As I look through the viewfinder and line up my shot, there are three things that cross my mind. Subject, Framing and Lighting.

Subject

The first thing that crosses my mind as soon as I look through the lens is, "Is my subject interesting?" This is the very most important part of a photo no matter how fancy the lighting is or how great of a photoshop you did. If your subject is boring, the photo is boring.

Take the photo above as an example. It has multiple interesting subjects all working together. The main subject is the obvious bright red popcorn cart sitting in the foreground of the photo. Then you transition the the background of the photo and notice the iconic scale model of the famous Matterhorn. Then your eye wanders through the frame, and you notice the location of the environment they are placed in, and you recognize it is Disneyland.

Framing

After I identify and verify my subject as interesting, the next thing I look at is framing. It's very important to me that all of the subject is within the frame and that all my lines are straight. The last thing you want is to take a photo and have all the buildings look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The photo above showcases the struggle of getting those lines just right. Getting those lines just right can take quite a bit of task when you are out running around. Luckily, sometimes the editing process can save your butt and help you straighten those lines by cropping and rotating.

Lighting

Last, but certainly not least, is lighting. Lighting is easily the most complex thing on this list; you'd be surprised what all effects the light you see around you. Outside you don't get much control over where the sun is positioned or how each shadow is cast but the key is the recognize the sweet spots. Light can really set the mood of your photo because it is all where all of the color your see comes from.

Reference the photo above to see how the sun casts a beautiful, warm, golden light on the hillside but leaves the ice-cold glacier in the shadows. But because of its bright color, it shines through just to catch and draw in your eye.

These things alone don't just make up a photo, but with these three things in mind, photos can have an unlimited amount of potential.