Aperture and attention
Compare two photographs of a nearby subject with the focus point unchanged. Look at the background separation and the transition from sharpness to softness, rather than assuming that the widest aperture is always preferable.
Shutter and movement
Study whether a moving subject becomes a shape, a trail, or a frozen gesture. The useful question is how that treatment supports the picture, not simply whether movement has disappeared.
Read the whole image
Describe a photograph in one sentence without naming the equipment. If the sentence is difficult to write, simplify the composition and make another frame with a clearer relationship between the elements.