Most often for me, a photograph begins with wandering through the English countryside, camera ready and willing, hoping to stumble across and capture something I find beautiful.
For others, perhaps a photograph begins with the intention to test a new camera is working, without leaving your living room.
Someone else’s photograph might begin with a specific idea or project, like capturing light trails in the city at night, or the last vestiges of a winter sunset.
For another still, a photograph might begin with a call from a client, asking for shots of a new car, or restaurant dish, or clothing line.
Photographs can begin in many different ways, with varying degrees of premeditated outcome.
But they’re all photographs.
How (and where) do your photographs begin?
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35hunter 
Believe it or not, my photographs sometimes begin…..forgetting my camera at home (or somewhere else).
I’m aware this is deeply stupid / silly / irrational (tick one, or all).
And, having forgotten the camera….there comes THE almost ideal image.
https://jfbonninlogbook.blog
Well, two things come to mind. Always take your camera with you. Or use your phone (assuming you have that with you most of the time).
I do this, but even then sometimes I might be driving or cycling and see birds in flight in a certain formation or something, that I can capture in that split second in my mind, but couldn’t do with a camera unless I was sitting their posed for hours in the hope that something would happen.
So even if you’re always with camera, you’ll still always miss some shots. This is what our memories are for I think.
By far the majority of my shots are serendipity.
But every once in a while I get an idea for a specific image and set out to make it. Sometimes it’s an easy still life set-up, sometimes it shooting something to document it, and once in a while it’s waiting for nature to co-operate with my idea (such as the moon shot that accompanies Monday on Friday https://marcbeebe.wordpress.com/2019/09/09/monday-on-friday/).
In fact I’m about to annoy people with a series of B&W images all concocted and based on a theme. They are comprised of set-ups and serendipity and a bit of manipulation. Some are admittedly better than others.
I think we can hold themes in our minds loosely, without deciding on one then going out to specifically find a dozen examples that fit that brief immediately. I know I have loose themes that I’ve been gathering images for for years.
My photographs begin with a need to get away from stress, experience nature, and concentrate on the singular task of capturing some of that beauty with a skillful photo. I enjoy the challenge of it, and that’s what keeps me going out, learning new techniques, and appreciating the beauty out there, overpowering the uglyness that sometimes engulfs our day to day lives.
Wow, Martin, I could not have said it better myself… A kindred spirit!