I take hundreds of thousands of photos every year. Whenever I return from a trip somewhere, people will ask me how many photos I’ve taken, as if this somehow qualifies anything. I take a lot of photos, but that doesn’t mean they are all good. The reason that I take so many photos is because I’m constantly trying to make the best of every opportunity I’m given photographically – but that means that there are a lot of duds. Especially when I’m shooting birds.

Someone once told me that you should only show your very best work – because people judge you based on your weakest images. Of these hundreds of thousands of photos, I process maybe a few hundred, and a portion of those end up on my website. An even smaller portion end up as prints. The tiniest fraction end up as competition entries, or published in something.

The point I’m trying to make is that I take shitty photos. A lot of them. Everyone does. Professional photographers do. Not every single image we make is going to be representative of our skill level as a photographer. Most of the photos I take are pretty rubbish. But I keep taking photos because every now and then I get something I’m proud of, and my hit rate is improving as the years go on. And really, it’s the only way to become a better photographer.

Take photos, and keep taking photos until you get something good. Identify why it’s good compared to the dross you usually make, and remember that. Look at the dross. Identify why it’s pretty rubbish, and how it could be improved. Did you actively think about how to compose the image, or just point and click? Could you have waited for better light? Taken a different angle? Maybe that scene would look better in a vertical composition, rather than a horizontal one. The point is to keep trying things until you get it ‘right’ – until you get something you like. Until you get something that gets a response out of others beyond “Cool photo”. Something that evokes feeling, tells a story, or asks a question.

There are no shortcuts. You can read all the blogs and ‘how to’s’ on the internet, but it won’t improve your photography unless you get out there and actually try. You have to be self-driven and willing to fail a lot. You will go through slumps where everything you take disappoints you. But it’s worth it when you get something you’re really happy with. And sometimes that’s just because you were out there at the right time, when the light was perfect. The point is, you were there.

On a side note, I do try and take photos of birds pooping at every opportunity. It requires quick reflexes, so I justify it as good practice for other touch and go situations. Plus, people find them funny! And sometimes they’re downright impressive.