Surprise piques attention. When there is something out of the ordinary in our environment, we need to notice. It might be danger or food. Something bad or something good. Living beings respond to stimulus.
Surprise stimulates so it’s natural that something surprising, something unexpected often makes a great photo. It grabs our attention and will likely grab a viewer’s attention.
But how do you photograph the unexpected, the surprising? The only thing you can do it to be aware and ready. That’s how we are when we are on the hunt for a photo. We have our camera turned on, lens cap off, metered, ready to go and we are paying attention.
Although unlikely to be enlightening, it can be a state of mildly heightened awareness that we can practice often.