Unteachable Photography Lessons

Part Three: Stop Forcing the Shot

You’ve been here, me too: Gear locked & loaded, lenses sorted, locations mapped, spot scouted, light and weather checked. Everything lined up… yet the photos are… fine. Good maybe? but not the thing you chased.

Then another day you’re just out for a walk grabbing a coffee, one camera, no mission, all side quests and something epic lands in the frame. Effortless.

The harder you try to force a great photo, the less likely it is to show up. One of those unteachable lessons. Even with this draft half-written, I still fell for it countless times in Hong Kong last week.

You Can’t Force the Magic

White-knuckling the frame squeezes the life out of the moment.

You overthink the composition. You second-guess the exposure. You start solving the picture like a puzzle and forget to actually see.

And honestly, I don’t know how many times this has happened to me, more than I care to admit: I take the shot my gut saw first… then I spend five minutes “improving” it. Step left, crouch, tilt, ten variations later. When I look back, the first frame is the keeper. Why? Because that instinctual shot was the true frame my mind’s eye had already composed. The rest were me trying to outsmart it.

Effort in the Wrong Place

We love pouring effort into gear, planning, settings, scouting. Why?

Because it feels like progress. It gives us control. But photography isn’t about control. It’s about attention.

The effort that pays: being patient, noticing, staying open. Recognising when something is unfolding, knowing where to position yourself and when to shoot.

Let Go (a Little)

Some of your worst photos will happen when you’re trying to impress someone. Some of your best will happen when you’re actually having fun.

Don’t stop trying, try differently. Try staying curious. Try noticing more than you adjust.

Try enjoying the act of shooting without needing every frame to be a masterpiece. In other words, take some shit shots.

Do the prep, then forget the prep.

Give the moment some breathing room.

Because when you stop trying so hard to make a great photo, you leave space for one to happen.

That’s the work. Keep it light. Keep moving. Keep noticing.