The Shortcut to becoming a better Photographer

There’s a question I hear too often: “Is there a shortcut to becoming a great photographer or filmmaker?”

I used to think I had to know the answer, to find the perfect method, the ultimate hack. I searched for it in books, online tutorials, expensive gear. And then one day, somewhere between the edge of a cliff and the soft curve of a river, I realised: the shortcut I was looking for had been standing in front of me all along.

I could just mess around and say there is no shortcut. But the truth is, there actually is. The problem lies on how we see shortcuts. We often associate them with paths that will save us work, make our job easier. 

I will give it to you straight:

It is not a camera. It is not a setting. It is not a formula.

In order to find the shortcut, you need to step outside, look for it. 

Be curious. Wonder what is around the next hill. Wander. Don’t chase the iconic view everyone else photographs. Start looking sideways, down, behind, ahead. There is poetry lying just at your feet. There is wonder in the ordinary just around the corner, if you allow yourself to be curious and explore.

Lower your expectations. Let go of the pressure to capture something amazing. The next viral post. The world does not need applause. It gives itself freely to anyone willing to witness it. Stand still. Breathe. Observe. Let your eyes wander. You will find beauty in unexpected places, off the beaten path. We need slower content, that gives context, that has meaning. 

The real value of this shortcut is not just better photographs. It is the practice of noticing. The act of presence. It is learning gratitude—not for likes or praise, not for a perfect composition, but simply for the privilege of seeing another day pass, another sunrise spill color across the sky, another shadow slide across the ground.

Walk slowly. Pause. Look. Let the world teach you its rhythms, its subtle details, the way light falls differently on the same hill each morning. The patience you cultivate in observation will begin to shape the work you create. The photos will come from a place of awareness, not urgency. They will start feeling like yourself, and a window towards the world you see in your everyday life. A way of communicating. 

And here’s something many photographers forget: the greatest skill you can develop is not technical. It is curiosity. The willingness to explore without expectation, to be humble before the vastness of the world and the minuteness of its details. The willingness to be uncomfortable, to be present, to notice what others walk past.

So, as promised, here is your shortcut:

• Walk. Often. Slowly.

• Lower your expectations of what “should” happen.

• Look for the details, the subtleties, the overlooked moments.

• Be grateful simply to be outside, breathing, seeing, experiencing.

• Let the world teach you patience, observation, and presence.

There is no faster path to becoming a great photographer than this. But there is a deeper one. Because in practicing this kind of awareness, you are not just learning photography - you are learning how to be awake in the world. And that is a gift that lasts far beyond a single frame. Because, in the end, photography is just an excuse to enjoy this beautiful world of ours.