To Give Meaning to your Photos, Define the Message You Want to Convey

Landscape of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia in black and white.

The 2 Ways at Your Disposal to Give Meaning to Your Photos

To give meaning to your photographs, it is simple. You have two choices:

Either you tell a story.
Either you create aesthetic images.

To tell a story, you must make a strong photo, a collection, or a series. A story is always symbolic. Its meaning is evoked through your photos.

For your story to appeal to an audience, you must have experienced it. Above all, it must be personal. It will allow the viewer to freeze your image or images in his memory. The story and the photos will become inseparable.

The different elements that you can use to tell a story are:

Emotions.
Feelings.
Messages.

I will not detail these points in this article because they are relevant enough for you to understand them. In addition, each of them will be the subject of articles in the coming weeks.

In my opinion, choosing one of these three elements to give meaning to your photographs is a guarantee of success.

Remember that a story must be alive, short, and easily understandable. It can also be the subject of a few written lines that will accompany your photographic achievements.

You can also choose not to tell a story but to take aesthetic photographs. This is a great solution for giving meaning to your photos.

Aesthetic photographs often have a very strong impact. They are not easy to build.

I recommend the method used in ACANP, which consists of assembling photographic elements.

An aesthetic photograph allows the viewer to escape, dream, imagine, and dive into introspection within his own universe.

When he finds and contemplates an aesthetic photo, the viewer creates his own story. You do not create it for him, rather you support his imagination. While he looks at your photo, he gains elements that can be used to invent his own story.

In this way, you impart meaning without creating the story. You simply accomplish this by harmoniously organizing photographic elements.

The 3 Steps to Create Meaningful Photographs

Whether it is a single, a collection, or a series, the method is always the same. Regardless of the number of photographs you may take, the steps are chronological

Step 1: Find a Reason for Taking Photos

In my opinion, this is the most important step. If you do not have a great reason to take your photos, you cannot give meaning to them.

Flattering your ego by wanting to post uninteresting photos of you or your trip on social media makes absolutely no sense. You are wasting your time.

Indeed, many photographers act in this way. They think that posting photos where they brag about their lives may interest others. This is a monumental mistake. No one is interested in self-centered images of pride.

The human being revolves around himself. If someone chooses to look at a photo, it is most likely to learn something that may help him.

It is boring to see the photos of a photographer who only works to flatter his own ego.

Before starting a photo project, I record all my ideas in a special notebook. I list all the points I would like to address. This exhaustive list helps me to define the precise objectives of my project as well as my goals.

Listing my reasons for a project is like planning for an essay, a dissertation, or an oral presentation. It guides me throughout my project. Of course, it is not set in stone. This plan may change depending on the shooting conditions, nevertheless, the main outline remains.

Step 2: Define the Message Delivered in Your Photos

The previous step leads you to a synopsis of your story. Once you have listed all the points that you want to develop in your photo project, you now need to define the message that you want to deliver.

This message should be in one sentence. It is a condensed summary of what you wish to do. It is the same approach you take when finding an answer to the question of why you practice photography.

This message will become a mantra throughout the life of your project. You should always think about it so as not to get lost on different creative paths. The creative paths that you take only serve to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself.

In my professional life, I meet dozens of photographers who show me their photos. When I ask them what message they want to deliver, they are unable to give me an answer. It is not that I want to put them in default, but I cannot see a clear message in what they show me. Most of them, however, share their projects carried out by passion and desire, but lack purpose because they did not think about the message. This is bad.

Step 3: Build Your Photographs to Better Deliver Your Message

Once you know why you want to create a photo, a collection, or a series, and once you have precisely defined your message, you must write photographically.

You will use the photographic language to assemble the various photographic elements for your message.

On the field, you must scrupulously analyze your scene by looking for strong elements and by avoiding disturbing elements. I advise you to use the technique of photographic elements that I describe in my ACANP method. This method allows you to compose and frame your image better so that your photographic message is clear, predicted, and direct.

Never forget that a simple change from a photographic point of view can completely transform the nature of the message delivered. As I described previously, the choice of your elements will condition the way your express your emotions, translate your feelings, transmit your messages, and even illuminate that which you find beautiful in this world.

Finally

If you want to give meaning to your photographs, you must complete these important steps before you begin your project.

You have to be very methodical. If you choose improvisation in the field, you are unlikely to be heard and understood.

My 3-step method will allow you to create interesting photos that make sense.

3 Steps for Giving Meaning to Your Photos in 3 Steps

You have most likely heard the expression "giving meaning to your photos" in magazines, exhibitions, or photo blogs.

But what exactly does this expression mean? More and more, I feel that it takes the form of a restriction or requirement.

In this article, I will explain my opinion about the importance of instilling meaning into your photos, and how to accomplish this.

Snowy landscape of Yellowstone during winter.

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Definition of the Expression ‘Giving Meaning’

I have found many definitions of the expression ‘giving meaning’. It is used in many contexts.

For this article, I have chosen the following definition:

Giving meaning is a direction, a certainty that what we are experiencing has a purpose.

For me, this definition explains that making sense of something is enough to find the way to starting. This is exactly what I am going to show you.

The Application to Photography

If I apply this definition of “giving meaning to photography” I have found that it reveals the direction for choosing to shoot.

Your photo projects must have meaning. You should not create your images out of envy, but out of passion, which I have described in a previous article discussing the photographic state of mind.

You may ask me, “Why should I give meaning to my photos? What is the point?” Your questions are legitimate. I also asked myself these crucial questions many years ago. I found that the answer can be approached along two different axes.

Giving Meaning to Your Photos Is Important for You as a Photographer

The first tip for finding a purpose for your photos is to be yourself. As a photographer, you have a unique role to play.

By giving meaning to your images, you will improve their quality.

By seeking for that meaning, you will develop your own photographic language. You will express yourself better. You will also learn to better master the semiology of your photographs.

In short, you will learn how to build your photographs in a more interesting way. You will develop an authentic methodology. With this method, you will no longer waste time in the field during your sessions. You will return to the basics: create interesting photos.

Personally, this is part of an adventure that I lived several years ago when I created my ACANP method.

I wanted to give meaning to my photographs. I wanted them to become timeless artistic works. So, I created an experience-based research framework to situate myself. I wanted to organize my creative approach and have time to better create and express myself.

Ultimately, my research led to the creation of ACANP, which I now use in all my professional activity. It is also what I teach during my nature photo workshops.

Giving meaning to my photographs has allowed me to progress in my field and to become more creative.

Giving meaning to your photographs will allow you, as a photographer, to develop empathetic qualities towards your audience and the world around you. By trying to make sense of what you create, you will better understand the expectations of others and thus better respond to them as best you can. You will become empathetic. This is what happened to me!

Giving Meaning to Your Photos is Important for Your Audience

One reason to always search for meaning in your photographs, concerns the audience, or viewers, of your achieved images.

Giving meaning creates a unique emotional connection with the people who view your images.

You create an invisible connection with the mind of the viewers. They will listen to you. They will understand you.

Giving meaning to your images stimulates the imagination and provokes emotion in viewers.

Several scenarios are then possible:

The viewer may ask questions about the nature of your photos..
The photo may be clear, allowing the viewer to find through the evoked symbolism a way to translate his own questions that he cannot express.
The photo may hold a long-lost answer to a question that the viewer has been asking.

In all cases, your photographs either ask questions or give answers, allowing your audience to escape.

The 3 Ways to Create Photographs that Make Sense

There are three ways you can take with meaningful photos. I did not rank them in order of difficulty. They are all difficult to implement because they each have advantages and disadvantages.

The first mean is through single photography. You create a single photograph which is sufficient in itself. It tells a story. It is strong, powerful, and suggestive. The scene photographed speaks for itself. You do not need to add a subtitle nor give explanations. To succeed in this type of image, you must photograph a strong event. You must be tenacious, opportunistic, and above all, incredibly lucky.
The second mean is the collection. You create a few photos that put together a simple and easy-to-read story. All images must be consistent in artistic style and photographic construction. I generally recommend a maximum of 6, 9, or 12 photos. Remember that the assembled formats must be the same. The viewer must have a coherent overview. Do not create dissonance in your presentation.
The third mean is the series. In this scenario, you group different collections within the same theme. The story you tell has several chapters. You may have multiple entries in one series. There is no need to be consistent in framing. The style must tell a story. There should be no confusion, for example, perhaps refrain from mixing black and white with color within a series. The aim of the series is to tell a long story though the photos that the viewer can interrupt or read it in its entirety.