There are a ton of tips for improving your photography out there that apply to specific situations or require you to purchase some sort of product, but this tip applies to almost every genre and is free and easy to begin applying immediately. And I promise it will improve your photos.
Coming to you from David Bergman of Adorama TV, this quick and helpful video features a tip that we should all think about a bit more often: slow down. It can be easy to fall into a sort of autopilot mode when you're shooting and to get a bit of tunnel vision with regards to your subject and what surrounds them, only to come home and be surprised by what you missed or messed up when you view your shots on your monitor. As the video mentions, taking the time to truly look completely around your viewfinder will make a huge difference; I typically do this when I first start portrait shoots, and not only does it help me find distracting elements I may have missed in the frame, it gets me in the mindset of being more methodical and thinking through each step with more intention, which always results in better shots. Check out the video above for more.
as i've gotten used to my camera and mastering it's controls, plus reacquiring my previous familiarity with the exposure triangle (i took a decade-long break from photography), it's allowed me to slow down and observe more, not just in the EVF, but around me, taking in a 360 degree view to ensure i'm looking at the best composition.
a lack of familiarity with one's gear can speed things up; taking the time to master it so you can be ready and waiting for the light is what i've found to be the key to it all. before that, i always felt like i was rushing to get things set up as the time ticked by at double speed. i rushed because i was doing things 2 or 3 times because i wasn't confident in the settings i'd decided ahead of time to use, the filters i'd pre-chosen, the lens i'd brought. once i was familiar enough with my camera so i knew what it can and cannot do, could make adjustments on the fly and to choose the lens and filters i was confident would get me the results i desired, time slowed.
before i could show up an hour prior to the desired light and still miss the critical moment. now i can just drop in 10-20 minutes prior and be ready to rock while still having all the time in the world to slow down and observe my surroundings. call it preparation but it's more than that... it's being intimately familiar with your gear.
The ideal situation for me to slow things down would be, to purchase a battery of second hand Nikon D700, set them all up on a tripod with different focal length lens, all pointing at different parts of a beautiful scene, activate intervalometer, pull up the deck chair and catch up on much-earned rest.
Collect all the images and pass the processing details to a hungry young person who is a whiz kid with photoshop, NDA included in the contract, and take another long nap. Job completed. Who is to say this method has not been pursued already.