Train Your Eye: Master Photography Right Where You Are
Ever looked at a stunning photo and thought, "I could never find something like that where I live?" 🎒 The truth is, the world's most amazing photo spots might just be where you are—on your street, in your local park, or even right outside your window. Anywhere you happen to be passing is a possibility! 🎁 The difference isn't the location; it’s learning how to see like a photographer. It’s about more things we can all think of before we take photos.
These are simple yet effective and important mindsets. 🔧 🛠️ They are easy-to-adopt habits that will help you take more interesting photos wherever you are. 🛡️ The golden rule of taking great photos is to understand the scene and what you are photographing. These tips are the key to unlocking that understanding, right where you are. Wherever that might be. ✨ They are easy adjustments that offer massive returns in the quality of your work. 😊 Your primary goal should be to build a core understanding of how to see the world around you, as this is the foundation for any serious photographer. 🏗️ Don't just look, truly see. That is very important. 😉
This is all about building on what we learned in Episode 213, "Your First Five Steps into Landscape Photography (Even in Your Local Park)." That episode gave you the initial steps for seeing your local area with fresh eyes. This episode takes that foundational work and expands it into an 11-point checklist for training your eye before you even press the shutter button.
This is what I do and what I believe is the right way to approach photography in your local area.
You can listen to the episode right here
Or keep on reading - entirely up to you!
Hello and welcome to episode 218 of the Photography Explained podcast, "Train Your Eye: Master Photography Right Where You Are."🌟
A very good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to you, wherever you are in the world. 🌍 I'm your host, Rick, hi, and in each episode, I try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 27 minutes (ish), ⏱️ without the irrelevant details. Yes, really. 😉
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. 👇 Here are eleven essential tips that will train your eye and help you find fantastic photos right where you are! 🌟 🎯 These tips will simplify how you think about photography and help you achieve fantastic results without having to go anywhere. 🤫 And I’m not travelling anywhere either, well not for a while, so these things apply to me too!
The 11 Tips to Train Your Eye
Tip 1: Find the Good Light ☀️💡
This is where every good photo starts. Light dictates mood, texture, and colour. Instead of looking for a subject, look for interesting light first. Is it low, golden sunrise or sunset light? Is it harsh, dramatic midday light that creates strong shadows? Or is it soft, diffused light from a cloudy day that reveals detail? I always look for interesting light, and that varies depending on what I am photographing. Move around a subject until the light makes it look its best. This simple act of prioritising light over subject is the number one way to elevate your everyday photos.
Tip 2: Embrace the Ordinary 🧱🌳
Forget the grand mountains and exotic beaches for a moment. The best training for your eye comes from finding beauty in the things you see every day: a brick wall, a brightly painted door, a puddle reflecting the sky, or the pattern of tree bark. These ordinary objects, when placed in extraordinary light (see Tip 1), become compelling subjects. Force yourself to shoot within a one-mile radius of your home, and you will be amazed at what you find.
Tip 3: Look for Layers and Separation 💥♟️
A flat photo often has no sense of depth. Your job is to create it. Look for foreground interest, a middle ground that contains your main subject, and a background that adds context without distracting. Oh, and this is known as layering. For more on this, check out Episode 15, "Foreground, Middleground, Background," for my thoughts from way back in December 2020! Also, try to separate your main subject from the background. One great way to do this is by using a shallow depth of field to give a nice blurred background, or by waiting for a change in the light that puts your subject in a pool of light and the background in shadow.
Tip 4: Simplify Your Palette 🌈
Colour can be overwhelming. Too many colours can make a photo look messy. Look for simple colour relationships: a complementary pair (like red and green) or a monochromatic scene (like a snowy day or a rusty fence). By simplifying the colours, you draw the viewer’s eye straight to your subject. Alternatively, shoot in black and white in your mind, focusing solely on shapes, textures, and contrast. Don’t actually shoot in black and white though; it is super easy to take a photo taken in colour and convert it later.
Tip 5: Fill the Frame and Reduce Clutter 🖼️✂️
A common mistake is including too much in the frame. Move closer. Fill the frame with your subject. You aren’t just cropping later; you are making a powerful statement about what the photo is truly about. Eliminate anything on the edges or in the background that doesn’t contribute to the story. Be ruthless. If in doubt, leave it out.
Tip 6: Use Leading Lines ➡️
Leading lines are one of the most powerful compositional tools. They are literal or implied lines that pull the viewer’s eye from the foreground, through the image, and towards your main subject. Look for roads, fences, rivers, shadows, or even a row of streetlights. They add instant depth and direction to any image, even a local park photo.
Tip 7: Look Up and Look Down ⬆️⬇️
We spend most of our lives looking straight ahead. Your camera gives you licence to change your perspective! Get low to the ground and look up at a tree canopy or a building. Or get high (safely!) and look down to see patterns in pavement, fields, or rooftops. Changing your perspective dramatically transforms an ordinary scene into something unique and fascinating.
Tip 8: Find a Frame Within a Frame 🔲
Look for natural elements in the scene that can act as a frame for your subject. This could be a window, an archway, a gap between two trees, or even a shadow. A frame within a frame adds a sense of place and depth and is an incredibly powerful compositional technique that keeps the viewer’s attention focused exactly where you want it.
Tip 9: Look for Repetition and Pattern. And then break them. 🔁
The human brain loves order. Look for patterns in nature (like leaves or waves) or patterns in architecture (like bricks, windows, or fences). Repetition creates rhythm and visual harmony. The photo becomes most interesting when the pattern is broken—a single red leaf among green, or one window open in a row of closed ones. That disruption becomes your focal point.
Tip 10: Anticipate the Action 🏃♀️
If you are photographing people, cars, or nature (okay, anything fast-moving), don’t just take a photo of them standing still. Anticipate where they are going to move. Pre-compose the shot so there is space in front of the moving object—known as "leading room." This creates a sense of movement and drama, making the photo feel dynamic and alive, rather than static.
Tip 11: Go Out in Bad Weather 🌧️💨
The best, most atmospheric photos are often taken when the weather is ‘bad.’ A bright sunny day can be nice, but rain, fog, mist, or snow completely transforms a boring street into a moody, mysterious, and captivating scene. The light is soft, the colours are muted, and the water adds reflections. Don’t stay indoors—grab a coat and your camera!
Final Thoughts & Takeaways
The most important takeaways are these:
You don’t need to travel to take amazing photos. The subject matter is everywhere.
Seeing is the most valuable skill a photographer possesses, more so than any expensive gear.
This episode builds directly on Episode 213, "Your First Five Steps into Landscape Photography (Even in Your Local Park)," so if you haven't listened to this, why not give it a go right now?
If you don’t feel comfortable doing all eleven things I suggest, start with just one—for example, Tip 1: Find the Good Light. The goal is a subtle, invisible shift in how you see the world, which makes people say, "What a beautiful photo!" not "Wow, what a beautiful location!"
Summary for Training Your Eye 🏆
Let's recap the essentials for training your eye right where you are:
Light First: Always look for the best light before you look for the subject. ☀️
Simplify: Fill the frame and reduce clutter for a more powerful composition. ✂️
Depth: Look for layers, leading lines, and separation to add dimension. 💥
Perspective: Change your angle—look up, look down, and find frames within frames. 🔲
Embrace: Find the beauty in the ordinary and don't be afraid of bad weather. 🌧️
One more thing 👇 The best photo to edit is a well-shot photo. Editing can’t save a truly bad photo, so remember to still get your basics right and train your eye every time. 🧠
Next Episode 🚀
Next week, we're diving into a crucial topic that affects the quality of every image you take. Episode 219 will be "Why Your Photos Look Flat & How to Fix Them."
Get in Touch & Subscribe!
If you have enjoyed this episode, 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. 🎙️ And 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 will 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 16 minutes long after editing out the mistakes and bad stuff. ✂️
Thanks for listening 👋
Take care and stay safe. 🛡️ Cheers from me, Rick! 🍻