Characteristics of Great Photographers – Curiosity

While the old saying says that ‘curiosity killed the cat’ I’m coming to see that ‘curiosity’ is an incredibly useful characteristic to have as a photographer.

Here’s a few reasons why curiosity is a characteristic of great photographers:

1. Because it helps them notice things others are oblivious to

As I was surfing through the last 7 days of interesting photos section on Flickr earlier today, one of the things I noticed most about the photos that I saw there was that very few of them were of out of the ordinary subjects. Rather many of them were stunning images of everyday things that most of us wouldn’t even think to look for beauty in.

2. Because it drives them to find new ways to show ‘normal’ items

Another thing I noticed about many of these photos of ordinary everyday subjects was that the photographers found interesting ways to make them look extraordinary. They did this by finding interesting angles, placing their subjects in unusual settings or by experimenting things like focal length (particularly macro shots).

3. Because it drives them to learn about their digital cameras

The last thing I noticed about the shots on flickr was that some of them showed that their photographers had a good grasp of their cameras and how to use them. It was obvious to me that many of the photographers had ventured out of Auto mode and had learned to use other functions of their cameras. There is obviously a lot of experimentation going on with many of the shots – evidence of curious minds wondering what will happen if they just take the shot like this….

4. Curious photographers intrigue the viewers of their images

I’ve got no way of proving this one but it’s a theory I’ve always had. Creative people who are willing to push boundaries and explore new ground tend to be the type of people that others are drawn to. Curious photographers images are attractive because they help the rest of us view the world in new and intriguing ways.