Fueled by the handy cellphone camera and social media, we've become obsessed with digital images--from posting "selfies" on Snapchat to featuring still lifes of what we're having for dinner in our Facebook stories. Yet, for those seeking more creativity in their lives, there's nothing like taking photographs through the lens of an actual camera, complete with a focus ring and shutter button.

"Photography helps you look at the world and your life through fresh eyes," attests Santino Zafarana, an internationally recognized photographer and teacher. In Think Before You Shoot Zafarana offers an illuminating guide to understanding the art of seeing, with 21 techniques to make taking photographs a conscious act. To consistently capture wondrous images, he emphasizes adopting a simple yet deliberate practice: before you press the shutter button, stop to observe and answer four critical questions:
1. What are you looking at?
2. Why does this image captivate you?
3. What elements should remain in the image?
4. How can you show your viewer all that you see?

The book also covers these important points:
- Why photographs matter--to developing a sense of identity, tracing your personal evolution, preserving cherished memories, keeping a record of your ideas, and securing your legacy.
- How the cellphone has changed not only the way we take, view, and share pictures but also the nature and meaning of photographs themselves.
- The importance of understanding good, basic lighting--including natural window lighting--and how light affects the quality and "feel" of images. As Zafarana stresses: "Light creates mood."
- Why to never overlook a photograph's background, and how paying attention to subtle background elements can strengthen and enrich your subject in the foreground.
- Pointers for effective cropping--including why to never crop a picture at the person's knees, elbows, ankles, wrists, or toes.
- The power of the photographer's point of view and its impact on a photograph's focal point. "Every decision about point of view changes the way your viewer will see the photograph," notes Zafarana.
- The rewards of investing the care and developing the consciousness to take great photographs, including finding creative fulfillment and building self-esteem.