deep recesses of the Internet, you will see some of my very first digital photos taken in 2005. And they are CRINGEY.

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I won't share the link. I'll make you look for it. ;)

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Back then, I was using my camera without much vision or planning and just blindly hoping for the best.

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I wasn't trusting my creative intuition, I didn't know how to work my camera, and I was ignoring my ability to be curious.

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IF YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

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Becoming a better photographer is easier when you can figure out which skill you're naturally good at, and which ones you need to work on.

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Here's the key:

Tackle your weakest skill

and

focus on your natural talents.

THE THREE SKILLS CATEGORIES

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1) CREATIVITY

Your ability to think creatively, to pursue self-expression and to have artistic passion makes your photography skills soar. Photography at its core is an art practice, and the more creative you are, the easier it will be to consistently produce strong photos.

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2) TECHNICAL APTITUDE

Photography is only possible through the mastering of very specific technical skills. Yes, auto mode on digital cameras and editing on computers have made it much easier than it was 100 years ago. But there is still a technical component to taking photos.

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Photography literally means "Painting With Light" and understanding how to use our cameras to paint with light is still a very technical process.

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3) SOCIAL INTUITION

Our social intuition skills grow the more we are curious about the people and the world around us. Practicing curiosity helps us to better observe, relate and respond to the stories and experiences that we are connected to.
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Fostering a good level of curiosity trains us to be more creative. This allows us to discover deeper and richer opportunities to create great photos.

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FINDING YOUR NATURALLY GIFTED SKILLS

Which of these three skills comes the most naturally to you?

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For me, I had to work on my technical skills when I first started out.

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I knew I learned faster with one-on-one coaching, so I took lots of workshops.

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My social intuition also needed work when I was a young photographer. I'm naturally shy, so I had to intentionally work on initiating more connections to people and experiences in order to create richer, more genuine photos.

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As for being creative, that was easy for me. I used the confidence I had in my natural skills to give me the momentum to grow in the skills I was lacking.

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LARISSA'S STORY

When Larissa first reached out to me to improve her photography, she was already very gifted in social intuition and curiosity. However, most of her work was in writing, so her photography skills needed a boost.

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As soon as she started learning the technical side of phone photography and uncovered her creative abilities, her photos quickly improved.

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She recently shared her experience capturing a gorgeous landscape photo while out on a hike.

Before, photos like these were not possible for her.

The key to her success?

She identified and tackled her weak points all while building off her strong skills. Now she consistently takes stunning photos with her phone camera.

The difference between not understanding lighting...

...and learning what lighting can do for your photos looks like this:

The difference between not understanding editing...

...and learning what editing can do for your phone photos looks like this:

Larissa uses compositional rules, looks for good lighting and edits her iPhone photos in Lightroom. The difference it makes in her photos is remarkable.

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WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Which skill is the hardest for you?

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If it's social intuition, tackle it by giving yourself challenges to overcome. Start small. Don't overwhelm yourself. Join a club or meet-up group. Try street photography. Initiate a conversation with a stranger. Ask them if you can take their photo to break the ice.

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If it's technical skills, tackle this by taking a photography course or asking someone to teach you how to work your camera. Start small by first learning how to use your phone camera. Don't worry about downloading apps or using complex accessories.

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If it's creativity, tackle this by dabbling in art. This could be as simple as looking at artsy photography (search #artphotography on Instagram), and taking note of which photos resonate with you.

Search on Instagram to find creative inspiration:

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Try replicating some of the photos you see. Don't criticize your work. Just give it a try and learn to trust your intuition.

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Remember: everyone is creative. You have a unique way of seeing and expressing that no one else has!

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EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL SKILLS

Whichever skill comes most naturally to you, embrace it. Use it as a foundation of confidence when you tackle the other skills you need to work on.

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