I have to start somewhere…
It sometimes starts with an idea, an image that I have seen, a place that I have heard good things about, a technical process I want to try out. 
It sometimes starts with just a feeling, a place that I visit in hope that the variables will come together. 
It sometimes starts with my travels and hobbies taking me to the right place at the right time. 

I have to look and move and wait…
What can I see, what can’t I see, what don’t I want to see, what do I want to see more of?
What if I move a couple of paces to the right, higher or lower, closer or farther away, what is behind me?
What if I came back at sunset, at sunrise, in winter, at night on a full moon?

I have to visualize…
What will this look like when I contain it in a rectangular box?
What can I do to make this different, more light, less light, people, how to get my camera in a different place?
What will I do to this when I’m back at the digital darkroom?

Then I can take out the camera…
F-stops, shutter speeds, iso, lighting, lenses, strobes, front/rear sync, exposure compensation, exposure bracketing, depth of field, hyperfocal distances and mirror lockups run through my mind.

Then I can press the shutter…