What is the Most Important Thing about Photography?

I’ve been doing photography since I was a child. There have been periods when my hobby has receded into the background of my life, but for 15 years now I consider myself an active photographer in this field of technique and knowledge. And I often hear the question – what is the most important thing in photography? Technique and technologies became almost perfect and available. Many people in search of an answer to this question have floundered in the direction of buying top-end lenses and mastering post-processing techniques.

So today I will try to summarize my thoughts on what the main secret in photography is. I should say right away that these thoughts do not pretend to be absolute truth, but I hope there is a rational reason for them. I will try to be brief.

So, the main conclusion I’ve come to is that photography is based on three basic pillars – composition, subject and light. In other words, the main thing is what’s in the frame, how it’s positioned and how it’s lit. And, undoubtedly, in this “ocean” there is a “whale” – photo processing.

That’s pretty much it. And now I’ll try to answer the second question, which will inevitably be asked by a novice amateur, after reading the “main secret of photography” – how to create a good picture? I see the following way to create a competent shot.

1. You need to see the scene. It could be a landscape, an interesting event in the street, or a scene you have thought up and are trying to stage. Think with what and how it can be supplemented. This can be thought through in advance, knowing the location. But more often than not, it’s spontaneous, in a split second. You see it, you realize it, and decide to shoot it.
2. When you have seen the scene, you compose the shot. It is useful to know the rules of composition, such as the golden ratio or diagonals. But here again, your experience as a photographer takes the lead, and rules are not a dogma, they can and should be broken. You can learn more about this on the online courses of our website.
3. Next, the light. This is the most difficult point of the three. Learn to catch interesting light where you need it, find a lighting solution that suits the subject, understand the physics of light, be able to anticipate it.

Ideally, all three components should be together. You often have a story and composition, but not light, and vice versa.

I am not so fond of photo editing, though the bare minimum is required: correcting mistakes and technical defects, improving sharpness and contrast. But personally I reduce the role of retouching to a minimum, because I think it is not the main thing.

That’s all I wanted to tell you. Or maybe I’m wrong? What do you think is the most important thing in photography?