Are you taking photos, or making them?
Most people take photos. Fewer people actually make them.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately - not just getting out to shoot, but what actually makes an image work.
One of my favorite photography quotes comes from the master himself, Ansel Adams, who famously said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” I love that quote so much it’s been on the front page of my website for years.
And I believe it.
As photographers, we know the difference. Taking a photo is almost reflexive - you see something interesting and grab a quick shot. Raise the camera, frame it, click. Not much effort required. And to be fair, that’s what many non-photographers think we do all the time.
But honestly, I do that a lot. You probably do too. There’s nothing wrong with it.
Making a photo, though, is something else entirely.
These are the images we work for - even when they’re unplanned. We compose, recompose, then recompose again. We take test shots, adjust settings, add or remove a filter, and keep refining. It’s a process. It’s immersive. And it’s a lot of fun.
And it’s very different from simply taking a photo.
To me, the difference comes down to this: taking a photo is passive, while making a photo is active. It’s casual vs. intentional. Lean-back vs. lean-in. Reflex vs. purpose.
I’ll always take plenty of photos when I’m out and about. But the images that stay with me - the ones I’m most proud of - are the ones I’ve truly made.
P.S. A lot of the “making” happens for me in editing. If you’re curious, these are the presets I use to help shape my images: https://jimnix.com/shop
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