As a token of appreciation to the nice feedback I got on the forums, I’ve collected more tips that other users were kind enough to add, and here they are:

….just to add something…for those who really want to learn photography and then taking pictures…go take classes…photography is no different than other kind of art, specially painting…yuo have learn a lot to have you own language (style)…. – Carlos

Very good article! One little point that I find very useful, is to know your camera and so you can be quick! (like a gunfighter  ) – Tkpatrick

Here’s my addition to your list: When you see that beautiful scenic which just must be photographed, close one eye! Has it lost some magic??  Many times that beautiful scene loses something without the 3-d effect. Find a way to add a feeling of depth. Perhaps something prominent in the foreground; a different angle of view; a change of elevation. It’s a quick check that can lead to improved photos. – WD

This free online photo course run by a nikon ambassador also covers many of the basics.. and it’s very easy toi access. http://www.ttf.dk/English/Home.aspx – JensenE

A user names Spalbird really took an effort and wrote a response almost enough to be a post on its own, I’ll put the start of it here, and the rest you can read in the related forum thread:

Technical Beginner Level:

E.g. a beginner should try to achieve the same technical results as the best samples he saw from his camera/lens combination. Then he could go to the same public locations and try to get the same image at similar quality. Using lenses with different focal lengths, slow and fast lenses, using tripod, flash etc.

Artistical Beginner Level:

Try to take pictures with different camera formats (FF, APSC, P&S) and study the results. Try to make interesting captures of boring subjects and situations where you don’t have a sample image in mind. Study the 2/3rd rule, break all the rules etc. Improve pictures by postprocessing using different tools.

Many thanks for the DPreview community for all the responses!

Over the past five years or so, I have taken myself from a totally I-know-nothing-but-will-try-whatever-might-work approach to a different place with photography. Today I’m getting more confident with my ability, friends ask me for advice, I enjoy results, I can plan an image ahead and then execute it and I even got to publish some images and brush up against some real professionals. Now, the point of this story isn’t to feel good about myself, but to emphasize the point that the more I progress, the more I fell I’ve got to learn and improve.

So, this post is dedicated to explain a few simple methods of improving your photography skills, regardless of where you “feel” you’re at. These methods, at least for me – are proven.

Two notes:

• This list isn’t in any order of priority, they are all just as good as the other. Except maybe for the last one.
• Whenever you see “unusual” – refer that to yourself and your own comfort zone, not to anything too bizarre…OK? let’s go.

Pick the unusual topic

We all have things we like to photograph and repeat. For me its mountain biking and landscape, someone else might prefer portraits. Make a habit of avoiding your habits, and pick a topic you’ve never tried photographing before, something like I’ve shown on my musical instruments post, or pull out your camera in the local coffee shop, you might find something interesting there.

Shoot an unusual setting or location

Different places require different perspective. Forget about the topics, find a setting or a location you’ve never been in, or that requires you to think differently. I recently hitched a ride with a friend that owns an ultralight airplane- sounds great for landscapes right? I thought so too, but being strapped in a sit without too much movement ability, and with a limited field of view, had me taking into consideration restraints I’ve never dealt before. Can’t fly? go underwater, can’t do that? try shooting from inside a moving car (not while driving!), or climb a tree. You’ll find something if you look for it.

Photograph at a different time of the day

Sunrise and Sunset have the best lighting conditions for photography, usually. Try a different time, more challenging- how about a dark night in the desert, or high noon somewhere else which makes it difficult to get that nice and easy exposure.

Go out to photograph with friends that get what you’re doing

Practice makes perfect, not just in photography. The case with photography is that those not holding a camera may quickly run out of patience waiting for you to get that perfect shot in the middle of a hike. Especially when it’s the 20th in the last couple of hours. If you’re shooting outdoors, go out with friends who have the patient or even wish to cooperate with your attempts. Some of my mountain biking friends are happy to push themselves back up the hill just to get one nice shot- perfect partners for my practice.

Photograph fast moving objects

Find things that move fast, for me it’s not a problem since I’m a fan of mountain biking. You might need to look for the right setting- go to a local competition, race course, sports venue or just the highway. When your object moves fast- you need to react fast, compose fast and set your camera correctly ASAP. This is good practice in quick adjustments and finding the right tool at the right time, and you can also practice movement related techniques such as panning.

Get in Close

Try macro photography. When you need to get really close to a small object, composition changes. Take your time, use a tripod, find easy objects like flowers and plants. Don’t challenge yourself with the object, but try to be strict and original with your composition. Really invest in each shot, and see where that gets you.

Keep it open wide

Got a nice mid range zoom lens? great. Now try not using it. Pick a scene, perhaps a nice market, and go through a whole session with the lens set on its widest (if it’s a 28-70 for instance, keep it on 28). This means that if you want an object to appear larger in your frame, you simply need to walk up to it. It’s a great exercise to think differently about camera placement and the relation between you, your object and the surroundings.

Get rid of your gear

Take my previous tip a step forward and release yourself from any technical advantage your fancy equipment gives you. Go out for a session with your simple point and shoot, those can prove themselves if you don’t depend only on gear for quality. Take that even a step further and use an old film camera or buy one of those use&develop disposable film cameras, that will take even the screen preview we’re all so used to away from you. Deal with the results in an old school fashion. One of my point and shoot cameras sent an image to a cover!

Always be ready and spontaneous

There’s never a bad moment for photography. Have your camera with you always, even if its your point & shoot backup. You never know when you can bump into an interesting situation and what you can produce and learn from it. I never expected to find a drummer circle in the middle of a quiet Dutch city, but I did, and I had the camera- and that was a lot of fun.

Read and Learn

The best way to improve is to use your camera, but don’t dismiss theory at all. It might benefit you to take a course and refresh what you already forgot, or make sure you really know how to operate the shutter, aperture and get that perfect exposure out of your camera. Today there’s also tons of material for free online, just like the article section here, and on numerous other resources and forums. Do some reading, its good for you.

Get inspiration from others

See what other photographers do that you like, think about the composition they chose and why, try to figure out the technique behind the picture. Getting inspired by what other photographers do is a great way to learn and push yourself. It’s up to you to find that personal twist that gives you your own signature.

Look for feedback

Feedback is important, and today is easy to obtain. There are serious and talented photographers on various forums, mega photo sites like Flickr and photo blogs just like this one here. Our photos are sometimes a bit personal, we’re attached to them and think the best of them since they usually accompany a memory from a time and place we’ve visited. Let an unbiased eye look at your photos in an objective way, and always accept their opinion- later you can decide what to implement, and what not.

Learn to criticize your own work

OK, here’s the tough one. As mentioned before, there’s a lot more into a photo you took than a photo you just look at. We remember what caught our eye, what was the scene and that something pulled us to take out the camera and compose a frame. It’s hard to later judge our own work, but very important to do so. Look back at pictures you took a year ago, or two, or five… See where you improved over time, and try to recognize it now. Try to build an objective method to look at your own photos, and understand what can be better about them. Get yourself to delete the ones you don’t think are very good- if you manage to do that, you’re on the right way.

Want to get feedback on your photography? Try publishing it here on The Wide Lens

This proves a point- even if you’re not a commercial or professional photographer, being at the right time and the right place can get your photographs printed and published for the world (or at least a few thousands of people) to see. What then, makes a time and a place right? I’ve given it some thought and here are my tips on how to get your images published and printed:

1. Photograph things you love. My published photographes all came from areas I like, my hobbies. I think that when photographing an object or situation you’re connected to, you will effortleslly bring in good energy to your photography.

2. Photograph a lot. Once you’re out there, taking planned and well staged shots with high quality equipments is great, but don’t forget the occasional snapshot. In the bottom line- more photos mean more options, and with everything digital, any limitation on quantity is only virtual.

3. Share your photos. Whenever I’m on a vacation, if I take pictures of random people or of crouse friends I’m out with, I always try to take the time later to sort and share the images with more people. It’s fun, most people will appreciate and enjoy a good photo of themselves, and in turn will remember you. Just as the case with the image shown above- Joseph Pauly, photographed in this image, sent me an e-mail asking if he can send the image to Big Bike Magazine for print- over two years after it’s been taken. Another way of sharing is online, through popular platforms or more humble ones, such as The Wide Lens.

4. Enter Competitions. Online, local, by theme or reigonal- if you find a competition that looks like fun to enter, do it! You might just win something and get good recognition (and prizes). Competitions can promote your work greatly, as they are often coupled with printed media covering the results.

5. Offer your work. Most of us have a theme we like to photograph, go online and look for organizations, companies or magazined that you think might be interested in your work and send them some samples, they might refuse- but you’ll definetly not get a yes without trying.

If you want to publish your photographs here on The Wide Lens- follow this link.

The project to be was  creating a photo “strip” showing different elements from a specific object. This takes just a bit more effort than the regular print and frame method, but it’s worth it.

In the last summer, while biking in the French Alps, I stopped by this nice bell tower in Morgin, switzerland- it has a cool metallic color and many shapes and elements to focus on.

The theme you chose can be just about anything- a car, an old house, a local bar, a junk yard or a nice garden… there’s no limit except for what you can think of and how far can you drive to get it.

Once you decide on a spot, here is what you do:

1. Take a bunch of close-ups and open shots. Try to compose a few frames for print, but don’t dwell on that only.
2. Sort out the images you took later on your computer, and take advantage of today’s multi-megapixled cameras to crop out elements from your close ups.
3. pick 3 images that fit in well, showing different elements of your spot, and make sure they are cropped to the same ratio (width and height..)
4. Use photoshop or any other editing software to stitch them together to one image file. I’ve added black borders for devision, but this is up to your taste of course.
5. save the image file as large as you’d like to print it- and go to the local print shop to have it all done.

A note here- my strip was produced in a non standard size, which basically raised the price on the print and frame. It might be worth checking first your printing options, or simply print 3 seperate images that can be hanged adjacent to each other.

Here’s the final result- ready to print and decorate your favorite spot of the house:

If you have other ideas on how to create art from someone’s photos- let us know!

Winter has arrived, and with that a change of scenery. As a fan of Alpine outdoors and snowboarding, these images really made me miss the snow- I think they’re a great visual demonstration of the vast outdoors and how little people can be when facing the elements, and besides that- just really nice pictures.

Here are a few samples:

“It hasn’t been the best of winters for backcountry skiing here in the Pacific Northwest. Big storms early, rain in January, nothing since…until recently. March has been very good to us so far and the other day, myself and three buddies were reminded why we ski tour.”

You can check out the rest of Ian’s backcountry skiing images here.

If you photographed great outdoor images and want to feature them on The Wide Lens- Here’s how.