I have been checking on social media a lot since this is part of our photographer’s job and seeing thousands of images I started noticing one important thing. They don’t show emotions in photography.
I have also seen dozens of surrealist photography works as well as portraits in unusual locations/styles. I’ve seen a ton of concept art and themed photoshoots. I have seen abstract photography and imperfect photography. What I started to notice is that of course what catches the eye is when there’s something new. Something, not cliche. But after looking more and more at it, these photos were looking more and more alike. The most important common thing in them is that they show an unusual location or concept. A lot of them have a sort of drama and tragedy. But they don’t really convey emotions in photography.
I have been using Pinterest for self-promotion and also to check out more works by other photographers. It’s important to constantly improve our visual libraries since that it one of the ways to learn photography and art as a whole. So I pinned the photographs I thought of as good and some of them are truly inspiring. But more and more I pinned and looked through the feed, less of good works I started to notice.
Nowadays I pin more works that show feelings and emotions. Something that shows the spark of life. And I realised recently that this is a problem with my photography and my photographs.
How does photography express emotion?
Photography as well as other types of visual arts can express any mood and emotion. You don’t need to create an accurate representation of the world if you want to express feelings or emotions. Emotion in photography can be vague so a photograph can be imperfect too but you need to create a photo that will show the mood and resonate with people.
Why is emotion important in photography?
Emotion is that strong subconscious sensation that evokes in everyone. I believe that we photographers can and should use it if we want to create stronger photographs.
Create Emotions In Photography
About 2 years ago I had this idea that if I invite a model and make up a concept or a story, we can create whole new worlds. It’s possible by carefully selecting the locations and background as well as colours.
So you have this story and so what?
It might be quite beautiful but if it’s a photo shoot with a person, does it show the person’s feelings? These cardboard worlds, made using photography medium, can be interesting like fantasy films(some of them are good of course). It can be superficial, or the saying that I so much dislike is “mind-blowing”. But there are films that are touching something deeper. It’s different for everyone but for me, these are “there will be blood”, “the taste of cherry”, “three colours” trilogy and many more.
After photography appeared, painting became more abstract since there was no reason any more to document things by painting them. Photography might also have a transformation too in the near future. But currently, we are mostly documenting the world as it is or making up new worlds/stories and documenting them.
That’s why I think this is important to make this shift towards spirituality and abstract feelings. To create emotion and share that with others. Strong feelings that we can share using as simple too as a camera. For now, being a photographer seems to be very prosaic, there are so many of us but the super overpowering majority, including me, are talking about a pretty way to shoot street photography or similar.
Photographing Emotion and Mood
Of course to capture some feeling you need to know how to do that and this is a super long journey. This is a matter of years of being in this state of mind when you try to see something beyond the routine.
For a couple of past years, I have been thinking that I’m moving in the direction of the mysterious atmosphere of my photographs and this is true. I have developed my style although this style has a dead end. The dead end is that these photographs can be mysterious and only. Maybe at some point, I would push it further but they would stay being a representation of this mystery.
The secret ingredient that they lack is emotions in photography. This sensation that make people keep looking at the photograph. Why would you need a whole new world if it doesn’t make you feel much?
That’s why I don’t like 90% of surrealist photography. It makes your mind wonder what is happening there. But after seeing 200-400 pictures like that you get used to it.
At the same time, I don’t think you can get used to emotions and get bored of them.
This article barely has any pictures since I have nothing to show of that kind. They don’t necessarily show feelings but are attached to them. And when I talk about conveying emotions in photography, I mean the ones that will evoke emotions in many people’s hearts
Why I’m writing all of this?
1st – I’m in this state of mind
2nd – to save your time.
You might have had this idea many times and I don’t think it’s new. All of our ideas are based on something.
But unfortunately I never really had this idea or was not ready for it. And I want to offer to go past this big amount of work when you try to get a stunning shot of a street on long exposure with light tracks from the cars straight to photographing the essence of life. Photographing emotions in photography. It’s hundreds of times harder than photographing buildings or landscapes although these can be a part of something bigger.
But when taking a camera in your hands and especially if you feel inspired try to listen to your feelings. Make a few sketches and try to show those feelings. It can be abstract, it can be a self-portrait or a shot with a crazy angle, series. Anything.
Create Emotion In Photography
Dive deeper than you ever did in that abstract and meditative way. Show emotion in your photography. And if you manage to do that, please share some pictures with me too. Not for my blog’s sake, I would like to see them. I’m pretty sure deeper feelings are unimaginably powerful and beautiful and cost a lot more than these photographic rules about which I’m talking on and on in this blog.
If you are at the beginning of your photographic journey you can learn photography by checking out this blog post:
Top 10 Ways To Improve Photography Skills. Learn Photography Faster
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