1. Pay attention
Consistently practice conscious awareness and mindfulness

2. Get clarity on what you care about
Know your values, goals and priorities. Use them as the foundation for your creative strategy

3. Don't photograph things you don't care about
A lack of genuine interest in and connection with the subject will manifest as a lacklustre photograph

4. Be perceptive and observant 
Switch on to see what's really there—not just what you assume is there 

5. Accept reality; work to alter it
Deal directly with situations and conditions as they truly are, not as you only wish them to be. Influence and change reality when possible and desirable 

6. Remain open-minded and receptive
Be aware of inherent personal bias; it may not serve your best interests. Avoid judgement until you have all the facts, and have reconciled the facts with your values

7. Continually alternate between scanning and focused modes
Be sensitive to attraction and stimulation. Delve deeper when your heart says so

8. Use all your mind
Use language and words, write / journal your thoughts and ideas, engage in active self-talk, etc.Involving more regions of your brain increases awareness, rounds out comprehension and crystallises your ideas.

9. Be more selective, and patient
Not everything that catches your eye will make a good photograph

10. See like the camera
Superimpose an invisible frame; close one eye and squint the other

11. Read the light; identify and classify the shadows
Understand all the qualities of the illumination on the scene: direction, size, strength, colour. Acknowledge all the shadows and use them in your design

12. Work The Frame
Recognise both the power and the constraints of the rectangle; deliberately wield  its full potential

13. Dominant object / Supporting objects
Identify The Main Thing and determine which other things can make it stronger

14. Practice rigorous reduction
Minimise or eliminate any distraction from The Main Thing. Pay special attention to the edges and corners of the frame—do a full sweep before before pressing the shutter

15. Glorify the subject
Whatever your photo is about, and whatever The Main Thing may be, make all your creative decisions with the intention of revealing and clarifying its essential characteristics to portray it in its strongest form

16. Actively use all the principles and elements of design
Deliberately apply points, lines, shapes, shadows, patterns, textures and colour contrast within your design. Leverage shape dynamics, gestalt theory, pictorial imperative, etc. (This aspect of the framework encompasses many skills and techniques, forming a large part of the training…)

17. Understand and leverage relationships
Design and construct your image through careful management of proportional scale, intervals and tension (gestalt principles)

18. Use (or don't use) colour intentionally
Colour, or the lack of it, is one of your most important choices when creating a picture. The colour relationships found in your photo can have the most significant influences on the viewer, so it's crucial to see and use colour deliberately. Learning and applying colour theory is a lifelong pursuit, and it's never too early to start!

19. Be aware of distances and decide what must be in sharp focus
Camera to subject; subject to background; distances between focal planes. Distances are intrinsic to depth-of-field, focus and the effects of light

20. Choreograph eye travel
Wilfully determine the path that the viewer's eye will take through the picture

21. Pre-visualise the finished picture
Consider all possible outcomes. Make your photographs with a clear end in mind, including any anticipated post-processing 

22. Carefully orchestrate exposure
Establish the optimal tonal range based on your intentions for the picture

23. Choose camera equipment and settings later
From lens selection to camera settings, your technical decisions must follow design

24. Maximise coverage
Thoroughly explore the scene, exhaust all possibilities, exploit the full potential. Make as many photos as necessary to be confident of a successful outcome

25. Look behind you
…and up and down, all around, from every potential angle. The best photo might not be the first one you identify!

Version 3
Updated 29 July 2025

Your Membership will allow you to go much deeper on all of these techniques and skills, resulting in your best possible photographs. Every month, you will learn and discuss application of the Framework during our live lessons. You'll also get exercises, assignments and supporting educational material to reinforce the concepts.