Modern photography technology is truly amazing. Our cameras can "think" in a fraction of a second, decide where to focus, how long to keep the shutter open, what aperture to use, etc., and hundreds even thousands of pictures easily can be taken in a single day. The camera is a reliable servant and records what it is pointed at.

But the camera is blind; it cannot see. Thus we the photographer must see for the camera. Seeing is not the same as looking. Looking is easy and takes only a moment; seeing takes time, effort and commitment.

The best photographers are not content with taking pictures of the obvious, the first glance, the initial look. It requires a serious effort to really see and that takes time, sometimes considerable time. In the process of seeing we must constantly ask ourselves what happens if. What happens if we raise / lower the camera, move a bit forward / backward / left / right, etc?

Claude Monet said, "In order to see we must forget the name of what we are looking at." If we can free our mind of preconceived ideas of what the object(s) being photographed is / are supposed to look like, then we can begin to really see. Seeing happens when we forget the name of what we are looking at and start to look for and appreciate the interplay and relationship of visual elements that exist within the picture space such as lines, shapes, texture, rhythm, balance, imbalance, proportion, dominance, etc.

Good photography is not a matter of frequency distribution. It is wishful thinking to believe if one takes more pictures then more good pictures will result. Given modern technology no doubt more will be technically good, i.e., in focus, well exposed, etc., but that is not enough. There is a tsunami today of technically good photographs; there is not a tsunami today of photographs that have soul. The fastest way to become a better photographer is to slow down. To produce an image that is more than just technically good requires seeing and that takes time. The time to slow down and make the effort to really see is before the shutter is pressed, not after.

Joseph Miller