Using Science to Make Better Photos

There is no requirement for excellence, just as there isn’t any way to be perfect. There are ways to approach both, knowing that perfection is unattainable. That makes excellence the goal—an attainable goal with foundational requirements.

For photographers, the beauty lies in understanding a complex set of tools. These tools are not just physical, but also spiritual and transcendent, adding layers of depth and intrigue to the art of photography.

The most frustrating tool is the modern electronic camera. It doesn’t matter how much it costs, its size, zoom length, file size, or brand. It’s confusing with so many dials, buttons, menus, outputs, and options. Even the simplest point-and-shoot can be complex—not because the complexity is required but because the marketing department convinced engineers it was important. And the engineers added their peculiarities to the camera, perhaps just because they could.

The JPEG photos you think are so perfectly vibrant and colorful are that way because an engineer convinced the JPEG study committee that his vision was the correct one. A Sony engineer’s eye differs from engineers from Nikon, Fuji, Canon, Panasonic, and Leica.

Contrasting the complexity of modern electronic cameras, the most common camera is a phone. Its operation is straightforward: point and shoot. This is the simplicity that most people desire from their non-phone cameras. To truly master the camera, we need to take on the role of engineers, reconfiguring our understanding of the camera until its use becomes second nature, like muscle memory.

The greatest benefit of a digital camera is that once you pay for it, there isn’t any additional cost to make photos—no filing, no processing, and, for most people, sadly, no printing. Make all the photos you want without spending any more money.

To begin learning the camera, use the scientific method: Set a goal. Make photos. Look at them. Which ones look good? Why? What can you do differently?

Use the ATOMIC REACTION Method to make better photos.

Come back tomorrow for more on the ATOMIC REACTION Method.

Editor’s Note—This is one of 1000 ideas for making better photographs that will be spread through PhotoCamp Daily next year. Some will be brief, and some will be far more complex.

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