What does a photographer see that the average person not see? Do they see something different? What do they look for when they see an image? Why do their photos turn out better than yours, when you take the same picture?
The world looks different to a photographer than it does to everyone else. Why can a photographer capture flat images and turn them into art? The eye of a photographer sees light, details, shadows, highlights, shapes and how they interact with each other.
I was standing by a photographer once and was noticing the things he was looking at and commenting on, and I never thought of those things. They really do just look around and notice things that the average person misses. They are true artists and look for things artistic all the time, and we just don’t do that.
Photographers can look at light and see patterns in the light, or the contrast between the light and shadows. It takes time to get to that point. And knowing if the rules of composition will work on the image in their minds with the things they are looking at.
Our eyes work similar to a camera. Here are some facts that you might even find amusing: Our eyes have a resolution of around 560 megapixels. They can differentiate around 10 million shades of colors. The ISO of an eye is not great; it can be measured at around 800, and in low light, our eyes do not see color. The equivalent of the aperture would be f/3.5 with a focal length of 20mm. The great thing about our eyes is that they have auto white balance, auto ISO, and a very high dynamic range.
Some photographers have the eye when they’re born, but most of us develop it after practice and training. It can take several years to begin to notice things differently.
A photographer does not need a big expensive camera to make the image in their head. They are already going through in their mind, the settings they will need to get the amazing photo that is in their head. It’s all about the art of seeing. With a photographer’s eye, you see things in a way that others don’t. That different way of seeing makes an impression on the people viewing our images.
A photographer thinks in photography concepts and sees in terms of photography. If you enjoy taking pictures, your attitude will show up in the final image.
Almost everything the photographer sees is a potential professional image. It is something that is developed over time, but, it can be done.
Now one thing that you can do is to look at everything around you and see if you can see a beautiful photo in front of you.