Photograph of professional landscape photographer Audrey holding a camera by a waterfall by Cramer Imaging

My Mental Process Before Clicking the Shutter

Written by Audrey Cramer Photography
Our mission is to provide you with professional quality landscape photos and prints (matted and framed for your convenience) which keep memories of your travels alive or which enhance your marketing and feature your products/services at their best for your customers.
  • 3 mins read
  1. How I Choose a Landscape Photo Location
  2. How I Choose a Photo to Sell
  3. My Mental Process Before Clicking the Shutter
  4. My Entire Photo Process From Start to Finish
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As a landscape photographer, I find my fans are often more concerned with what comes out of my camera.  However, for those interested in more, I’ve taken time to share some behind-the-scenes stories.  It’s time for the next step.  Do you want to know my mental process for composing a photo?  Well it’s your lucky day, because I’m going to break it down for you in three steps!

Behind the scenes at Cramer Imaging with Audrey photographing Bryce Canyon Utah at sunrise

Step 1 in My Mental Process

Firstly, I scout around for a scene which interests me.  Not every possible scene will.  I’ll often wonder around a location and try different angles.  Sometimes the best angle isn’t the first angle I see.  Other times, there’s simply no right angle no matter what I try.  Perhaps I find the perfect angle but the light is simply terrible.  All of this and more is why I scout out a potential scene first.

Behind-the-scenes photograph of landscape photographer Audrey Cramer looking back up the trail
Behind-the-scenes photograph of photographer Audrey Cramer scouting out a shot at Kolob Canyon Zion National Park Utah

I must have my camera with me for this scouting process to work properly.⠀The presence of my camera reminds me to actively hunt for the right scene.  Without it, I only passively hunt at best.  If I only passively hunt, then I might find something promising but probably won’t take enough of a mental note to return.

Step 2 in My Mental Process

Then, I envision which composition technique would work for the scene I want to try.  Would it work with rule of thirds (most common)?  How about simplicity?  Golden mean (rare to pull off)?  Check this article on photo tips for more composition ideas.

Graphic with rule of thirds overlayed on a fall sunset landscape photo in Zion National Park
Rule of Thirds
Graphic of the golden mean spiral overlayed on a monochrome dead tree photograph
Golden Mean

Step 3 in My Mental Process

Lastly, I frame things in my camera’s viewfinder.  Some ideas translate well while others don’t.  I’ve raised my camera up to my eye many times only to watch a promising scene fall apart in front of me.  I click the shutter if I think I’ve got a possibility.  I also try different orientations and compositions to make sure I got the best shot I can.

Cramer Imaging's photograph of a camera on a tripod taking a lake picture at Grand Teton National Park Wyoming at sunrise
Framed in Camera
Cramer Imaging's quality black and white landscape photograph of Jenny Lake reflecting the mountains in Grand Teton National Park Wyoming
Final Photograph

Conclusion

In conclusion, please remember that these steps happen very quickly and not necessarily in this order.  Also, this mental process consists of split second decisions.  I often make these decisions while looking straight through the viewfinder.

So, what do you think of my mental process for taking my landscape photos?  Does it surprise you?  Do you have a different process yourself?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.