Snapshot: Evaluating your own improvement as a photographer

(c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, 2011.

"Be good to yourself. Be critical, in order to improve, but also, recognize what you have accomplished" Harry Nowell said to me during our latest class.


During the course of the Professional Program, which serves as a certificate of Photography, one needs to follow a minimum of five workshops, 40 hours of shadowing and four one-on-one classes. Having completed my shadowing and classes months ago, I have been taking privates to discuss my progress and learning. As the end of my Pro Program is fast approaching, I'm filled with a little nostalgia, a bit of anxiety and a worry... am I good enough?

Victoria. (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, 2011

Sure, I can usually manage to calm myself down with reasonable explanation, but I can't help getting a little antsy. "You have accomplished a lot in barely a year..." Harry told me. "I'm sure you could teach me a lot about photography. I'd like to learn." Scott said to me the other day at Bate Island. He was shooting on my Nikon D3000 and I was shooting on a 35 mm Minolta SLR.


"You are completing a certificate, not a PhD," I told myself.

I also look at my first photos and some from 6 months ago. I suppose in this respect, a photo blog is incredibly useful... It allows you to monitor your progress visually and chronologically. "Oh, it seems I've mastered the concept of depth of field after X amount of months..." or "Wow, I don't know when or how, but seems I can now freeze motion (or any goal you had)".

Peek-a-boo. (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, 2011

I updated my tumblr photo blog and was astonished by how some of my photos - but mostly the ones I set out to get as part of a project or vision and not just random shots - are technically better, compositionally stronger and my exposures are now only sometimes slightly off... as opposed to "always" and "terribly".

I must say that my experience with film - although limited - is forcing me to slow down and reflect on the creative and technical processes of photographing. Of 48 photos (2 rolls of film), I can safely say from seeing the negatives that at least a third are overall successful and at least half are well exposed, if not anything else extraordinary (i.e. subject matter, composition).

Knowing this, I'm encouraged to shoot more and with the end of my program, comes a certain level of freedom to shoot for myself. Perhaps that through this new perspective, my photography will reach new levels and allow me to freelance occasionally.