Personal Growth Through Photography
Why Learning the Camera Matters More Than Any Shortcut
Photography is about far more than sharp images and pretty colors. At its core, it’s about personal growth, learning how to see, how to think, and how to take responsibility for your creative decisions.
If you’re just starting out, let me say this clearly:
It is absolutely okay to start in Auto mode.
It’s also perfectly fine to start by shooting JPEG.
For a beginner, putting your camera on AUTO for the first week is not only acceptable—it can be helpful. That short window allows you to focus on composition, timing, and simply getting comfortable with the camera in your hands.
But here’s the part people don’t like to hear.
Stay in Auto Too Long, and You Stunt Your Growth
AUTO mode should be a stepping stone, not a permanent residence.
After that first week or so, leaving your camera on AUTO will slow your development as a photographer. Why? Because Auto mode removes responsibility. It makes decisions for you—and growth only happens when you start making those decisions yourself.
Once you turn Auto off, something important will happen:
You’re probably going to take some really bad photos.
Good. That’s exactly what should happen.
Bad Photos Are the Classroom
So now what?
You don’t panic. You don’t immediately run to Photoshop. And you definitely don’t ask someone online what settings they used.
You research.
Ask yourself:
Why does this image look bad?
Why did the camera see the scene differently than I did?
Why is the subject buried in shadow when my eyes saw everything clearly?
That disconnect between what you saw and what the camera recorded is where real learning begins.
This is when you start understanding:
Aperture and how it controls light and depth
Shutter speed and how it affects motion and exposure
White balance and why different light sources change color
How harsh midday sun differs from soft evening light
Before you touch a single slider in Photoshop, you should be asking:
How could I have fixed this in-camera?
Learn the “Why,” Not Just the Shortcut
One of the biggest traps in photography today is relying on quick tips, presets, and “magic settings.”
If you’ve been shooting for a couple of years and you still feel the need to ask
“What settings did you use for that?”
every time you see a photo you like, that’s a red flag.
It usually means one of two things:
You never truly learned what camera settings affect in your photo
You’ve relied too heavily on fixing bad photos in editing software
Or both.
Settings don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re responses to light, subject, motion, and intent. Until you understand why a setting works, copying it won’t help you grow.
Be Independent. Take Initiative.
Let me be very clear about something:
I never mind helping people learn photography.
Ever.
But there’s a difference between asking for guidance and expecting someone else to do the thinking for you. I’m always happy to help when I can see someone has tried, experimented, failed, researched, and then asked thoughtful questions.
What kills growth is laziness.
If you want to improve, you have to put in the effort. You have to struggle a little. You have to make mistakes and then own them.
Photography Is a Mirror of Personal Development
Learning photography teaches you discipline.
It teaches problem-solving.
It teaches patience, awareness, and accountability.
Every time you choose to understand your camera instead of letting it think for you, you’re choosing growth, not just as a photographer, but as a creative individual.
Start in Auto. Shoot JPEG. That’s fine.
But don’t stay there.
Turn Auto off. Take bad photos. Ask why. Learn the fundamentals. Become independent. Do the work.
That’s how real photographers are made, and that’s what personal growth in photography truly looks like.