Five ways to improve your photography without spending any money

A disappointing photograph has a remarkable ability to turn an otherwise sensible photographer into a Victorian hypochondriac. One slightly lacklustre frame and the diagnosis is apparent:-= If only I had that new lens. A wonderfully convenient conclusion. Rather like blaming the oven for your collapsed soufflé; it absolves the operator entirely – and costs considerably more. Sadly, it's usually nonsense. If you want to improve your photography without buying new gear, some of the most effective things you can do cost precisely nothing. Black and white selfie (S26). Image Joshua Waller Look harder before you shoot Sounds obvious, doesn't it? But one of the simplest ways to improve your photography is to resist the urge to start photographing the moment you arrive somewhere. Where is the light coming from? What catches your eye? What's distracting? What happens if you move three feet to the left? Photography is, fundamentally, an exercise in attention. The camera merely provides evidence that you were paying some. Don't just observe a place – participate in it. Get to know the people, the landscape, the food. Eat with someone. Talk to the locals. Linger longer than is strictly efficient. The more you understand a place, the less you photograph what it looks like and the more you begin to photograph what it feels like. A woman walking in the water, and catching small fish or shrimps near sandbags soaked in the river, Gabura Union, Bangladesh. © Shunta Kimura, Japan, Finalist, Professional, Environment, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards Move your feet Before zoom lenses, photographers possessed a revolutionary technology called legs. They still work remarkably well. David Hurn, Martin Parr and many others talk about walking 8 or 12 hours in a day. Get closer. Crouch down. Walk around your subject. Change your height. Look at what's happening behind it. Often the difference between an ordinary photograph and a strong one isn't an expensive lens. It's six feet and a slightly undignified crouch. Your knees may complain, but they do say that art demands sacrifice. The lens is useful for capturing portraits and family moments. Image: Amy Davies Give yourself restrictions Creativity supposedly loves freedom. In reality, give it unlimited choice and it tends to behave like someone confronted with a 14-page restaurant menu: paralysed, mildly irritated and suddenly incapable of knowing what it wants. So, I impose a few restrictions. Photograph only shadows. Use one focal length all day. Take just ten photographs. Look for a single colour. Stand in one place and find five completely different compositions. It sounds counterintuitive, but creative photography exercises like this force you out of habit. When you remove some of the choices, you must look harder, think differently and start training your photographic eye. Sometimes fewer options produce far more interesting photographs. Study the bad photographs We prefer looking at our best photographs because they confirm that we are exceptionally talented people with a sophisticated understanding of light. Unfortunately, the bad ones are more useful. Is the background distracting? Is there too much in the frame? Did you miss the moment? Is the light flat? Then study photographs you love and ask why they work. Eventually, patterns emerge – and those patterns help you develop your own photographic style. People walking. 1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO160, 55mm. Photo Joshua Waller Photograph something boring, exceptionally well Choose something familiar: your street, kitchen, cat, partner, garden or view from the window. Photograph it repeatedly. The first few pictures will be obvious. Eventually, you'll exhaust the obvious and have to look harder. That's when things get interesting. There is nothing wrong with buying new photography gear. Sometimes you need it. Sometimes you simply want something shiny in a reassuringly expensive cardboard box. But don't confuse buying photography equipment with becoming a better photographer. The cheapest photography upgrade is still you. Annoying, really. But wonderfully economical. Related reading: Do you want to win some great prizes for your photography? Enter your photos in our International Amateur Photographer of the Year competition. Free entry for photographers aged 13-21. Follow AP on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Irys.