You don’t need hours of jargon or a library of gear manuals to get better at photography. You need one thing: the fundamentals. And you can learn them in a minute.
Every post is written like we’re walking the beach together, swapping stories, pointing out details, and maybe laughing at me when I nearly fall into a tide pool.
I’ve attended hundreds of presentations and filled dozens of physical notebooks with scribbles, sketches, and half-legible “aha!” moments. My hard drive? It’s bursting at the seams with Word docs, PDFs, text files, and digital notebooks in OneNote—an archive of experiments, successes, and plenty of mistakes. Let me save you the time (and the storage space). Here, I’ll share the best lessons I’ve learned—simplified, boiled down to easy steps you can actually use. And the best part? Each one will only take a minute.
This series, A Minute in Photography, is me taking you on a quick stroll—through beaches, rocks, sunrises, seascapes, and sometimes puddles (because yes, I’ve fallen in). Each post is one simple tip, told like we’re walking the shore together. Fast, fun, and foundational.
Series Posts
1️⃣ Tip 1 – Get Steady
Tip 1 – Get Steady: Why Your Tripod is the Foundation of Every Shot
Ever look at your photo and think, “Wow, I didn’t mean for that wave to look like a ghost?” That’s camera shake. A steady camera = sharp magic.
2️⃣ Tip 2 – Get Level
Tip 2 – Get Level: Master Horizon & Composition Balance
Put down the beer, horizon—you’re drunk. A crooked line can wreck a great shot, but a level horizon keeps your image steady and strong.
3️⃣ Tip 3 – Get Remote
Tip 3 – Get Remote: Take Control Without Touching the Camera
You had one job, finger. Don’t jiggle the camera! A shutter release keeps you hands-free and your images blur-free.
4️⃣ Tip 4 – Get Close
Tip 4 – Get Close: Discover the Power of Intimate Composition
Most photos fall flat because we stay too far away. The magic happens when you step closer—closer than feels comfortable—until your subject fills the frame and your viewer feels pulled into the moment. Your zoom button is your feet—use ’em.
5️⃣ Tip 5 – Get Low
Tip 5 – Get Low: Creative Perspectives for Stunning Shots
Want your photos to stop looking like postcards and start looking like experiences? Sometimes the magic happens when you crouch, kneel, or belly-flop into the sand.
6️⃣ Tip 6 – Get Layers
Tip 6 – Get Layers: Add Depth & Dimension to Your Photos
A flat photo is like a sandwich with no filling. Layers bring your images to life—stacking story on top of story until it feels like you could step right in.
7️⃣ Tip 7 – Get Vertical
Tip 7 – Get Vertical: Changing Your Framing Game
Landscapes aren’t always horizontal. Sometimes flipping your camera tall opens up a whole new way to frame the scene—goodbye fuzzy ideas, hello sharp storytelling.
8️⃣ Tip 8 – Get Filtered
Tip 8 – Get Filtered: Control Light & Mood Like a Pro
Harsh sunlight, reflections, or flat skies? Filters let you tame the light and bring your vision to life in every shot.
Gear
Every photographer talks about gear at some point, and I’m no different. Here’s the thing: gear is just a bunch of tools. You are the photographer—your vision, your eye, your choices—that’s what really makes an image. But some tools are worth having, and knowing how to use them well makes all the difference. Spend wisely, use wiser.
Here’s my go-to landscape/seascape kit—the stuff I actually haul along on every adventure. Over time, I’ve ditched the extra baggage—less gear, more freedom, and fewer things to trip over on the rocks.
See It, Learn It, Do It
Want to go deeper? My Workshops are built around these same principles—hands-on, approachable, and guaranteed to leave you seeing differently. You can also check out my Upcoming Events page to see where I’ll be presenting The Art of the Seascape live.
If you’d like examples of these fundamentals in action, my fine art photography book Through My Eyes is available now. It’s filled with seascapes and New England landscapes that bring these lessons to life.
And keep an eye out for my next book, Hope—a deeply personal blend of memoir and photography that I’m beyond excited to share with you.
Ready to Begin?
So here we go—A Minute in Photography. Quick reads. Big takeaways. Practical tips. A few laughs. And maybe the push you need to finally take that photo you’ve always dreamed of.
Your memory card deserves better. Let’s make it happen.
Want More Inspiration?
Photography is a lifelong craft — there’s always something new to learn, no matter how many sunsets you’ve chased. I’ll be sharing my favorite one-minute tips here, but if you want even more inspiration, I recommend checking out photography tips from National Geographic. Just don’t get lost in their site for too long — you’ve got golden hour waiting outside.
