The Photographer's Eye: See a Great Photo Before You Take It

The difference between someone who takes snapshots and someone who creates photographs? They see the shot before they press the shutter. I'm going to teach you how to do exactly that, starting right now.

Here's a question: have you ever been out with someone who finds amazing photos everywhere, while you're standing in the same place seeing nothing? They're not lucky or more talented. They've trained their eye to see what most people miss.

The photographer's eye isn't something you're born with—it's something you develop. It's a skill, like learning an instrument or language. Once you've got it, photography transforms from randomly pointing your camera to deliberately crafting images.

Today, I'll show you exactly how to develop this skill. How to look at a scene and immediately spot great photos hiding in plain sight. How to see light, composition, and moments before they happen. This isn't mystical—it's practical, trainable, and you'll start doing it by the end of this episode.

A very good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to you. I'm your host, Rick, and in each episode, I explain one photographic thing in plain English in less than 27 minutes, without the irrelevant details.

I'm a professionally qualified photographer based in England with a lifetime of photographic experience, which I share with you in my splendid podcast. How utterly splendid.

Let's get into this.

What Actually Is The Photographer's Eye?

The photographer's eye is the ability to look at the world and see photographs—not just see things, but see them as potential images. It's spotting compositions, noticing light, recognizing moments, and understanding what will work in a photo before you raise your camera.

Most people look at the world functionally. They see a tree as a tree, a building as a building. But photographers see shapes, patterns, lines, textures, light, shadow, and relationships between objects. We're constantly asking "what if I photographed that?" And we know whether the answer is "yes, that'll work" or "no, not worth it."

This isn't about better vision or special talent. It's about training yourself to notice things that are always there but most people filter out. Your brain constantly processes visual information but discards most as irrelevant. The photographer's eye tells your brain "actually, that IS relevant."

Think of it like learning a new word. Before you learned it, you never heard it. Once you know it, you hear it everywhere. It was always there—you weren't tuned in to notice it. The photographer's eye works exactly the same way.

Everyone can develop this. You don't need expensive gear or years of experience. You just need to know what to look for and practice looking for it.

And this knowledge has changed me—I'm always looking for things to photograph, always watching the light and how it changes over a day, over a year, how everything changes as seasons change. We're living in a constantly changing world that I'm in day-to-day awe of.

Blimey—are you ready for this?

Start With Light - Always Light First

If I could only teach you one thing about seeing like a photographer, it's this: look at the light before anything else. Light isn't just what makes a photo possible—it's what makes a photo interesting.

Most people see a subject and think "I'll photograph that." Photographers see light and think "that light is beautiful—what can I photograph in it?" It's a fundamental shift in perspective, and it changes everything.

Good light transforms ordinary subjects into extraordinary photos. Bad light makes even the most interesting subjects look flat and dull. Before you photograph anything, ask yourself: is the light interesting? Is it directional? Is it creating shadows and depth? Is it warm or cool? Harsh or soft?

Golden hour—the hour after sunrise and before sunset—is beloved by photographers because the light is low, warm, and directional. It creates long shadows, gives everything a beautiful glow, and makes almost anything look good. If you're learning to see like a photographer, start by going out during golden hour. You'll immediately see how different the world looks.

But great light isn't limited to golden hour. Harsh midday light creates dramatic shadows and contrast. Overcast days provide soft, even light perfect for portraits. Window light streaming into a room can be stunning. Once you start noticing light, you'll find it everywhere.

And you don't always get to pick when you take photos—more on that later.

Look For Layers and Depth

The world is three-dimensional, but photos are flat. One key skill in developing your photographer's eye is learning to see and create depth in your images. This means looking for layers—foreground, middle ground, and background.

When you look at a scene, your eyes and brain automatically process depth. You know what's close and far. But a camera doesn't do this automatically. You need to consciously compose your shot to show depth, or your photos will look flat and two-dimensional.

Start looking for elements you can place in the foreground—branches, flowers, a fence, rocks, anything that adds a layer between you and your main subject. This creates depth by giving the viewer's eye a path to travel through the image.

Leading lines are your friend. Roads, paths, rivers, fences, or even shadows can lead the eye from foreground into background. When you see a line in the real world, ask yourself: where does this lead? Can I use it to create depth?

Look for frames within the scene. Doorways, windows, arches, tree branches—anything that can frame your subject creates instant depth. You're showing the viewer there's a foreground (the frame) and a background (the subject).

This is especially important in landscape photography. The difference between a snapshot and a stunning landscape photo is usually depth. That's why landscape photographers obsess about finding interesting foregrounds—they know it separates a good photo from a great one.

Practice this: when you look at a scene, consciously identify foreground, middle ground, and background. Ask yourself: what's interesting in each layer? How can I compose this to show all three?

See Patterns, Lines, and Shapes

Photographers are pattern spotters. We see repeating elements, geometric shapes, and strong lines that most people walk past without noticing. Training yourself to see these unlocks a secret level of photography.

Patterns are everywhere. Rows of windows on a building. Tiles on a floor. Leaves on a tree. Ripples in water. People standing in a queue. Once you start looking for patterns, you'll see them constantly. Patterns make compelling photos because our brains love order and repetition.

But here's the thing: patterns work even better when something breaks them. A pattern of identical windows with one open. A row of red umbrellas with one yellow umbrella. The pattern creates interest, and the break creates a focal point. Start looking for broken patterns.

Lines are powerful compositional tools. Vertical lines suggest strength and stability. Horizontal lines suggest calm and tranquility. Diagonal lines create energy and movement. Curved lines lead the eye smoothly through an image. When you see strong lines in the real world, you're seeing potential photographs.

Shapes matter too. Triangles, circles, rectangles—geometric shapes create structure in photos. The silhouette of a person creates a shape. A building against the sky creates a shape. Start seeing objects not as things but as shapes. This abstract way of seeing is how photographers compose images.

Here's a practice: go somewhere mundane like a car park or shopping center. These places aren't naturally beautiful, but they're full of patterns, lines, and shapes. Challenge yourself to find ten interesting photos using only patterns, lines, and shapes. You'll train your eye to see compositional elements everywhere.

I got some great photos on the top deck of a hospital car park a few years ago. The light combined with how I captured boring things gave me some great stuff.

Notice Moments and Decisive Moments

Henri Cartier-Bresson called it the "decisive moment"—that fraction of a second when all elements in a scene come together perfectly. Developing your photographer's eye means learning to anticipate these moments before they happen.

This is especially important for street photography and photographing people, but it applies to everything. A bird about to take flight. A wave about to crash. A person about to laugh. The moment a door opens and light streams through. These moments exist everywhere, but you need to be watching for them.

The key is anticipation. Don't just react to what's happening—predict what's about to happen. Watch people's body language. Notice environmental cues. If someone's walking toward a puddle, anticipate the splash. If clouds are moving toward the sun, anticipate when they'll create interesting light.

This takes practice. You need to slow down and observe. Most people rush through the world, but photographers pause. We stand in one spot and watch. We wait for the moment rather than shooting whatever's in front of us.

Timing matters in photography more than people realize. The difference between a good photo and a great photo is often just a split second. Did you shoot when the person's expression was perfect, or a moment too late? Did you capture the bird in flight, or the empty sky?

Practice this by standing in one location and just watching. A busy street corner, a park, a beach. Don't photograph immediately. Watch for five minutes. Notice the patterns of movement. Notice the moments that keep repeating. Then anticipate when those moments will happen again, and be ready.

As you'll be realizing, there's a lot of walking, looking, and thinking involved in this.

Look For Contrasts and Relationships

Great photos often contain contrast—not just tonal contrast between light and dark, but conceptual contrast. Big and small. Old and new. Natural and manmade. Chaos and order. Training your photographer's eye means noticing these relationships.

A tiny flower growing through concrete. A child standing next to an adult. A modern building next to a historic building. These contrasts tell stories. They create interest. They make viewers think.

Color contrast works brilliantly too. Complementary colors—red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple—create visual pop. When you see a red object against a green background, your photographer's eye should light up. That's a potential photo.

Scale contrast is powerful. Something small in a vast landscape. Something huge dominating a small space. Our brains find these relationships fascinating, so photos that show scale contrast grab attention.

Textural contrast creates interest. Rough and smooth. Shiny and matte. Soft and hard. When you see different textures next to each other, you're seeing a potential photograph.

Start looking for opposites. When you see something, ask yourself: what's its opposite? Can I include both in the frame? How can I show this relationship? This way of seeing transforms ordinary scenes into compelling images.

Simplify - Less Is Always More

Knowing what to exclude from a photo is just as important as knowing what to include. The photographer's eye isn't just about seeing what's there—it's about seeing what shouldn't be there.

Your eye can filter out distractions easily. That rubbish bin in the corner? Your brain ignores it. The telegraph wires crossing the sky? You don't really see them. But the camera captures everything, and suddenly those distractions dominate your photo.

Professional photographers are ruthless about simplification. We're constantly asking: does this element add to the photo or distract from it? If it doesn't add something—context, balance, story, visual interest—we remove it by changing our angle, moving closer, or waiting for it to leave the frame.

Negative space is your friend. Empty areas in your photo aren't wasted space—they give your subject room to breathe and draw the viewer's attention to what matters. Some of the most powerful photos are mostly empty space with one strong subject.

Look at your viewfinder or screen before you shoot and consciously check the edges of the frame. What's lurking in the corners? Is there anything distracting? Can you recompose to eliminate it? This simple habit will dramatically improve your photos.

Practice taking the same photo three ways: first, include everything you see. Second, eliminate obvious distractions. Third, simplify it down to just the essential elements. Then compare the results. You'll learn more from this exercise than from anything else.

A Quick Recap

The photographer's eye isn't mystical—it's trainable. Start with light. Always look at the light first, before you consider what you're photographing. Good light makes everything better.

Look for depth. Find foreground elements, use leading lines, and show layers in your images. The world is three-dimensional—your photos should show that.

Notice patterns, lines, and shapes. Train yourself to see the geometric building blocks of good compositions. Look for broken patterns especially—they create instant focal points.

Anticipate moments. Don't just react to what's happening—predict what's about to happen. Watch, wait, and be ready.

See contrasts and relationships. Look for big and small, old and new, rough and smooth. These relationships make photos interesting and memorable.

Simplify ruthlessly. Exclude anything that doesn't add to your photo. Less is always more.

Here's the most important thing: this skill develops with practice. The more you consciously look for these elements, the more automatic it becomes. Eventually, you won't need to think about it—you'll just see photographs everywhere you look.

Here's Something For You To Do

Your assignment this week is simple but powerful: take a walk without your camera. Yes, you read that correctly—leave the camera at home.

Walk through your neighborhood, a local park, or anywhere you'd normally photograph. But instead of taking photos, just walk around, look, and think. These are my photography superpowers.

Do this for 30 minutes. Point at everything you'd photograph and explain why to yourself. You'll feel silly at first, but this exercise trains your brain to see like a photographer even when you're not holding a camera.

Then, the next day, take the same walk with your camera and photograph everything you pointed at. You'll be amazed at how many great photos you find. And more importantly, you'll start to see them automatically from now on.

Alternative exercise: sit in one spot for 20 minutes—a cafe, a park bench, a busy street corner. Don't move. Just watch. Notice how the light changes. Notice patterns of movement. Notice moments that repeat. Then spend 10 minutes photographing from that same spot. You'll create better photos than if you'd rushed around for 30 minutes.

What If I Use A Phone To Take My Photos?

The photographer's eye has nothing to do with what gear you're using. These skills work exactly the same whether you're shooting with a professional camera or your phone.

In fact, phone photography forces you to develop your photographer's eye even more because you can't rely on fancy lenses or equipment to do the work for you. You have to see the photo and compose it right in-camera.

Your phone is perfect for practicing these skills. It's always with you, so you can train your eye constantly. Waiting for a bus? Look for patterns. Walking to the shops? Notice the light. Having lunch? See the layers and depth in the scene around you.

Use your phone's camera to practice composition. Take multiple shots of the same scene from different angles. Move closer. Move back. Change your height. See how small changes affect the final image. This experimentation develops your eye faster than anything else.

The limitation of a phone—you can't change lenses—actually helps you learn. You have to move your feet to change your composition. You have to see the photo before you shoot because you can't zoom your way out of trouble. These constraints make you a better photographer.

What Do I Do?

I've been training my photographer's eye for decades, and I'm still learning. Every day I see things I didn't notice before. The difference now is that it's automatic—I can't help but see photographs everywhere I go.

When I'm driving—safely, eyes on the road—I'm constantly noticing light. "Oh, that light on that building is beautiful right now." When I'm walking, I see compositions. "That tree, that fence, that puddle—that's a photo." It never switches off.

I review my photos critically. When a photo works, I ask myself why. What did I see that made me stop and photograph this? What elements came together? When a photo doesn't work, I'm equally interested. What did I miss? What looked better in person than in the photo? This reflection process constantly refines my eye.

And a thing on light—with the photography I do, photographing buildings, I don't normally get a choice about the time of day. It's often 9 or 10am to 12pm—the most common time slot I'm allocated. Yes, that's potentially rubbish light time. So I've learned to make the best of what I have. Simple.

One More Thing

The photographer's eye works in reverse too. Once you develop it, you start seeing why certain photos don't work. You'll look at a snapshot and immediately know what's wrong. "The light's flat." "There's no clear subject." "The background's too busy." "The moment's wrong."

This critical eye is valuable because it helps you improve your own work. You'll start catching mistakes before you press the shutter instead of discovering them later when you review your photos.

Remember: the goal isn't to create perfect photos every time. The goal is to see the potential for great photos everywhere you look, and then capture them when the opportunity arises. Some days you'll nail it. Some days you won't. That's photography.

The photographer's eye gives you the ability to see the shot. The rest—the technical skills, the timing, the execution—come with practice. But seeing the shot first? That's what separates photographers from people with cameras.

Links to Related Episodes

In episode 219, I talked about why your photos look flat and how to fix them with simple editing adjustments. That episode focused on post-processing—fixing photos after you've taken them.

But if you develop your photographer's eye, you'll take better photos in the first place. You'll see depth and layers before you shoot. You'll notice when light is creating contrast and dimension. You'll anticipate moments instead of reacting to them.

The photographer's eye and post-processing skills work together. Great photos start with great vision—seeing the potential before you press the shutter. Then editing refines and enhances what you captured. But you can't edit your way out of a badly seen photo.

If you haven't listened to episode 219 yet, go back and check it out. These two episodes are different sides of the same coin—one about seeing the photo, one about perfecting it afterward.

What's Coming in the Next Episode

In the next episode—episode 221—I'm going to talk about the Rule of Thirds. This is the single most useful composition technique you'll ever learn, and it works for absolutely everything you photograph.

The Rule of Thirds is the practical application of the photographer's eye. Once you can see great photos everywhere, the Rule of Thirds helps you compose them effectively. It's the perfect follow-up to today's episode.

We'll break it down in plain English, show you exactly how to use it, and more importantly, when to break it. Because knowing when to break the rules is just as important as knowing the rules themselves.

Make sure you're subscribed because episode 221 is going to transform how you compose your photos.

Subscribe and Get in Touch

If you've enjoyed this episode, and I sincerely hope you have, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any future ones. For anything else, check out my website, RickMcEvoyPhotography.com, where you can find out how to ask a question, get a weekly email from me, get in touch, or find out more about my splendid podcast. You can text me directly from the podcast feed. I have a YouTube channel too—type Rick McEvoy into YouTube and you'll find me. Finally, check out my courses page, where you'll find my splendid "How to Become a Real Estate Photographer" course.

This episode was brought to you by a cheese and pickle sandwich and a Coke Zero, which I consumed before settling into my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium.

I've been Rick McEvoy. Thanks again for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast and for giving me 27-ish minutes of your valuable time. I reckon this episode will be about 23 minutes long after editing out the mistakes and bad stuff.

Thanks for listening.

Take care and stay safe. Cheers from me, Rick!