Today’s episode, Learning To See, grew from a listener question about how to improve one’s eye for photography. If you have a question or an idea for an episode, please send me a note using the contact form on stopdownpodcast.com and share your thoughts.

A common challenge all photographers face is recognizing a photo opportunity. The good photographers see an opportunity and capture the frame. The great photographers see the unique opportunities that others don’t see. Often times, we are the good photographer, and maybe on occasion the great photographer.

Growing your eye for photography is a skill, and like any skill it can be learned and it can be practiced. In today’s show, I share three ideas for how to grow your eye for photography. They are:

1. Ooh … That Would Make A Good Photo: When something makes you stop and think “good photo op!” take an extra moment and understand why. What made you think that? Being mindful and studying the reason a scene or a photo catches our attention adds to our creative bank. You are more likely to recognize an opportunity in the future if it’s similar to a prior experience.
2. Use the B&W Creative Mode: Modern cameras let you view the world using a creative mode, such as black & white. Try capturing photos using this mode. Why? You can actually see and experience the world in black & white and you will see differently. Devoid the distraction of color, light and shadow will be more obvious and influence how you compose and balance a scene.
3. Think In 4 Dimensions: When looking at a scene, think about how it could look at a point in the future. The future could be a few moments away (the next crash of an ocean wave), a few minutes away (the “right” person walks past an interesting spot on the street), or a few seasons away (visualize how a spot might look in summer or winter). Think beyond what is happening right now and what could happen next.

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