My #1 Photography Tip

I recently brought this file up again for printing and it gave me reason to ponder my photography a little bit. More than once, I’ve been asked what the key is for successful photography. I’ve thought about that a lot over the years. There are a lot of pieces of the puzzle that have to go together for successful photographs to emerge. Some can be cured by camera automation. Getting sharp, well exposed photos is as easy as pushing the shutter button with most modern cameras. Composition and knowledge of light and how to use it are still the purview of the photographer’s creativity. However, as essential as all of that is, I don’t think any of it is the most crucial ingredient for a successful photograph.

Without a doubt, what I think is the base of a successful photograph is knowledge or at least interest in the subject of the photograph. That drives passion. Passion makes the photographer work to portray his/her subject in the best, most interesting way possible. Sometimes I see people interested in photography that focus solely on photography and equipment. Understanding the craft is important but if you wander around just looking for photos, you may come home with good photos but I think the ratio of excellent shots will be a lot lower.

I’ve really refined this theory while looking at my zoo photos and thinking about how I got them. I don’t profess to know a lot when it comes to zoology, biology or husbandry. Fortunately, I’m engaged to someone who does, though. Amanda either knows the answer to any question I ask or at least knows where to find it. And she’s incredibly patient when I ask the same questions time and time again (I can’t tell you how many times I had to verify that lemurs were prosimians — fortunately that one finally seems to have stuck). I do have a strong interest in learning about the animals I see at the zoo, though. That really manifests itself in the way I approach my zoo photography trips.

So often when I visit a zoo, I will note other photographers (some with very high end gear). They stay long enough to get a shot or two of a given animal and then bounce to the next exhibit. I’m sure they’re taking home technically competent images that are an order of magnitude better than their friends’ cell phone shots. Still, I’d bet the rate of truly exceptional images is rather low.

When I go to a zoo, I’ll wander some but almost without fail, I’ll stop by some animal that I’m intrigued by on that day and will spend a lot of time with it, watching and learning its behaviors. I’ll read all of the signage available and I’ll talk to zoo staff if they’re available. I’ll pull up more information on my phone. Then I’ll ponder what it is about the animals I want to share through my photography.

With primates like the mandrill at the top of the page, this is pretty easy. It’s very easy to anthropomorphize primates because of their similarities to us. With the forward facing eyes making direct eye contact, it’s easy to establish a connection with my viewers. People that see shots like this will spend time pondering the meaning of life through the eyes of a mandrill. While that’s a stretch and probably not the most academic approach, I also view it as a vehicle for connecting people to animals and the threats they face today.

Beyond zoo photography, though, I find that I have a lot of success when I focus on the things that I either know about or at least have a strong interest in. This is why you won’t see me photographing weddings anymore. Weddings just don’t interest me. At all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to spend time celebrating with my friends and family at weddings. But I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the dress or the cake or the table decorations or many of the other bits and pieces that go into a wedding. And I also don’t connect with clients on the deeply personal level that great wedding photographers can in a short amount of time. If you look at the very best wedding photographers, I think you’ll find that they really excel at all of that. And that drives the passion to portray the wedding in the best way possible and focus on all of the small moments and details that make the day special.

So if you’re trying to find your groove photographically, I think it’s important to focus on what you like outside of photography. If you can define that, I think it’s a good place to start focusing your photographic talents.