I was reading an article on a site called Streetpxl this morning about candid street portraiture (Streetpxl is a site dedicated to street photography). The first article led to another, an interview with Swiss street photographer Thomas Leuthard. Leuthard’s closing comment was perhaps the most important in the whole piece, as far as I’m concerned:
Street photography happens on the street and not online. If you want to improve, you have to shut down your computer, take your camera and go out to shoot. You have to practice it for 10,000 hours in order to master it. I believe that anyone can become a good street photographer as long as they are willing to practice a lot.
Is this true of only street photography? I think not. I think what Leuthard says is applicable to every photographic genre. The point is to do it, and that only by doing it will you achieve proficiency, and perhaps, excellence.