I read a post at http://www.diyphotography.net/agile-photography about Agile Software and their “manifesto” on self betterment, and delivery to the customer.

I’ve recently begun thinking about my goals as a photographer. Where am I heading, what am i learning… am I learning? Am I changing? For the better? Worse? Different?

What makes me different from all the other photographers out there? Why should people look at my photographs over someone else?

Have you ever shown your work at a multi-artist show? Sometimes it’s humbling. If you only show exclusively, you’re in for a surprise. (Don’t worry, once in awhile, you’ll feel good about yourself too!)

Here’s a rough outline off the top of my head without a net (paraphrased from DIY’s paraphrase of Agile’s manifesto):

1. Be accommodating. Things change, I need to be flexible.
2. Continually [key word] seek out friends and professionals to learn from, not just the internet and books.
3. Get the shot right the first time (or second or third), and *then* experiment. Screwing around first makes you rush the “safe” shot the client really wanted.
4. Seek out new techniques (see #2) for efficiency, inspiration, and quality of images
5. Build a library of inspiration
6. Take Risks (don’t forget the safe shot, though)
7. Produce high-level results over and over again (see #1-6)