From what gear to use, to how photography changes you as a person, here are five more things I wish I knew before becoming a photographer.

New to this Blog? In that case feel free to check out the first part of this series - 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Photography.

1 - Pretty Much All Modern Gear is More Than Good Enough

Thanks to the nature of human forgetfulness of how good we already have it, coupled with clever marketing; it's quite easy for companies to make you feel inadequate about everything you own.

The basic premise goes like this: What you currently possess is crap, but if you just upgrade to this latest and greatest version, you will no longer be found wanting.

The truth is that almost everything that has been released within the last twenty years is already good enough for most modern purposes.

There is a reasonable limit to how 'complete' something needs to be, before it no longer really needs to be upgraded, unless is stops working or you lose it.

Early cars were pretty unreliable, but any vehicles made within the last 20 years are more than good enough for anything you throw at them, as long as you treat them right.

Computers going back 5-7 years are also more than good enough, as long as you don't over-bloat them with poorly written software, or demand maximum performance from them, such as running the latest games at thousands of frames per second. Mobile phones, tablets and game consoles fall under that same umbrella.

The world of photography is also no exception.

The truth is that digital cameras did go through a renaissance a couple of decades ago, where the early models really were crap, and each iteration was a giant (and rapid) leap forward in terms of quality and value for money.

However, those days are now looooong gone.

In fact, back when the main competitor to digital photography was film photography, it was often speculated that digital cameras will become good enough - and beat 35mm film cameras - once they crack the 16 megapixel mark.

For decades before digital photography existed, 35mm film cameras produced photos which were excellent by pretty much every standard, superseded only by medium and large format prints.

If digital had any chance of succeeding, it had to become at least as good as the best that 35mm had to offer - and that goal was reached somewhere between 2007 and 2008. From then on, the megapixel race was effectively over, so manufacturers needed to find a new set of metrics by which to justify their existence and differentiate their cameras from the competition.

Today's modern photography gear in definitely more than good enough for almost any task, as long as you don't fall for the marketing BS, whose main role is to shift the goal posts of how to think about what makes a good camera.

Remember that this BS doesn't end, so it's up to you to create your own stopping point of when good enough is good enough for your needs.

2 - It Can Get Lonely - But in a Good Way

Photography - especially street photography - can get quite lonely.

The majority of your time is spent wandering the streets and alleyways of your city, looking for interesting compositions and setups with which to try and tell a story.

It's the same with landscape photography, product photography, and by extension any form of photography where you're not interacting directly with living subjects such as models or animals.

As a solo photographer, you spend almost every minute inside your own head, thinking about how you can make the most of the scene in front of you. Your main competitor is your level of experience and your creativity.

This can often be quite cathartic, and a great way for your brain to take time off from worrying about everyday problems.

I have learned that if my head is filled with worries and unresolved issues, going for a walk with my camera helps take my mind off everything, and lets me reframe my focus (pun unintentionally intended) on the world around me.

There are many other creative endeavours that can achieve a similar result, but the act of walking outdoors in the fresh air while your mind is in a creative state, is a more powerful aphrodisiac than writing, drawing, or just walking on its own.

3 - You Will Never Feel Good Enough - and That's a Good Thing

Depending on your personality and how much you judge your own skill level by the opinions of others, photography can make you feel like you're never quite good enough.

Due to the popularity of social media, and the toxic 'comparison' culture of likes and followers, it's very easy to feel that whatever you create doesn't really matter, as there will always be someone else who is better than you.

To be a photographer in the 21st century requires a complete mindset change, whereby must learn to compare your current self to your past self, and not to anybody else.

There will always be someone whose work is absolutely amazing and so much better than anything that you have ever been able to create up to this point.

It's crucial to remember that this is a good thing, as it gives you a goal to work towards. A dream which you want to achieve.

However, it's absolutely imperative that you only see it from an aspirational and achievable perspective, and not as a direct comparison to what you are capable of creating right now, because by doing so you will only focus on the long journey that you still have in front of you, and not on the equally long journey which you have already travelled to get to where you already are.

Focus on the next step of your personal journey, not on all the steps left until you reach some arbitrary destination.

4 - You Will Start Seeing Great Compositions Everywhere

When I was in high school, my English Literature teacher warned the class that once you've taken English Lit, you will never look at the world from the same perspective again. You will always see how one work of art was motivated by another, and how one literary text is nothing more than a retelling of something that had already come centuries before it. She was even able to use several (then recent) episodes of Seinfeld to prove her point.

This was a turning point for me, because as I got older, I began to realise that she was right.

It's the same when it comes to photography.

As you start to get better at recognising great compositions, you will be able to appreciate the world of art, as well as the everyday world around you from a fresh perspective.

From the way Rembrandt was able to paint his subjects as if they were lit from a single light source; to the way the cinematography in award-winning films is so good, that any frame from the movie would look like a perfectly lit and composed photograph in itself, photography can help unlock new ways of seeing more in what is already there.

The more you learn about photography, the more you will start seeing great compositions everywhere. You will begin seeing the world through a viewfinder, and your life will be all the richer for it.

5 - You Will Learn Something New About Yourself

When I first got into photography, I wanted to shoot everything I could. No subject was too difficult and no photo was out of reach.

Of course, all of this optimism came from the mind of an absolute amateur who knew nothing about the way cameras worked, and about how far I was really able to push myself to achieve what I want.

Photography is a great self-learning tool. It teaches you about your own limitations and fears. It helps you recognise your own weaknesses and most importantly, strengths. It also allows us to see whether we truly are creative souls, or just consumers of the latest and greatest gadgets with no intention of making the absolute most out of them.

As a simple example of what I mean, one of the first things that photography taught me was that I am mainly an ambivert (part extrovert, part introvert). This was apparent from the kinds of photos that I prefer to shoot, as well as the focal lengths I am most comfortable using.

I like shooting is areas which are filled with people, but I don't like approaching people directly. This means that posed street photography is not something that I am comfortable with. However, I also don't like using super long focal lengths, as it makes me feel like a bit of a creeper.

I am most comfortable with my 24-105mm lens, with the majority of my photos being shot at 35mm and longer. This means that I am happy with being a visible part of the world that I am photographing, instead of hiding behind a wall, in fear of being seen.

If you are unsure about the kind of person you are, grab a camera and step out into the world with it. The photos you shoot, as well as the way you feel about them, will tell you more about yourself than you ever thought was possible.

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Happy shooting!