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As far back as I could remember years back when I was starting out. I was pretty much a lost kid who is hunger for information and guides. Facing endless rejection and was even asked to pay for that piece of information (I would if I am rich but I couldn't even afford a compact camera myself back then). I struggle real hard trying to piece everything together from the things that I got from the net. Then there was this photographer (Couldn't recall his name, so sorry but very thankful) who shared the core basics to improvements which was stuck in my mind and inspired me to just strive harder since then. It is summarised into 4P's as below with my own interpretation.
1) Practice
As much as we would like to deny the fact that practice is inevitable. It is probably the one and only way that would get you far in a sustainable way. Remember practice builds your skillsets just like bricks that stacks up into houses. With a proper skillset then you are able to create better output. This is the one area that I emphasize a lot and would not advice anyone to take a short path. As the golden sentence go, "Practice makes perfect".
2) Patience
Be patient and do not rush things up. The true success I believe comes from the process of growth. If you grow to be a better person than you are yesterday then you have succeeded. The joy of achieving success is not the final achievements but the journey that gets you there. Think about it as when you receive an award, the moment might last you 5 minutes but the journey that gets you there may be years. So why rush the process? Be patient and enjoy watching yourself grow!
3) Persistent
Along the way you will meet lots of obstacles and discouraging moments. The only advice I can give you as of now is to be persistent and hold yourself together through this moment. The naysayers, embarrassing moments, hold backs, negativity will all go backwards. Only you will move forward if you have a strong belief system and be persistent with what you want across time. As time is the biggest test of all.
4) Post process
This might be everyone's favourite part. Yes, post process your photos. No matter how good your image is, you will still need post processing to make it better. I am not saying that you should neglect your in camera skills but post processing is handy to enhance our image or make our shooting life easier or sometimes even save our asses when we make mistakes during our shoots. So learn how to post process your photos well. If there is one thing that I would say you are able to get away with slight laziness, this is the part. The truth is you do not need highly advance techniques unless you are a working professionals.
Now that we have reached the end of this article. If you haven't already realise there are 3 inner values and 1 technical part in this guide. This is because technical skills will only bring you that far and it is the inner discipline that will keep your head in the game regardless of your conditions. Lastly do keep in mind that every little effort you put in on daily basis counts as they accumulate and enhance your image through time. So do not give up if you are not able to achieve great results overnight and also do not stop learning even if you are already doing well. Keep shooting and keep learning!
*Left image was shot in year 2016 and right image was shot in year 2020*