What goes through my brain when I am shooting?

I wish I could see the way you do. That is one comment I hear fairly regularly. You can! I know that everyone is not a pro photographer and it takes time and a great deal of practice to become one, but there are a few fundamental ways you can improve your photos. 


1. Determine your subject and reduce clutter. In the example below, There is no clear idea of what the main subject is in the photo on the left. We assume it is me, but there is a dog house, the blade of a windmill, a swing, a back wall, and other distractions. Our goal should be to simplify our photos, so we need to ask ourselves what is important to the photograph and what should be left out. In the example below, the swing is necessary. However, we cannot say the same for the dog house, that back wall, the blade of the windmill creeping in. Look at the cropped "after" image. By eliminating all that clutter, the photo improved dramatically! Practice eliminating clutter when you are shooting!. That said, when you have no choice in the matter and you must include clutter to get any shot at all...always take the shot!

Coming up: Rule of thirds.