Ready, Set, Frown - Shooting For Emotional Response
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a photographer that always told his subjects, “Smile big for the camera.” The problem with this fairytale is that not everyone smiles all the time. Let’s say for example you said that; to someone at a family reunion you happen to be covering, and then you find out that person just lost her spouse of 53 years. Would that still be appropriate? When you cover events; your job as the photographer is not just to cover what everybody expects, but to cover what they feel as well.
Sure, you can take pictures of the joy of victory, but don’t forget about the agony of defeat. We are human after all. Our faces often express doubt, fear, courage, surprise, boredom, excitement and more. A baby takes his or her first couple steps and then falls; there is a brief moment where you can tell that child is trying to decide if they want to cry or not. Is it a picture perfect portrait? No. Is it a picture worth having? Yes.
Some of mans greatest moments come in the moment of overcoming something else. Sports, drama, playing, dancing, morning, building, and exercising are all very real to those participating in those things at the moment. Each will bring up different emotions, each will show different expressions. Rarely do these everyday things involve a big cheesy ear to ear grin. Don’t get me wrong, smiles are great, but they are not the only things worth photographing.
We are not all photojournalist. We don’t always see the fireman caring the three-year old little girl out of the burning building. But on the other hand; what if we were? …or better yet, what if we just pretend. A photojournalist has to answer five different questions. Who? What? When? Where? And Why? If you’ve ever done much writing you have probably heard these before. But the difference between a writer and a photographer is that the photographer has to show his or her answers. What would happen to your work if you had to show your answers to these questions for every shot you took? If you could use no words, and your photo had to speak for itself, what would it say?
If every photographer thought of his or her work as having to tell a story, our photos would be much more focused. (No pun intended.) Every element in the shot needs to have a purpose. (You must have balance.) Just like telling a story, there are good guys and bad guys (You must have opposition.) It is often hard to tell just how good, or brave, or strong a person is unless you also see what they had to over come. (You must have dominance.) A family photo album that only shows smiles is a book
If you shoot children for example, shoot the learning process. Baby’s first steps, riding a bicycle, learning to swim, learning to climb, or how to slide down a slide for the first time. These things will bring a smile to your face, if you can remember the fears, and doubts that you overcame at the time you went through it. Taking pictures that others can relate to, is not always the same as taking a standard portrait. But if you want to be remembered as a photographer, your work has to touch the hearts of the viewer, not just the eyes. Give them something to think about. Tell them a story they will never forget. The key to being a great photographer is to tell a great story. Great stories use the full range of emotions to get you involved. Can any great photographer be expected to do less?
This Article Written By: Tedric A. Garrison Cedar City, Utah
Tedric Garrison has done photography for over 30 years. In college; Tedric was
an Art Major, and firmly believes that “Creativity can be taught.” Today; as a
writer and photographer he shares his wealth of knowledge with the world, at: http://www.betterphototips.com
Tags: balance, dominance, Hints, photo, photography, Pictures, tips