Create More Artistic Photographs

By FPL_SheriS

There’s nothing like unusual events that prompt us to pull out our cameras and record a snippet of life. But have you noticed how different photos of the same event can be? One may capture the emotion and chaos, and another may highlight the stillness of a single participant. Photographic art is wide and varied. These photos each tell their own story and move us in ways that great stories do.

Have you ever thought you would like to create your own photographic art? Deciding what you want to convey can help you with framing a photograph before you start to click. Some questions to think about before you start on a project are:

What mood are you trying to capture? Lighting and shadow in photographs help convey moods and emotions.

What image will best tell the story you want to share? This guides what you will focus on and what you will avoid while snapping those photos.

Do you want the focus to be sharp and detailed or soft and blurry? These features send messages without words to those who are viewing the image.

Are you wanting to document and capture everything, or do you want to capture the essence of having been there? This influences how you approach taking photos. If you want everything, you would look at the event from all angles and take as many photographs as possible, especially of key players. If you are looking to capture the essence of the event, you might watch and listen, and after experiencing the event for a time choose an image to focus on and take multiple shots of this one image over time.

Knowing what you want to convey is important, but practice is even more important. The difference from an every day to a once in a lifetime photograph comes from learning and practicing photographic techniques.

Resources to inspire and guide you on your own photographic journey:

The Art of Travel Photography, opens a new window

Doug's Gym, opens a new window

Embracing Cuba, opens a new window

Humans , opens a new window

Photography 101 LinkedIn Learning online course, opens a new window
Hint: Sign into LinkedIn Learning, opens a new window before clicking the link to Photography 101.
Secrets of Better Photography, opens a new window by Beverly Richards Schulz on Gale Courses