What I Look For Before I Take Out My Camera

What stories or challenges am I going to give myself?

Photo by Author

I like to think of it like a role-playing game with missions.

I set out on my journey aimlessly, with my camera in my bag, and give myself little challenges along the way.

Here are two examples:

1. Texture

After a dinner date with my family, I wandered around the mall looking for photos to take.

I noticed some flower decorations around a restaurant and decided to focus on capturing plants that were illuminated — plants that were either sitting under a spotlight or hiding behind one.

Because to me, if I were to simply take photos of the plants without zooming in on this little challenge of mine, my photos would probably look like the ones you see in mall brochures.

So, I created a theme: "Textures."

Photo by author: Sony A7III + Tamron 70-180 f2.8

Photo by author: Sony A7III + Tamron 70-180 f2.8

Photo by author: Sony A7III + Tamron 70-180 f2.8

Photo by author: Sony A7III + Tamron 70-180 f2.8

2. A Movie Scene

I was hired to take photos of kids at a birthday party.

Sometimes, when I know things are going to be hectic, all over the place and beautifully messy, I'll approach the scene from another direction.

In this case, I approached it like I was shooting a movie scene.

Instead of just looking for "nice photos," I started looking for moments that felt like they belonged in a film.

Photo by author: Sony A7III + 85mm 1.8

Photo by author: Sony A7III + 85mm 1.8

There are many more little practices I've come up with over the years to improve my work or simply keep me company during these aimless adventures.

But if I listed them all out, your phone would probably run out of battery.

Nah, just kidding.

I'm a hardworking photographer, but a very lazy writer.

Before you take out your camera, try setting yourself an objective.

Make it fun.
Make it challenging.
And at the same time, make it rewarding.

Treat it like a video game.

Once you complete your mission, you'll get gold and some magical letter from a princess that you will never meet.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.