How to take awesome images

A lot of people asked my how I became a photographer, and how I learned mastering it.
A common misunderstanding is, that good images come with good equipment. Thats bullshit. Good equipment is only really useful in "extreme" situations which is in 95% of the images I take NOT the case. Most of the images I publish could also be made with a smart phone camera ;) haha

Now, let me explain how good images are created:

This pyramid show what skills are needed in order to take good images. This can't be learned in a few days. I go up this pyramid since more then 10 years and still didn't reach the top.
I would myself put at the "Image Idea" level.

To get on a new step you have to be a Master on the step before. And by Master I mean Master and not just understanding it. Each step relies on the step under it, no exceptions.

1. Understanding the technical stuff about photography

This is of course the most important stuff. If you have a good DSLR camera, stop using the AUTO mode and switch to Manual mode. What does shutter speed, ISO and so on mean? How do they interact with each other? Whats the difference between RAW and JPEG. You must be able to use your camera blind. You have to know whit settings creates which images.
You need to know in which light situations you need to use which settings without getting a blurry image. There are enough tutorials for it ;) Go educate yourself :)

2. Understanding light/shadow and colors

After you are a technical pro with you need to dive into understanding light/shadow and colors. What are soft shadows, what are hard shadows? What is color temperature? Which colors match and which not? Why are soft shadows better for female portrait photography then hard shadows. Why is it a bad idea to take images at 12:00 AM. How does a face look when the light comes from below instead of above? How are shadows casted on a face with different light sources and angels. Whats soft and hard light? What are warm and cold colors and how do they affect an image. How do different colors have an psychological impact on the viewer? Go ahead and learn it! :)

3. Image composition

When you reach this step you have to learn about the background and subject in your image. Where does my model have to stand? In which direction should she look? Blurry or clear background? Are my lines straight? Is the "rule of third" usable for this image. What has to be in the background and what in the foreground? Where should the light come from?
Which angle should I use to take the image? What "look" do I try to create? On this step you might want to try copy images from other great artists in order to master it.

4. Image Idea

This is like the last step but try to come up with your own ideas. Thats were I feel I am right now. Try to create unique art that you don't copy anywhere. Try new settings and idea and reflect after it why you failed horribly :)

5. Own style

I cant tell you much about the top of the pyramide since I don't reached it yet. So I tell you what people told me who reached that point. They said Its about all the other steps underneath it. Its about which rule you want to break in oder to create new unique images. Some even say If you reach the top you have to forget anything you learned before in order to develop your own style. Haha. Mindfuck ;)