Six megapixels, twelve megapixels, sixteen megapixels, the numbers are ever rising for the resolution of digital cameras. Camera manufacturers want you to know what new features their camera has so you can take better pictures. Better technology, usually means better results, but there's no replacing good fundamentals in any subject area, including photography. There are two sides to the art of photography.
The technical exposure of capturing the picture is one side. The technical side of photography includes letting the proper amount of light into the camera so the image represents the tones and colors you are capturing. Computer manufactured lenses, anti-shake technology, megapixel resolution, auto-focusing lenses, etc. all contribute towards the technical side of creating an image.
The artistic emotion derived from looking at the image is the other side of photography. The artistic side of photography allows us to feel something that the photographer is trying to convey. Composition, highlight and shadow contrast, placement of the subjects within the image, the use of color or the absence of color, etc. all contribute towards the artistic side of photography.
A big mistake that some people make when going into the field of photography is to do weeks and weeks of research trying to determine what model and brand of camera to buy, without doing any research on how to take a good picture. They'll search the internet for camera reviews, they'll go to the local camera stores and talk to the sales people, maybe even talk to their friends about the equipment they own. All this research is wonderful for the technology side of photography.
What they don't realize, is that after all the technical research is done and they've bought the best camera their money can afford, their work is only half done. After acquiring their brand spanky new camera, they expect to be able to take professional pictures right out of the box, yet they have probably not done any research on actually taking artistic pictures.
After a short perusal of the camera's manual, they want to cover their friend's wedding or shoot their kid's sporting events. When they get the pictures back from the lab or download them onto the computer they're usually disappointed with the results. They figured that they paid all this money for a top of the line camera, only to have run of the mill pictures to show for all that technical research. The technological cycle then continues into thinking that a more expensive camera will create better images, when it's probably due to a lack of research on photography's artistic side. Also, keep in mind that the camera's manual usually only tells you how to adjust something on your camera, but it doesn't tell you why you would want to make that adjustment.
Just as important as finding the right camera, each photographer has to find the right shooting style for themselves. You've put lots of work into researching camera models, now put lots of work into researching shooting styles. Shooting styles vary from photographer to photographer. Some styles use multiple studio lights while other styles only require sunlight through a window. The internet, photography books on lighting, and local photographers are great sources of finding out more about shooting styles that are right for you and your equipment.
Take a look at pictures from other photographers that you admire and respect to see if you can break down their shooting styles to see what makes their images artistically and emotionally powerful. Specific aspects of their shooting style might include: the direction the light hits the subject; the relationship the main subject has to the background; the edges of the photographs, they're usually clean, without violators cutting into the picture for no reason; how much space the subject occupies within the picture; the quality of light, is it harsh with solid shadows or soft, with diffused shadows; colors or themes may be repeated both in the main subject and in the background; the image may have high contrast or low contrast; the cropping may be severe; etc.
After breaking down what makes their pictures great, try to incorporate specific aspects of their shooting style into your own images. Keep it simple when you first start out. Try to incorporate only one aspects during a photo session so you don't get overwhelmed.
If you're working on portraiture and you noticed that your own pictures have a cluttered background and you'd like to change that. Work on intentionally posing your subjects with simple backgrounds by using: a brick wall; the bark or leaves and branches of a tree; a concrete walkway, flowers, or grass, when positioning yourself a little higher than your subject; a large f-stop, to blur the background making your subject the only thing in focus. After you've taken your pictures using whatever technique to incorporate a simple background, you can then study your pictures. Compare your own images with those you admire keeping in mind to only study the specific aspects you are currently working on, in this example, focus only on comparing the simple backgrounds.
Once you are successful at mastering one specific aspect that makes your pictures better, move on to the next aspect. Keeping with the portraiture example. If you like the way a photographer lights his subjects with light coming from one side of the face, leaving soft or harsh shadows on the other side, see if you can replicate something close to that kind of lighting. Try positioning your subject by a window during the day. Take pictures when direct sunlight is shining through. Take pictures when only ambient daylight is coming in. Soft ambient daylight from a window is beautiful portraiture lighting. Look at your highlights and shadow lines; are they harsh, or are they soft. Focus on what the light is doing to your subject as you turn their face into and away from the light. Analyze the lighting you're coming up with and compare it to pictures you admire. Again, keep in mind to only study the specific aspect you are working on, in this case, the lighting.
Once you are satisfied with the lighting, move on to the next specific aspect you want to integrate into your photography. Shoot your pictures, compare them to images you admire, see if you need improvement, and the cycle goes on. Once you have a good grasp of several specific aspects to create a powerful image, see if you can integrate them together. Keeping with the portraiture example. See if you can integrate the clean simple background with the soft diffused lighting. When you're happy with your results, try and keep building and adding to your repertoire of specific aspects. See what happens when you work on integrating dynamic posing for your subject; see what happens when you add a more complex background; etc.
As you tackle each specific aspect that makes for a stronger image, you'll find that doing things on your own may only take you so far. The internet, photography books, and photography clubs are invaluable when it comes to studying shooting styles. Invest the time, effort and resources into learning what makes a strong artistic picture.
There will always be certain factors in your shooting style that you can't control. Maybe you're too far away from the subject and you don't have a long enough lens; maybe you don't have as powerful a flash unit as you would like; maybe the sky is too bright; maybe it's too overcast; etc. See how you can improvise your shots so you make the best possible images with what you have to work with.
Photography as a whole can be broken down onto two halves, the technical half and the artistic half. The technology side of photography will constantly be improving and developing through the research and marketing done by camera companies. The artistic side of photography can only be enriched and developed through the work and dedication of each individual. With a strong foundation in the artistic side, you'll also be better equipped to determine which technological advancements in photography will work for your artistic expression.
About the author: Born in the Philippines, raised in the South Side of Chicago, I'm currently running Mortel Studios LLC, a Portrait, Event, and Product Photography firm. Featured artwork can be viewed on http://www.mortelstudios.com and http://www.purplethumb.com.