Photographing with Intention

Shortcuts:

• Intro
• Cultivate Your Vision
• Thoughtful Subject Selection
• Master Composition
• Harness the Power of Light
• Technical Execution with Purpose
• Connect with Your Subject
• Embrace Serendipity
• Practice and Reflect

Intro

Photographing with intent means approaching your photography with a clear purpose, rather than simply snapping random shots. It’s about being deliberate and thoughtful in every step of the process, from conceiving the idea to the final edit. This approach elevates your images from mere records of a scene to powerful visual expressions that tell a story, evoke emotion, or convey a specific message.

Figuring out what message you want to convey might take many years for some. The discovery process involves a lot of trial and error with finding out what you like and don’t like; what works visually and what doesn’t work. Whether you are shooting landscapes, street, still life, or portraits – this method can be applied before picking up the camera and might even save a lot of processing time. When you have more usable images on a roll of film the less time you have to spend scanning and archiving.

Cultivate your Vision and Set an Intention

What Do You Want to Communicate?

Before you even pick up your camera, ask yourself: What is the story I want to tell? What emotion do I want to evoke? What message do I want to convey? This central idea will guide all your subsequent decisions. This message can be as clear or it can be as obscure as you want. If you are photographing landscapes do you want to show the rays of sunlight beaming from the clouds or do you want to emphacize the shadowy valley below? If you are photographing abstract does your composition invoke minimalistic stillness or or lonelyness or does it portray a lot of movement with intersecting busy lines.

Consider Your Unique Perspective

What about this subject or scene resonates with you? How can you express your personal connection or interpretation through the image? What do you as a person struggle with in your personal life? What brings you the most joy in certain moments? What drives you to try harder to be better at something? It is likely you might find yourself stepping outside of your comfort zone when exploring these concepts. The camera might even influence you to see something new about yourself that gives you this unique perspective. Think of your photographs as self portraits.

Define Your Goals

Do you want to capture the grandeur of a landscape, the intimacy of a portrait, or the fleeting energy of a street scene? Having a specific goal helps you focus. What will the photo be used for? Are you publishing a photo book to showcase in a solo exhibition or are you selling a product by getting published in a magazine? Depending on your goal or expectations of the end result one image might have strategic color palette to convey a moody image while the other might reproduce colors with accuracy.

Thoughtful Subject Selection

Go Beyond the Obvious

Instead of just photographing what’s in front of you, take time to observe and identify what truly makes your subject special or interesting. It is usually best to photograph subjects you are most familiar with in some way. Subject matter can be symbolic or literal. If your message is to invoke “prosperity” most likely it would be of a landscape with healthy green plants and trees.

Analyze the Essence

If it’s a landscape, what are its defining features? If it’s a person, what aspects of their personality do you want to highlight? Focus on the abstract qualities of the image. Is the composition something that you don’t really see anywhere else? Or, if you see a color that is a rarity try pairing it with a color that compliments it.

Master Composition

Arrange Elements Purposefully

Composition is how you arrange elements within your frame. Every element should contribute to your overall intent to make up the image. This is how you find visual balance in your image. This takes a keen eye to recognize but really comes with practice. You can practice even when you don’t care for the subject matter. If the composition actually becomes the subject of the image that is also valid.

Utilize Compositional Guidelines

Explore techniques like the rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, negative space, symmetry, and asymmetry. These are tools to help you guide the viewer’s eye and create visual harmony. Typically you start with the focal point. Where do you want the viewer to immediately be drawn to when they first see the image? How does the image composition guide the viewer throughout the visual narrative? You can control this with camera technique like selective focus or setting a bright subject on a dark background.

Experiment with Angles and Perspectives
Don’t just shoot from eye level. Get low, get high, move around to find the most impactful viewpoint. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t see the composition you like try rotating 90 degrees to the right or left of the subject. With architecture photography I have found that if I don’t completely circle around the subject I end up going back later because I overlooked a defining detail.

Watch the Edges of Your Frame

Be mindful of everything included in your shot and don’t under estimate the in-camera crop tool. Eliminate distractions that don’t support your intent. Remember that in general, simpler is better. By eliminating distractions the image becomes easier to read for the viewer.

Harness the Power of Light

Understand Light’s Impact

Light is crucial for mood, atmosphere, and visual impact. Observe how light falls on your subject and how it affects shadows, highlights, and colors. The more light fall-off or shadows you have in the image the more dramatic the lighting will be because it creates mystery. Learn about the key points of lighting techniques such as light diffusion, back lighting, split lighting, rim light, etc.

Choose the Right Lighting Conditions

Consider golden hour, blue hour, diffused light, or dramatic direct light, and how each can enhance your intended message.

Manipulate Light (if necessary)

Use reflectors, diffusers, or artificial light sources to sculpt and control the light to achieve your desired effect.

Technical Execution with Purpose

Understand Camera Settings

Don’t just rely on “auto.” Understand how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO affect your image and use them deliberately to achieve your intent.

• Aperture: Controls depth of field (how much is in focus). A wide aperture (low f-stop) for a shallow depth of field can isolate a subject and create bokeh, while a narrow aperture (high f-stop) keeps more of the scene in focus.
• Shutter Speed: Controls motion. A fast shutter speed freezes action, while a slow shutter speed creates motion blur (e.g., silky water).
• ISO: Controls sensitivity to light. Use it to balance exposure with noise levels.

Prioritize Your Settings Based on Intent

If you want a misty waterfall, prioritize a slow shutter speed. If you want a sharp portrait with a blurred background, prioritize a wide aperture.

Shoot with the Final Image in Mind

Visualize what your final edited image will look like even before you press the shutter. This helps you make decisions in-camera that will reduce post-processing work.

Connect with Your Subject

• Build Rapport: If photographing living subjects, take time to interact, understand them, and create a comfortable environment. This helps capture genuine expressions and moments.
• Pay Attention to Subtle Cues: Observe body language, expressions, and surroundings to capture the true essence of your subject.

Embrace Serendipity (with an open mind):

While planning is key, remain open to unexpected moments and discoveries. Sometimes the best images arise from spontaneous opportunities.

Be ready to adapt: If the light changes or something unexpected happens, consider how you can incorporate it into your existing intent or develop a new one.

Practice and Reflect

Slow Down

Instead of rapid-fire shooting, take your time, breathe, and think before pressing the shutter.

Review and Analyze

After a shoot, critically review your images. Ask yourself if they effectively convey your initial intent. What worked? What could be improved?

Seek Feedback

Share your work and be open to constructive criticism.

Conclusion

By consistently applying these principles, you’ll move beyond snapshots and create photographs that are truly meaningful, impactful, and reflect your artistic vision.