For many, photography is defined by cameras, settings, or editing apps. The skill that truly distinguishes average images from excellent ones is a much more subtle ability, yours capacity to see. An eye for a “photographer” isn’t inherent. It is honed over time with observation and practice.
The great news is that it’s not required special tools in your kit. You simply have to adjust your gaze on the world.
Start observing light everywhere.
Light is the most important part of photography, but in general life, people hardly notice it. If you want to get a quick jump on improvement, learn to observe the way the light behaves in different spaces. Watch the way sunlight varies throughout the day, the way the shadows stretch along a wall, and how the light inside can be a little softer closer to a window. The moment you begin noticing light actively, you will start to get a sense of why certain scenes seem cinematic and others look dull.
This observation by itself can transform your pictures before you even pull out your phone.
Developing eyes that can see shapes and not just objects.
Instead of looking at things as they are (someone, a house, a tree), look at things like they are a mass of shapes, lines, and patterns. This switch in viewpoint will allow you to build stronger photographs. For example, a staircase is repetitive lines, a window is a frame, and a road is a straight line guiding your viewer toward what you are photographing. When you look at visual shapes and not just things, your photos naturally become more visually striking and more balanced.
Be aware of backgrounds first.
Amateur photographers frequently look at the main subject, but seasoned photographers frequently check what’s in the background. The reason is that an otherwise excellent main subject may be spoiled by an unappealing or cluttered background.
Before photographing something, take a second to check what is in the background. Check for a brightly colored item, another person, or something that doesn’t draw the viewer’s attention away. Sometimes a small adjustment in where you stand is enough to make a cleaner shot.
Clean backgrounds make the main subject shine more.
Get used to “intentional seeing.”
One of the most helpful ways to sharpen your vision is to go somewhere you know and take no photographs, at first. Instead, take in the sight. Find a good light, a good composition, and a good moment that can be captured.
This exercises your brain to recognize an image waiting to be taken before it happens. Soon enough, you will be seeing compositions naturally instead of just at random. Photography transforms from something you react to into something you are expecting.
Put yourself at a disadvantage.
Self-imposed limitations are surprisingly effective. The more choices you eliminate, the more creative you become. Set yourself up for little limitations when you are just practicing. Try taking photos of just reflections in one day, try only in a vertical orientation, or take photos of a particular color from your surroundings. By forcing yourself to work around those constraints, you are forced to think differently and you are paying closer attention to things that you may not have seen.
This is a of the quickest means to sharpen your visual intuition.
A final note
Training your eye has nothing to do with memorizing rules but everything to do with cultivating awareness. The more you look for the light, the shapes, and the structures of the world around you, the more you will automatically look for good compositions. And before long, you won’t be searching for good pictures, you will be seeing them everywhere.