1. Shoot everyday. It can be your phone, film, digital, doesn’t matter. Everyday take some pictures where you focus on the photographic elements; not just a shot of something to feel like you’ve taken a picture. 

2. Get to know photography basics. Rule of thirds. Composition. Eye line. Depth of Field. Knowing these “rules” that way you ca use them to your advantage, or break them to your advantage. Knowing the basics is just teaching your body proper form like a trainer in a gym would do. 

3. Takes notes on what you like. Start a Evernote, or get a note book, or use your notes app and start saving photos you like. Write in there why you like them and try to figure out how they did what you like. I live and breathe by Evernote. Every time I see a photo I like I add it to Evernote, theres a web clip app for you computer and in iPhones you can clip images using the sharing menu, and I put in a note why I like it. Then when Im trying to come up with shoot ideas I go through my Evernote and all the images I like and find inspiration to create new things. But without capturing the things that inspire you, and learning what you like about them, your taste won’t grow. Its like trying new food and then trying to understand what ingredients in it stimulate your pallet. 

4. Go out! Photography is for adventuring. Research cool places by you to photograph and go explore them. Bring your friends. Have a “photo adventure day,” as cheese as that sounds I still do that with my friends. Don’t get lost in posting right away, wait until the end of the day and then you guys can all get together and edit, post and talk about the photos. 

5. Have fun with it. The great thing about the art of photography is its a social art where your job is the capture the feeling of the moment. You can only do that if YOU are having fun. 

Yeah film is expensive. If you’re just shooting normal stuff, i.e. non-nude, Costco is your best bet price wise. I know several people that develop at Costco. 

For me I go to Kodak Digital Image Center. They are great. 

Depends on the look I’m going for. For photoshoots I always prep somewhat even if I primarily using natural lighting. I always set up a bounce and possibly some lights if I want mixed lighting. 

More than anything I prep, load and lay out my cameras. Juggling between all the cameras I shoot is a pain if they aren’t loaded and placed out. 

I think you should do it FOR SURE!

Yeah it was definitely a thought in the back of my head, but I feel that way with all of my photography. For the 365 I actually felt that less than with my normal photography (over at derekwoodsphotography) because there are times I don’t shoot models for many months and there is always that thought that creeps in, “what if Ive lost my touch?" 

For the 365 it was liberating knowing I was just shooting my everyday life I didn’t have to set something up or book a location or HMU. 

Where the real pressure came in was to make sure I was doing enough interesting stuff. There was about a third of the year that Julie and I were dealing with moving, which made dealing with anything else really hard. I was really worried in there that I wouldn’t produce any good shots, or even be able to shoot at all. I got lucky that I found ways to shoot the moving process and Im actually happy with how I feel the photos tell that story. 

As for quitting I never let it be anything I was going to be allowed to do. I intentionally posted a lot about it and did the posting a month late so I would one be publicly accountable, and two, give myself a buffer.