Learning to See the Small Things 📸

Lately, while scrolling through #photographylovers, I had an uncomfortable realization. I don’t actually see details the way many of you do.

My instinct is always the same: go wide. Capture everything. The sky, the trees, the street, the people — all of it. I want the whole story in one frame. And in doing that, I often miss the quiet, subtle moments hiding inside the scene. The small things that actually make the image breathe.

I’ve been shooting a little over a year now. Completely self-taught. No formal training, no mentor standing behind me correcting angles. Just curiosity, mistakes, and a lot of trial and error. So yes, it’s still early. But even knowing that, I can feel this habit holding me back.

People tell me, “Just crop it later.”
Technically, that makes sense. Emotionally? It feels wrong.

Every time I open the crop tool, my hand hesitates. It genuinely feels like I’m cutting away part of the memory. Like I’m disrespecting the moment by trimming it down. I know it sounds dramatic, but that’s exactly how it feels. So I avoid it… which keeps me stuck in the same wide-angle comfort zone.

What I really want is different.

I want to see the finished frame before I press the shutter.
To compose deliberately.
To make decisions in-camera instead of negotiating with myself in post-processing.

Maybe it’s control. Maybe it’s discipline. Or maybe it’s just pride — wanting to know I got it right in the moment.

To push myself out of autopilot, I decided to focus on portraits. As usual, my wife agreed to model (she’s incredibly patient with my experiments). The funny part? The last time I photographed her properly with a real camera was almost a year ago. Time moves faster than shutter speed.

When I reviewed the shots at home, I knew immediately what was missing. Technically, I should’ve done the full set — straight-on, profile, 3/4 turns. Instead, I mostly stuck to the safe, face-on frames. Comfortable. Predictable.

It’s funny how knowing the rules and remembering them while you’re actually shooting are two completely different skills. In theory, I understand composition. In practice, I still default to instinct.

But that’s fine. We’re heading out into nature in the next few days, and I’m planning a proper redo. Different angles. More intention. Better light. Less rushing.

One day, I want to reach the point where I take two strong frames instead of firing off a hundred and hoping probability works in my favor.

If you’ve ever struggled with the “wide-angle addiction” or that strange fear of cropping, I’d genuinely love to hear how you broke through it.

Because right now, I’m learning that photography isn’t only about seeing the world.

I write my texts myself, correct mistakes and translate via ChatGPT (which is not a violation on Hive)!
All photos were taken by me personally - I am a beginner photographer, so I ask professionals not to judge strictly.

Thank you for sharing these moments with me! Until new stories and new holidays! ✌️.

Camera 📷: Sony Alpha 7 IV full-frame
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 70-200mm F: 2.8 GM OSS II
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 20-70 mm F: 4 G
Processed 🛠: Lightroom

photo by openai