“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.
Albert is so right – yet most of us are satisfied to keep doing the same thing the same way over and over again. As a result we never really improve!
One of the exercises that I do from time to time as part of my business year is a SWOT analysis. The exercise is simple – identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats as they impact your business. They key in it is to do analysis to help identify areas that you can step out and do things differently in.
It struck me this morning as I was working on this that some of it might also be relevant when it comes to our photography. I don’t mean just professional photographers (although it’d be useful to do it on your business too) but in analysing our actual photography.
I think it’d be particularly be useful to look at Strengths and Weaknesses and to devise some ‘next steps’ to help us ensure that we don’t just keep doing the same old things the same way!
Strengths
What are you good at as a photographer?
Most photography enthusiasts that I interact with have some aspect of photography that they are particularly good at.
- It might be a type of photography that you’re passionate about
- It could be that you’ve got good gear
- It could be that you’re good at certain techniques
- It could be you have a particularly skill (posing, post production etc)
- It could be you just have a good ‘eye’
- It could be that you’ve got a good education in and knowledge of photography
You’ll probably have more than one strength.
If you’re struggling to find any at all you might also want to involve others. Ask a friend to take a look at some of your work and tell you what they like about your images.
Knowing your strengths as a photographer is a powerful thing – it will highlight areas that you can build further upon.
Weaknesses
What do you need to work more on as a photographer?
in the same way that we all have strengths – we all have areas in our photography that could do with improvement. Taking a few moments to identify the weaknesses will identify areas that you might need to be a bit more intentional about and work upon.
- what type of photography do you avoid?
- what might you need to put more time into researching and educating yourself about?
- what area of your gear might you need to invest a few dollars in?
- what techniques could you learn that would be useful?
- what settings and features of your camera do you need to explore more?
- what types of shots need more practice?
You’ll probably be able to add to that list and will find multiple areas that need more work. If you can’t think of any – again it could be useful to ask a friend for some honest feedback about your work. You might also want to share a few images in the photography critique area of our forum and ask for feedback too.
What are your Strengths and Weaknesses as a Photographer?
Once you’ve identified some Strengths and Weaknesses the key is to go an extra step and add some ‘next steps’ to what you’ve come up with. Based upon what you’re good at and what you could improve upon identify some goals and objectives to take your photography to the next level.
Remember: this exercise is all about doing things differently – don’t just stop at analysing yourself but committing to make some changes – otherwise, according to Mr Einstein, you’re insane.
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a photographer? I’d love to hear about some of them in comments below.
Post from: Digital Photography School
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