I saw this post from photographer Scott Bourne. Some of you will have seen it/something like it before, but worth a read for anyone.
http://photofocus.com/2013/04/13/10-tricks-to-telling-more-stories-with-your-camera/These are the ones I think are key:
2. You need an area of focus or interest to key on. Most photographers include too much in their images. Eliminate anything that doesn’t add to the point you want to make.
6. See the picture(s) in your mind BEFORE you press the shutter. Know what you want to say with your camera and what the final print would look like.
- This problem is made worse by digital cameras, people just shoot and shoot without thinking about what they're shooting.7. Great photographers know what NOT to include in their photos. When in doubt, leave it out.
9. Go back to a place five, 10 even 15 times. Make sure you are seeing everything there is to see so you can pick and choose the most important elements to use in your photos.
10. Ask yourself why. Ask why you are about to press the shutter. What is it about THIS photograph that is important? Why do people need to see it? Why do you need to make it?
- This is also useful when editing your photos and deciding which to upload to the web or put in an album. 20 photos of the same thing from slightly different angles is not interesting. If you can't decide which of the 20 photos is the best before editing, do the edits and then work out which one tells the story the best.
