When you begin your adventure into photography often times you feel the pressure to take the “perfect photograph”. You worry about your exposure, focus, lighting and all the other elements it takes to make a good picture. You also worry about other peoples opinions, “Will they like it? Is it good enough?”. After awhile these factors get stuck in your head and begin to wreak havoc on your ability to photograph. When this happens, your creative process becomes compromised, sometime rendering you incapable of even taking the picture. For a photographer that’s a very dangerous place to be. Despite the importance of all the camera settings, focus and cropping; your eye, what you see creatively, is what really is the difference between a picture and a photograph.
Many times the best photos are the ones not planned, but are happened upon by the photographer. It is important to take a step back, put your camera on a basic settings, walk out into the world and just look. Take the opportunity to shoot anything and everything that catches your eye. Do not worry about anything other than your desire to take the picture! One of my favorite photographs that I have ever taken was of a gargoyle in Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai. I was touring the garden with the intent of taking pictures of the landscape, when I looked up and saw the cat gargoyle. Without any further thought about exposure, focus, or cropping, I just took a quick snap of the shutter. Of all the pictures that day in the garden, that is the one I adore the most. So go out and take the picture you want to.