Have you ever noticed that as you learn more about the world of photography, you tend to realize just how little you actually know? This phenomenon is what's referred to as the Dunning-Kruger effect. The name of the phenomenon came from two social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. During a study, the two recognized that the less competent someone was at a given task, the better they thought they were. Put more simply, if you think you're a great photographer, there's a good chance you're not nearly as amazing as you think you are.

Almost everyone falls victim to the Dunning Kruger effect at some point in their career. But the more self-aware you can become, the less likely you are to fall into the trap of being a bad photographer who thinks they're good. To help combat this downward spiral, Below are tips shared by experts about how you can combat this phenomenon:

Beware of feeling comfortable- If you start feeling comfortable in your abilities, try something new and expand your horizons. Don't get complacent.
Learn to let go of old work- Always try to one-up yourself and make your next shot your best shot. If you still think that shot from four years ago is your best, you probably haven't improved much.
Ask for feedback and constructive critique- It's not always easy to hear, but an outside perspective can help you get a broader and more realistic view of your skills and ability.
Always keep learning- You have never learned everything. Never think you've finished learning something—everything is a rabbit hole of knowledge.
Feeling bad about your old work is a sign of progress- Thinking your old work isn't great means you've learned where you've fallen short and know how to improve your work.

In the end, no matter what you think of your work or how far you've come, it's ultimately about enjoying the ride. Our parting piece of advice is to 'learn why you're doing things, not just how to do them'.