You have heard the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Of course you also know that some pictures are hardly worth looking at, so that would be more like one word; yuch. Here is one of the most important factors that makes a great photograph. Hint, it's not your camera.
F-8 and Be There. Back in the heyday day of newspapers, the editor would tell the photographer where to go to get the shot they needed. The cameraman would set his 4x5 Graflex camera at f-8, pre-focus the lens at 8 to 11 feet and install a flash bulb. When he made the exposure at that distance, it was framed, in focus and properly exposed. Today, the cameras have advanced exponentially, but you still have to be there, on time.
The photographer has to be at the right place at the right time in order to capture the best photograph. It doesn't matter if it is a drone aerial, a wedding portrait, a sunset, a celebrity or one of my signature twilight elevations. If you are not at the right place at the right time, you could miss the critical event and fail to capture the money shot. So the number one thing that makes a great photograph is preparation. You need to know where to be, at what time and then be prepared with the necessary equipment to get the job done. Instead of film and flashbulbs, you will need every devise you use to be properly set up and charged. You will need to know where to meet, what time is best based on weather and the sun position, and then allow for sufficient set up time prior to the event.
That way when you click the shutter, it was not luck that allowed you captured your shot at the best time and place.
Univ of Delaware STAR Tower aerial elevation at dusk