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Thanks for the great response to my article about using a tripod. After my newsletter went out last week, I had a few people ask me what sorts of things I think about when I’m taking the time to set up my tripod. One of the main things I think about is what caught my eye? Or another way of looking at it is – why did I stop in this particular spot to take a photo – rather than 3 feet to the left or say 6 feet to the right? Something caught my and made me want to take a photo. While I’m setting up my tripod, I’m figuring out what that is – so I can take the photo I’m seeing in my mind.

Over the years, I’ve realized that there are several things that catch my eye and make me want to stop and take a photo.

Sometimes it’s a single perfect flower

Tour de France Bearded Iris © 2010 Patty Hankins

Tour de France Bearded Iris © 2010 Patty Hankins

Other times it’s a combination of flowers

Crested Dwarf Iris & Star Chickweed © 2009 Patty Hankins

Crested Dwarf Iris & Star Chickweed © 2009 Patty Hankins

 

Or it could be several of the same flower

Sunserba Cineraria © 2016 Patty Hankins

Sunserba Cineraria © 2016 Patty Hankins

 

Sometimes it’s a single color – like the shades of blue in these blue hydrangeas

Blue Bigleaf Hydrangea Blossoms © 2014 Patty Hankins

Blue Bigleaf Hydrangea Blossoms © 2014 Patty Hankins

 

Or it could be  a combination of colors – like the purple and yellows in the wildflowers

Yellow Trillium & Purple Phacelia © 2009 Patty Hankins

Yellow Trillium & Purple Phacelia © 2009 Patty Hankins

 

Sometime it’s the details – like the center of a sunflower

Sunflower © 2015 Patty Hankins

Sunflower © 2015 Patty Hankins

Or it can be the whole scene in front of me

Azaleas in the Wood ©2009 Patty Hankins

Azaleas in the Wood ©2009 Patty Hankins

Sometime it’s a line

Sunflowers All in a Row © 2011 Patty Hankins

Sunflowers All in a Row © 2011 Patty Hankins

And sometimes it’s just something unexpected

Along the Fence © 2014 Patty Hankins

Along the Fence © 2014 Patty Hankins

So when you’re out photographing – be sure to take a moment to think about what caught your eye. It will help you create the photos you want to create.

Identifying what caught your eye and deciding how to capture that in your photo is one of the things we talk about in my workshops – including in my July 15-17 Photographing Flowers (Without Swearing at Your Camera) workshop. I’d love to have you join me for the workshop. You can find all the information about the workshop on my website.