The Curious Eye: Practical Ways to Sharpen Your Photographic Vision

Originals

Feb 9

If you’re feeling like your shots are getting a bit predictable lately, it might be time to shake up your mental routine rather than your gear bag.

Think of curiosity as a muscle that needs a specific kind of workout to stay sharp.

One of the easiest ways to start is by intentionally taking the "long way home." We all have those autopilot routes where we stop seeing the world because we know exactly where the cracks in the sidewalk are. Tomorrow, try walking on the opposite side of the street or taking a turn down an alleyway you usually ignore. Just that tiny shift in perspective forces your brain to re map your surroundings, and suddenly, you're noticing details that were invisible twenty four hours ago.

Another trick is to lean into the mundane. Next time you see something totally ordinary, maybe a discarded coffee cup or a stray glove on a park bench don't just walk past it. Stop and try to build a narrative around it. Imagine the five minutes leading up to that object landing there. You don’t have to write a novel, but just the act of mentally engaging with a "nothing" object trains your eye to look for the layers beneath the surface of a scene.

You can also try what I call "digital fasting" while you're out. It’s tempting to pull out your phone the second there’s a lull in the action, but that’s exactly when curiosity usually kicks in. If you stay in that slightly uncomfortable space of being "bored," your mind will naturally start searching for something to latch onto. You'll start seeing the way two people across the street are mirroring each other's body language, or how a shadow is slowly crawling up a brick wall.

In the world of monochrome, this kind of active looking is your best friend. Since we aren't relying on bright colors to do the heavy lifting, we need to find the interest in the shapes, the textures, and the hidden corners of the world. By forcing yourself to look longer and move differently, you’re basically giving your camera a head start before you even bring it to your eye.