Think Like a Photographer

The previous section on using walls as reflectors is a crucial lesson in understanding how to think like a photographer. Computer programmers have to use step-by-step linear thinking, assuming that the computer knows nothing. Even the most obvious task requires the programmer to think in great detail and to write the code in a way the computer can understand. Photography is similar in the sense that it requires out-of-the-box thinking.

We often are drawn to take our photographs at locations that fit the “status quo” of what is beautiful, such as a park, a fountain, or a lake. Yes, these are beautiful locations but that’s not what professional photography is about. Most people would walk right by that ugly alley I found in Los Angeles (15.9). That alley would definitely not qualify as their idea of beauty. But what they are not seeing is the amazing quality of light created by two walls facing each other, one lit by the sun, and the other lit by the reflected light from the opposite wall. That’s the magic of photography!