Why Are You Taking This Photograph?

Before you touch the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or even raise the camera to your eye, ask yourself one simple question:

Why am I taking this photograph?

Not because every photograph needs some deep meaning. It doesn't. Sometimes the answer is simply, That light looks incredible. Or, I love the way those two colors look together. Maybe it is an expression, a shadow, a reflection, a funny moment, a shape, or the way fog is settling between the trees.

That's enough.

The important part is recognizing what made you stop.

Because something did.

The trouble often starts after that. We notice one wonderful little thing, raise the camera, and somehow make a photograph about seventeen other things.

Imagine sunlight hitting one red leaf on an otherwise dark tree. That contrast is what caught your attention. But when you lift the camera, you photograph the entire tree, half the yard, a patch of sky, the neighbor's fence, and maybe a trash can for good measure.

The red leaf that made you stop is now barely noticeable.

Your camera didn't fail.

You simply forgot what the photograph was supposed to be about.

Once you know why you're making the photograph, your other decisions become easier. Where should you stand? What belongs inside the frame? What can you leave out? Should the background be sharp? Should you move closer? Would changing the light or waiting for the moment make the idea stronger?

Even your camera settings begin to have a purpose.

Photography gets much simpler when you stop asking, "What settings should I use?" and start by asking, "What am I trying to show?"

Figure that out first.

Then let the camera help you show it.

Your Camera Date

The next time something makes you reach for your camera, don't take the photograph immediately.

Stop for five seconds and finish this sentence:

I'm taking this photograph because __________.

Then make every decision in the frame support your answer.