5 Ways to Think Like a Photographer and Take Better Photos

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Photography and being a photographer isn’t just about mastering the technical stuff like camera settings and exposure. It’s so much more than that.

One of the most important things is your mindset and how you approach it in the first place.

So I’ve compiled a list of five ways you can start to think more like a photographer. By practicing these things it will help elevate your work naturally.

#1 – Become an observer of light

You may have already heard this statement somewhere, and I can’t stress it enough.

Light is everything in photography!

Without light, it’s literally impossible to take a photo. So that statement is true in the literal sense. But it also goes deeper than that.

think like photographer 03 — The side lighting in this image gives the church tower shape and dimension.

How you use light in an image can make or break its success. Consider the following:

Does the lighting highlight or spotlight the subject clearly?
Is the lighting is appropriate for the scene and/or the subject?
Does the lighting help create the kind of mood you intended for this image?
Does the light enhance and add to the scene, or take away from it (distractions)?

So how do you start to learn more about light? It’s elementary my dear Watson, you simply need to observe light. Everywhere, and always, regardless of whether or not you have a camera in your hands – observe the light.

think like photographer 06 — Without the light emphasizing the textured wall and the planter box, there is no image here. I observed this scene outside the window of my Airbnb in NYC. Look for the light!

think like photographer 04 — The Pantheon in Rome is famous for the hole in the ceiling and I wanted to capture the light that comes through it and showcase that. But how many people think to look up at the ceiling? Look for the light!

While you’re watching a movie or TV show, sitting in a cafe sipping your coffee, or taking a walk – observe the light!

Determine if it is hard or soft light (quality of light).
Look at the color and tone of the light and how it affects the mood and setting (color of light).
See where the light is coming from (direction of light). Hint: if you aren’t sure, study the shadows, they give you a clue!

think like photographer 05 — Shadows can sometimes BE the image as is the case here.

think like photographer 02 — Drumheller workshop – another example of light making the image. Without the shadow of the grain elevators from the setting sun behind me, this is just an empty field. But add the shadows and suddenly it has meaning and context.

think like photographer 01 — The strong shadows cast by the sun in this image make it visually interesting. Without this lighting, it would not have the same kind of impact.

Movies, in particular, old black and white ones, often use light really well. They have lighting departments and directors to make sure it’s all perfect. So watch some old flicks and pay close attention to the lighting.

My favorite movie of all time is Casablanca. I love the story and the message, but more than that I love the light in this film.

If you haven’t seen it, spend the $3.99, make some popcorn, and rent it on Amazon (or buy the DVD and watch it over and over).

#2 – Pay closer attention to everything

The next tip for thinking more like a photographer expands on point #1 above. That is to pay closer attention to everything around you.

Notice things others don’t. Look at things differently. Get closer, examine things. Be curious.

think like photographer 07 — Once again by looking up toward the sky, I noticed this view of the Empire State Building being reflected in the Chrysler Building in NYC. This is not a view most people see so it immediately catches their attention for a closer look.

By doing those things you will start to see opportunities for photos that other people may miss. You’ll stop to examine and photograph stuff most will just walk on past.

That is what will help you make you into a better photographer. Being able to see and take images of things ordinary people don’t even notice will make you stand out from the crowd.

think like photographer 12 — Macro photographers do the best job of taking a closer look. There’s a whole other world down there!

I remember being in Las Vegas once with my husband, his sister and her husband. We were all walking down the street on The Strip together.

I stopped to look at something I noticed – it was a key, like a house key or car key that had been dropped on the sidewalk. They all walked right over it. I found it fascinating that none of them even noticed it.

The key itself wasn’t particularly interesting or photo-worthy, but that’s what happens when you train your eye to see everything! Practice that wherever you go and see what things you suddenly start to notice. You may be surprised that even on a route you take every day, you’ll now notice things that were always there.

think like photographer 08 — By chatting with this man and paying attention to what was going on around me I was able to capture this moment between him and his mule.

think like photographer 10 — While stuck taking shelter during a downpour in Cuba I observed these young girls huddling under one umbrella trying to cross the street.

think like photographer 09 — I noticed these boats pulled up on the shore in Lima on our recent photo tour to Peru. So instead of just shooting the waves or the restaurant over the water, I used the boats in the foreground to add an element of depth and storytelling to the shot.

#3 – Chase the light

Okay, so we’re back to light again. This one is important so it will come up again and again. Mastering and using light is the key to good photography above all else.

So now that you’re a light observer, let’s take it to the next level and chase it!

think like photographer 13 — Sunrise over the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert on our Morocco photo tour. We got up and out by 5 am to see the sun come up over the dunes and to capture this magical light on the sand. It actually changed colors as the light changed.

think like photographer 14 — This was a planned sunset photo shoot with a camel herder and his animals. We rode out on camels ourselves and stopped to capture the sunset and to get shadows like this.

What I mean by that, is to start putting chasing the light before food or sleep sometimes. In other words, choose to shoot the sunset and have a late dinner, or get up before dawn and skip breakfast to shoot a sunrise.

That’s not to say you have to do that every single day, but make the choice to do so more often. Get out of your comfortable warm bed to shoot the sun coming up. Or stay up past your usual bedtime to shoot the night stars and city lights.

think like photographer 15 — This image of two farmers was captured just before sunset in Vietnam on our spring tour. The light was amazing. Again this was planned to shoot at this time of day, and we ate dinner later in order to accommodate the photo session.

think like photographer 16 — Minutes after the previous photo above, we were gifted with this amazing sunset. Wouldn’t you rather be shooting this than eating?

Get a little uncomfortable.

think like photographer 11 — I got soaking wet on this day but got some really cool shots of the wet streets in Havana Cuba. Don’t stop observing just because the weather turns ugly.

Great photographers go the extra mile. The hike into the backcountry with many pounds of camera gear to get a good shot. They go to remote places to shoot unusual scenes.

While all that is great, it’s not doable for most people, likely that’s the case for you as well right? But what you can do is simply shoot at a time when you’d normally be doing something else.

think like photographer 18 — A cocktail and some appetizers on a rooftop restaurant in Arequipa allowed us to get this view on our Peru tour.

think like photographer 19 — We met this man in the Amazon jungle of Peru on a tour earlier the same day. We returned to their home at sunset to take advantage of the light – this was taken with all-natural light from the setting sun.

On our DPM photography tours that is how we plan the schedule every day. Dinners are planned around shooting the sunset quite often. Pre-breakfast sunrise shoots are often an option as well.

We do that so our guests have the best opportunities to get good photos. You can do the same when you travel, and when you’re at home too.

think like photographer 17 — This was an opportunity to capture blue hour and car light trail in Hanoi that we created by being in the right place at the right time once again.

A little planning and patience will help you get the shots you want.

OR if that’s too much work you can simply join one of our photography tours, sit back, and let us do all the work for you. All you have to do is show up!

#4 – Avoid this phrase “I’ll fix it in Photoshop”

I hate this phrase with a passion.

I’ll fix it later in Photoshop.

For me, that’s a cop-out. It’s pure laziness in my opinion, and back in the film days when I started my career, it wasn’t even an option.

think like photographer 32 — Watch the background. BIG issues here with that big bright spot. I could tone it down in the editing process but that’s a lot of work and the light on him still won’t be very good.

think like photographer 33 — This is much better than the previous image. This is the same guy, the same location, I just moved him around to get a better background and put some better light on his face. Here I’m using the light from that window that is making the bright spot above.

Instead, I recommend that you think about getting it right in the camera as much as possible. True, there are some things you can’t correct at the time of shooting like flat lighting, high dynamic range, a bright background (but you can choose to shoot at a different time or location).

But you can’t fix bad lighting, bad posing (for people photos), or a poor camera angle (think tree growing out of somebody’s head) later. You can try, but those things are a lot more work to “fix” in Photoshop or any editing program than if you had corrected them when you took the shot in the first place.

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think like photographer 30 — Another background issue. While I can do some work on it in Photoshop or even attempt to crop her out and put her on another background – the fix was much easier than that. See below.

think like photographer 31 — This was shot in a classroom during one of my workshops. I simply had one of my students hold up a big black reflector behind her as a background. She did NOT move!

So spend the extra time when you’re shooting to think about everything.

Slow down and examine your composition. Look for better camera angles, remove any distractions.
How is the light? Would it be better to come back later?
Check the background for distractions (bright spots, intense color, etc.).
Make sure you’ve nailed the exposure and focus.
For people photos, adjust any arrant clothing, stray hairs, and fix any awkward posing.

think like photographer 34 — Finally, this image has a lot of things that would need correcting but the better solution is to fix it in the field and do another shot. The lighting is too harsh which is making big dark shadows on her face and she’s squinting, the background is a bit busy, and her pose is pretty static.

think like photographer 35 — The second shot with a new background shot in the shade where the light is softer and more flattering. The pose is much more dynamic and feminine.

Can you see the difference in the before and after shots here? Let’s look at them side by side.

think like photographer 29 — No amount of Photoshop skill or work would ever take the shots on the left to the same level as those on the right.

This is called:

Work smarter not harder! Getting it right in camera will make your life easier later.

#5 – Think about the WHY

Before you press the shutter button to take a photo, think about why you want to take that image. What do you want viewers of your image to get about the scene? What story do you want the image to tell?

Stopping to consider these things will help make you a better photographer.

If your gut instinct tells you “that’s an interesting scene” and you take a shot and move on – have you done the scene justice? No, not really. Instead, take one shot and then ponder it for a moment.

think like photographer 20 — I took this series of shots of an old train trestle in Drumheller, AB. I knew I wanted to show the aged wood, but I also wanted it to have another element so I tried including the metal spike, the sky, and finally the little yellow leaf.

But see how many images I took of the old bridge before capturing the final one below? And that’s not even all of them. I actually shot 19 frames in total.

think like photographer 21 — This the final image, it conveys what I wanted to show in this scene.

How could you make it better? Analyze your photo for all the things I mentioned above in #4, and then consider whether the subject is clear or not. For somebody that wasn’t there to see the scene in person, will they understand what you want them to see?

Here are some examples of what might grab your attention at first, compared to what you want to show in your image upon a bit of reflection:

Attention: you see a pretty landscape scene. WHY: to convey the sense of peace and calm you get when you’re in that landscape.
Attention: an interesting and busy street scene in a city. WHY: you want to show how chaotic it was on that street, but yet somehow still organized.
Attention: an interesting person in a foreign country where you’re traveling. WHY: you want your photo to show a sense of the place, how people dress, what they eat, that they are friendly.

Here is another set of images as an example, these were shot at Machu Picchu, Peru. They were shot on two separate occasions, 12 years apart. But do they not all convey the same message?

This is truly the Inca City in the Clouds! Do you get that from these images?

think like photographer 23 — Layers in the fog at Machu Picchu, Peru.

think like photographer 22 — We were up to the highest point in the site before dawn even and at one point a big cloud rolled in right over us and we could see almost nothing. But the mountain on the other side peeked out for a second and I grabbed this image. Without the mountain top in the shot, there’s no context or clue as to the location.

think like photographer 24 — Here the clouds had mostly cleared except for a few lower down, but you still get the sense of how high up this city is located.

So considering the scenarios above, do you think your second shots (after thinking about your why) would be different than your initial first photos? Would the second images be better than the first ones? Think about this when you are shooting!

One final example in another set of images from Havana Cuba. I wanted to show how different modes of transportation are there, how did I do?

think like photographer 25 — The all too common bike taxi in Havana.

think like photographer 26 — Another bike taxi and street in Havana. Notice how the light also comes into play in all these shots too?

think like photographer 27 — The classic old cars of Cuba. I used panning here to add a sense of motion and movement to the image.

think like photographer 28 — Here I used my powers of observation and noticed that this car had legs.

I call this “exploring the scene”. So next time something grabs your attention don’t just take one shot and move on. Go a little deeper. Consider the why, and explore that scene a little more.

I do this a lot and about 99% of the time my first image is NOT the best one of that scene. Only by spending some time on this can you really find the best photo to be had of that scene.

Ask my husband how often he is waiting for me while I stand on a street corner waiting for a bicycle to go by, or the light o be right, etc. Let me put it this way – he’s very patient!

Can you see how all these things start to come together in the images above? For that matter, in all the images in this article?

beginner photography tips for how to take better photos

Practice practice practice

Now it’s time for you to go and practice these tips.

Start observing light in your everyday activities. Pay attention to small details and things around you.

See what you notice. Skip a meal or two to go shoot instead.

By the way, If you are REALLY committed to practicing, download my FREE 10 Photography Challenges e-Book.

In it, you’ll find 10 more photography challenges you can do at home to improve your photography without having to buy any new gear.

It’s filled with various photography challenges that will allow you to practice under various conditions. I highly recommend it.

Then tell me how it’s going in the comments below. What do you notice is happening? Are your photos improving?

Cheers,