As we progress our journey of photography, the “proper” camera settings and way of “seeing” become ingrained in us. On one level, we need this to happen so as to cement in our minds, the technical aspects of taking a photo. This allows us to point the camera and get a well exposed and well-composed shot without fumbling with the controls. Now we can react to the ever changing moment.

However, this way of working can become so hard-coded in us, that we lose sight of any spark of creativity we had when we first started to take pictures. The pursuit of technical perfection becomes never ending.

You can end up taking photos that are technically excellent but lack your own personal interpretation. Pictures without soul. Photography becomes nothing more than a technical exercise.

While it is absolutely vital to know all the technical stuff, I believe it’s equally important to spend as much time and effort studying the scene in order to come up with our own interpretation of it. For this, you need to look closely, both inside and outside.

Sometimes, instead of looking for a picture of the scene, we need to look for the story. Once you figure this out, the picture will follow.