Improving Photography: The Power of Always Having Your Camera with You

In my never-ending quest to become a better photographer, I spend a lot of time learning about the process of photographers I admire. Through blogs, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts I find a lot of inspiration and ideas that I would have never otherwise considered.

Last week, I came across a video from Teo Crawford, an Austria-based photographer, about one simple habit you can develop to better your photography. His video motivated a minor change in my process that immediately yielded major positive results.

video by Teo Crawford

Crawford’s video is built on a simple concept: the best habit to improve your photography, is photography itself. Him and his friend Florian (Flo), provide some thoughts on ways to build that habit, but one idea he presented stuck out to me more than the rest.

“Having your camera in your backpack is basically like not having it with you at all, because there is too much resistance for you to quickly take a shot.”
Teo Crawford

I bring my camera with me almost everywhere I go. But, until last week, I would usually toss it in my bag and head out, then I would return home having taken zero photos, completely forgetting I had my camera with me.

Only when I blocked out time to take pictures, would I make my camera easily accessible. I was closing off opportunities to shoot because, like Crawford notes, there’s too much resistance to grabbing my camera out of my bag to get a shot when it’s fleeting by.

During the last week, I’ve kept my camera around my neck or right next to me nearly 24/7 and the change has yielded images I would have never normally taken. It’s allowed me to practice photography instinctively, rather than blocking out a specific time for it.

This practice has helped me become more intentional about what I am shooting, as well. Now that I always have my camera with me, I’m looking at my surroundings for potential compositions rather than lucking into one.

It’s a simple concept, I know, but it’s one that helps to build a foundation for learning and developing more specific or intricate photography principles.

After all…