What if the difference between taking a picture and making a photograph is everything that happens before you press the shutter?

In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about the choices photographers make that disappear from the finished image. Sometimes that means choosing your angle, focal length, or background. Sometimes it means scouting a location, paying for access, or simply deciding what kind of photograph you’re trying to make before you pick up the camera.

Amy talks about the layers of intentionality that become visible as your photography skills grow, from controlling camera settings to building a photograph from the background forward. She also digs into the less-visible preparation behind wildlife, event, and dog photography and why controlling everything you can control makes you more prepared for the things you can’t.

Casey is discovering those layers in real time. A crochet bunny experiment completely changes how she thinks about focal length, while a disappointing photo from a hike becomes less about fixing the image and more about figuring out what she needs to do differently next time. She also wrestles with the realization that sometimes she wants to make a photograph and sometimes she just wants a terrible picture of a dolphin because she saw a dolphin.

They also talk about:

• Why aperture isn’t the only way to blur a background
• Building a photograph from the background forward
• Paying for access, workshops, and better opportunities
• Why intentionality doesn’t guarantee a good photograph
• Learning from a photo instead of trying to rescue it in post
• Being ready for the moments you couldn’t possibly plan

Along the way, there are conversations about removing whole-ass people in Photoshop, Homer Simpson disappearing into a hedge, the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes, enormous seagulls, backyard vultures, dappled light, and why sometimes the most intentional photography decision is doing the hike again without your husband.

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📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching: https://www.skool.com/focus-makers/about

🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com

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• (00:00) - S02 E07: Focus on Being Intentional
• (00:55) - Photos Aren’t Always What They Seem
• (10:01) - Build the Photo From the Background
• (15:23) - Sometimes You Pay for the Opportunity
• (19:40) - Sometimes the Intention Is Just to Be There