What is photography?: try it yourself

These exercises are about making choices, not changing camera settings. Use Auto mode if that lets you concentrate on the photograph.

1. One subject, three viewpoints

Choose an ordinary object. Photograph it once from where you first noticed it, once from much closer and once from a clearly different height or angle. Compare the three frames and decide which one says most about the subject.

2. Tell a story in three photographs

Photograph a simple action such as making tea, opening a parcel or preparing food. Use only three photographs: a beginning, something happening and the result. Check whether another person could understand the sequence without a caption.

3. Make a photograph about a feeling

Choose one idea such as calm, clutter, loneliness or excitement. Photograph something that suggests it without writing the word or relying on a facial expression. There is no single correct answer. The exercise is about making a deliberate visual choice.

What to look for afterwards

Do not ask only which photograph is prettiest. Ask what you noticed, why you stood where you did and what changed when you altered the framing.