See what it takes to improve in 2024...

"My hope for you this year is that your photography and image editing skills improve beyond your wildest dreams!"

Part of learning and growing is getting out of your comfort zones. There are so many photographers that have become excellent in one area, say landscape, portraits, image editing with great compositing or custom brushed backgrounds, but YET, know zero about video, very limited about black and white,or how to use basic Photoshop tools. Fear keeps you from growing. The comfort zone keeps you from growing.

Yes, there are our favorite industry trade photography practices or just the very fun cool stuff we prefer to shoot, however you will need to step out of the normal, "repeat what I've always done flow" or be left behind doing the boring. Just as when digital photography started taking over film, many photographers were scared to death, "Can I possibly re-learn this whole digital photography process?" Trying something new is the starting point of your creativity.

With all the filters and 3rd party apps out there, most photographers images are now beginning to all look very similar with same filters and same effects. Video is now becoming a mainstream part of a photographer's way catching attention to share and market their photography. With all the new competing camera brands, and all the software, all the updates, what is the answer? Never-ending training and learning is the key.

Learning new skills takes being uncomfortable for a while. Learning new skills in editing, different types of photography, and using different equipment will only enhance your proven trade or the images you like to shoot.

Take a look at all your images from 2021 and before and see if they are getting to be all the same. Are you taking your images to the NEXT LEVEL? I have worked with many of the best high-end photographers and retouchers in the industry. Many are get stagnate repeating the same process over and over. The ones who LEVEL UP are the ones who are taking chances on learning new skills on a consistent basis.

Make 2024 the year you get into training in a new skill or area that makes you grow to the next LEVEL!