I’ve been shooting for a very long time, and my enthusiasm for photography has only increased since picking up a camera at the age of 12 and somehow convincing my parents I can use the second bathroom as a darkroom in our small apartment.

A lot has changed and most of us are no longer processing in the dark, but what has remained constant throughout the years, whether you use a D3, an 8x10 or an iPhone; it’s the content that counts, how you get there is up to you.

Content is what it’s all about. Does the photograph work? Tell a story? Evoke emotion and/or say something?

After shooting for so long, I sometimes make visual discoveries that surprise me. How can a street scene in Krakow Poland remind me of a landscape I shot in Alberta? When you shoot for a while you start to see connections between your work, as diverse as they sometimes are.

This is how I think Aperture can actually make you a better photographer. I am not afraid to make many Albums in Aperture, since Albums take only a little “byte” out of your hard drive. By creating new albums you can easily experiment with ideas and series by placing as many new images together in as many albums as you want. There’s still only one master file.

From the "Love" Album created in Aperture. Photos Copyright Steve Simon

This freedom lets you experiment. For example, I noticed I had quite a few photographs of people kissing. I created an album called “Love” which allows me to put any and all photos on the subject in that album. When I start to see enough images start to form into a body of work, which fuels the fire to go out and get more images on the theme.

You can connect images visually or create themes like textures, storefronts, door knobs, whatever it is you notice you keep shooting. Before you know it the album has grown to the point where you might want to do something with the work, or get serious by focusing on that theme or album.

When you’ve got enough material, you might consider using the amazing Books feature in Aperture to create a book to shop around as an exhibition, or just to show off to friends, family or editors.

Can Aperture make you a better photographer? In many ways, I think it can.