Many people want to become photographers, some of them are natural some received formal training, others are self-taught. Whether or not they are successful materially, it does not make them great if they do not have following necessary traits.

First of all, you need passion. You need to be obsessed with getting the shot. Not just any shot – The shot. In other words – you need to think about, dream about, talk about and live photography.

Caring about your subject is also necessary. You need to be a subject-matter expert, whether it’s birds or people or cars or waterfalls. Good photographers learn all there is to know about their subjects before they pick up a camera. Always photograph your subject as if it is the only way it will be remembered throughout all time.

Patience, specifically, lots of it are pretty much needed. You should be willing to practice and study often. You need to be willing to search out or wait out the light. You need to be able to sit in a blind waiting for that next bird or sit on the corner waiting for that next perfect subject. And you need to be willing to invest hours, not minutes in those pursuits.