Photo Tutorial : 3 Tips To Have A Photographer's Eye

Can you capture the right image at the right time? Are you always on the lookout for subjects to photograph, the right light and the right angle? If you've never tried to look at the world like a photographer, here are 3 tips to get a photographer's eye.

1- Practice photography again and again

Having a photographer's eye is first and foremost about properly composing your images. Composition is essential to attract and direct the viewer's eye. In short, to make an image interesting.

But to succeed in composing a good photo, you still need to see interesting elements in the world around you.

This ability to realize that something is going on that deserves to be immortalized in a photo is not just a matter of talent or chance. It's mostly a matter of practice.

So to make better photographs, you need to learn to perceive the elements with which you can build a photo that might interest people. For example, train yourself to perceive the world around you as your camera, that is within a frame.

Tell yourself that professional photographers' eyes don't work any better than yours or any differently! The only difference with you is that their minds are more trained to recognize interesting elements around them to compose a good photo.

2- Take a critical look at your images

Having a photographer's eye is also and above all knowing how to recognize a good image among several shots. When you take several pictures of the same subject (from several angles for example), always ask yourself which one is the most striking, the most interesting and why.

Thanks to digital photography it is now possible to make many, many attempts. Since you are not limited by the price of film and processing, you can take as many shots as you want and this is a huge chance to progress in photography.

But it's not enough to shoot a scene from every angle. The real work comes afterwards, when you see your images on screen. Take advantage of this moment to look at your images with a critical eye.

Do a very selective sorting to keep only the best photos. Be demanding in your selection and especially try to understand why some are more successful than others.

To have a 'photographer's eye', it is not your eyes that you must open wide but your mind. It is your critical sense and knowledge of visual language that you need to perfect.

3- Feed on the images of others

The last of our 3 tips for getting a photographer's eye is to get inspired by the work of others, especially accomplished and recognized artists. While it is important to practice photography, it is equally formative to go see exhibitions of photography or painting to soak up good images.

Even if you didn't go to art or photography school, you can learn photography by looking at the shots of great photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson or Robert Doisneau, for example.

When faced with a photo that appeals to you and that you like, try to analyze the composition, to understand how the image was constructed and what are the elements that catch your eye. Did the artist want to tell a story, create an atmosphere, capture a light?

Exhibitions are a great opportunity to learn what makes a quality image, for example: contrast, light, angle, perspective, lines, composition, juxtaposition or repetition, timing...

Indeed, we can only recognize things that we have already seen. It is therefore by looking at the images of other photographers that you will learn to see with a photographer's eye.

To conclude, know that this learning is not done in one day. You will have to practice for a long time to assimilate these 3 tips and for this way of seeing to become natural. But it's worth the effort because you'll be able to make more creative photos that challenge the viewer and get off the beaten path.