Creating great work on every shoot you arrange is a tall order and the hallmark of an established and experienced photographer. But what areas have the most impact on the shoot's outcome?
Any time I have tutored or mentored a new photographer, or I have written on the subject of becoming a professional photographer, I'm keen to highlight one factor above all: consistency. Consistency in the quality of your work is far rarer than you might think, and a lot of agencies and companies I have worked with have suffered at the hands of photographers with strong, but small portfolios, and erratic standards. The reason for this is simple: it's difficult both technically and creatively to deliver high standard work every time. That's why the best photographers — those who are capable of such — are compensated the highest.
I was in a brief debate in the comments of one of my articles recently in which I suggested that you could shoot images that are technically better than your skill level. By which, creating one of your best images when compared to your average. Just because you create a handful of superb images, doesn't mean you are a superb photographer and of that standard, in my opinion. If you can consistently create images at or around that standard, then you are.
In this video, Spenser Sakurai goes through a few fundamentals that have the biggest impact on the quality of your images, in his opinion. Do you agree with them? What separates your best images from your average ones?
The hardest part is having a clear vision, story, inspiration or idea. The technical challenge follows and is almost trivial in comparison.