Why Curiosity Is Your Best Tool As A Photographer

When I think about curiosity, I think of two famous people who exemplified curiosity in their daily lives: Albert Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci.

In his fantastic biography of Leonardo, Walter Isaacson says: “Leonardo’s relentless curiosity and experimentation should remind us of the importance of instilling, in both ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it—to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.”

In writing to a friend, Einstein said: “You and I never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born. We should be careful to never outgrow our wonder years, or to let our children do so.”

Why Curiosity is Essential for Growth

For me, curiosity is the key to unlocking greater potential as a photographer. Instead of trying to capture locations and subjects, a deep curiosity lets you abandon labels and instead focus on how light is creating shadows, edges, and visual energy.

Or how a pattern emerges when you look hard enough at what seemed like random chaos. Or perhaps how colors interact with each other in ways that cause some shapes to recede while others grow and come forward.

When I started my career, I wanted to copy other images, other photographers, and “succeed.” That was a useful and informative phase, it taught me a lot. However, I slowly realized I needed to move beyond that if I wanted to keep growing, if I wanted to find my own voice.

Adopting curiosity as my primary goal when going out into the field created a huge shift in my work. It removed the “pressure” of needing to succeed, and instead allowed me to experiment, to feel joy in trying new things because I was curious…nothing more.

Experimenting might feel like you’re making mistakes at first, but that’s exactly the point. Let go of the idea that every photo has to be perfect. Instead, think of each image as a step closer to finding your unique perspective.

And I believe that did more to help me improve than anything else. My curiosity extended to questions such as: “How do I convey what I’m seeing and feeling right now?” regardless of where I was or what I was looking at. That was irrelevant—what mattered was my curiosity to pursue an idea and experiment regardless of the outcome.

Curiosity also motivated me many years ago to learn how to paint and explore how those skills might complement my photography and visa versa. That has exposed me to many concepts and ideas used by traditional artists that have helped me improve my approach to composition and visual design for example. It’s all visual art after all.

Curiosity in Practice: Questions to Spark Your Creativity

You may be thinking, “That all sounds great, but how do I develop my own curiosity, especially when I’m out with my camera?” This question comes up a lot in my workshops because the truth is, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re starting out. You might wonder: “What should I focus on? What if nothing around me feels inspiring?” The good news is, you’re not alone—every photographer has been there. Let’s break it down with some simple steps you can try right away.

One strategy is just to capture many images jumping from one idea to another until something clicks. But that can often leave you and your images feeling detached and lacking a connection to the moment. It’s also very easy to include much more than you need, resulting in a diluted idea that doesn’t really connect with a viewer.

Of course you can get lucky, but pure luck is not something you want to rely on. I prefer to define luck as “opportunity meeting preparation,” with the greatest emphasis on being prepared. So how can we get there?

The primary way for me was (and still is) through developing my sensitivity. Consider that as photographers we are taking in information through all fives senses, much of it subconsciously. You’re seeing, hearing, smelling, and often perceiving the texture of things through your innate sense of touch. All of this happens whether you’re aware of it or not. But you can certainly become more aware.

Ask yourself the following questions as you explore a location:

• What do I notice?
• What am I wondering about?
• What or how do I feel?

You can also phrase them as statements:

• I notice…
• I wonder…
• I’m feeling…

This type of exercise can help you clarify your vision of what really interests you visually and emotionally at that moment. This leads to more awareness of what you’re really “seeing,” and may help you grab hold of an idea that might lead to stronger, simpler images.

This is like a sculptor chipping away at the edges of the stone that will eventually become their sculpture. Each strike of the chisel leads closer to clarity and away from ambiguity. Similarly, you make an image, and then try to see if there’s a slightly better way to improve on that image while remaining focused on how to strengthen the composition, nothing more.

This includes not methodically reviewing your images to see how “successful” you’ve been, which detaches you from the moment and pulls you away from the potential of a creative spark.

In the excellent book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert says that curiosity is the key to that creative spark that we value and seek.

“But in that moment, if you can pause and identify even one tiny speck of interest in something, then curiosity will ask you to turn your head a quarter of an inch and look at the thing a wee bit closer.”

How often have you turned your head to look at something just a bit longer but decided it wasn’t worth the time to explore? It may not lead to anything, but it might also be the beginning of a compositional “aha” moment that leads to something meaningful.

Never underestimate your own sense of intuition and curiosity; it’s what makes you different from everyone else.

Conclusion: Let Curiosity Be Your Guide

Curiosity is more than just a tool—it’s a mindset that can transform how you approach photography. By allowing yourself to explore freely, you can find new levels of creativity and personal expression. It’s not about where you’re going or what you capture; it’s about the joy of the journey and the discoveries you make along the way.