To Create Interesting Photos, Master the Photographic Writing
Tip #16: Master the Photographic Writing
Mastering and knowing the language of photography is not enough. You must know how to organize the symbols of the writing between them: this is the object of photographic writing.
Language is the function of an expression of thought and communication. It is implemented through writing.
Photographic language takes into account :
- Aesthetics.
- Technique.
- Audience.
For example, if you create abstract photos that have a deep meaning for you but show them to people who only like figurative language, you may use the signs of writing and photographic language correctly, but you will not be understood. You have to be careful with photographic semantics.
Photographic language helps you to compose your photos with the signs of photographic writing in order to be better understood by an audience.
The language of photography allows you to discuss, exchange and share with other people. It is an exchange between two distinct entities.
You need to master it to make your photos audible and understandable.
I have written and published a complete article on photographic language.
Tip #17: Define your Elevator Pitch
For me, the elevator pitch is an essential element for a photographer.
The elevator pitch is a short text that you will write and learn by heart.
It should take you less than 30 seconds to recite it. It will define your photographic activity.
Imagine that you meet a person who asks about your photography. You are in an elevator. You have 30 seconds to make them understand and get their attention.
You need to tell a short, compelling story so that you connect them to your photographic activity.
Your photographic elevator pitch must attract your interviewer. It must be driven by your passion.
Only a few photographers think about the elevator pitch.
Often you hear a few poorly prepared and inconsistent sentences.
The photographic elevator pitch is an excellent tool to guide you on the path to photographic creativity. It is different from your photographic why, which expresses the deep reasons why you chose photography for yourself. Your elevator pitch should make a statement that helps you to be different.
It is a clear, concise, and convincing argument that explains your photographic activity.
Take some time to write it down and learn it by heart. You will be surprised by the results.
You will not be shy anymore. You will notice that you feel empowered to dare to defend your cause and your photo activity.
Tip #18: Know How to Analyze Photos
Analyzing a photo consists in breaking it down into its various elements and then studying their relationships.
The aim is to detect the emotional meaning, the message transmitted or to bring out the aesthetic qualities.
For you, it is an essential act if you want to make your photos interesting to other people. You need to know how to analyze other people's photos, as well as your own.
Analyzing a photo is an objective act. Analyzing a photo is not judging it. If you know how to analyze photos correctly, you will develop and accentuate your personal qualities.
You will better define your artistic tastes. You will improve your photographic process. You will better limit your creativity. You will also better understand why you like some pictures and not others.
This is an essential step for you. If you want to know more about an analysis method I developed, I recommend this article I published.
Tip #19: Learn to Judge Photos
Judging a photo is giving your opinion. You will communicate your appreciation of your photos or those of others.
Judging can be an objective or subjective act. There are different ways to judge a photo. Each of them has its own evaluation grid.
Judging photos is an essential act for you. It is as natural as breathing. Being able to judge your photos allows you to know what your photos look like or are different from those of others.
It means understanding you better. If you know how to judge photos well, you will know how to criticize them better. Indeed, criticism is a consequence of judgment. You will refine your view of the way you construct your own photos.
I recommend that you always use the same evaluation grid to be consistent and coherent in your judgments. Knowing how to judge will allow you to become less intransigent and more indulgent. You will open new creative doors and explore new paths of inspiration.
If you want to know more about photographic judgment and evaluation grids, I recommend this article I published.
Tip #20: Develop Your Photographic Intentionality
Photographic intentionality is created when you make a psychological connection between your photographic awareness and a photographic goal to achieve.
For example, if you want to shoot landscapes differently from other photographers and it remains an idea without action, you will never succeed in doing it.
On the other hand, if you have this idea in your head and start acting on it, then it will germinate, and you will encounter results with interesting photographs. You will have established a psychological link between a photographic goal to achieve and your photographic consciousness that tells you to be different. This is photographic intentionality. You have set up a virtual path that will allow you to make photographs.
Believe me, it is not as easy as it sounds. How many times have we all had ideas, but because we did not act, they remained without any concrete effect. It is a particularly important concept to succeed in standing out, in becoming audible, in creating different pictures.
In a previous article, I explained this concept of photographic intentionality. I invite you to read it.
Tip #21: Learn to Develop Your Photos
Photographers who think that it is not necessary and not useful to develop photos taken in the field are wrong.
Today, cameras have reached such a technical quality; photographers have reached such a technical mastery, that if you put 20 photographers in the same shooting situation, you will have a good chance to get 20 almost identical pictures of the scene.
Photo development with software and a computer is the only way to create different photos that look like you.
It is during this crucial step that you will modify your photo to bring the elements that qualify you. I am talking about white balance, cropping, contrast, brightness, highlights, textures, details, etc.
It is by learning to develop your photos that you will assert your photographic signature. You will reinforce your photographic approach.
Developing a photo is easy for those who know how to do so. Often in 30 or 45 minutes, it is possible to create a true artistic photo that will show our interpretation of the scene we have tried to capture.
But to achieve this result, you have to learn a lot and practice a lot. It will take a lot of time to achieve a satisfactory result. But it is the only way to create different photos that are interesting and audible. Developing photos allows us to not look like other photographers.
Finally
I hope these 21 tips for making your photos different and interesting will help you strengthen your photographic approach.
I apply these 21 tips every day in my activity as a professional photographer. I have listed them for you to help you progress.
These are tips that will give you tangible results for making different photos.
In my opinion, the most important thing is to create a strong photographic why and a clear photographic approach. These two elements are the basis for meaningful photography. Do not hesitate to spend time to define them, learn them by heart and to apply them every time you shoot in the field.
Be humble, patient, constant, persevering, and persistent because the road to excellence is long.
