It’s often said that every picture tells a story but often we forget this.

On my recent trip to Switzerland we stopped off for lunch in the small village of Poschiavo. This is a small village that’s very pretty. The old part of the town is particularly pretty and on a sunny day like when I visited, it’s easy to appreciate the location.

On this particular day we wondered round the narrow streets but as it was approaching 12:00, we decided to sit down for some lunch. We could have eaten at a few restaurants which were all busily serving the many tourists but we decided instead to sit on the steps at the rear of the church in the town square. The church was just as you would have expected in a small village and was calling out to me to photograph it. I tried a few angles and lenses but had to admit that every image was looking contrived. The effect of the wide angle was taking over the image and detracting from the simplicity of the church. This wasn’t a towering grand cathedral; it was a small village church.

I decided to step back and ask myself what it was that I liked about the church. It was old but had been lovingly maintained by the locals and was in excellent condition. It had a simple charm that was attractive so I decided to focus in on the details of the church and the buildings around it. This image of a cross painted (yes it’s painted) on the plaster walls of an old building caught my attention. For me it summed up the care and love the locals placed on maintaining their village.

Now this image tells a story and conveys a message. Yes individuals might make their own interpretations but it’s clear what the picture is about. This is something that many photographers seem to be forgetting at present. I look at many magazines where the images have what I would call manufactured impact due to the techniques used but they don’t carry a message.

As photographers we need to spend time understanding why we are taking a picture and how we can convey this to our audience as effectively as possible. Don’t rely on gimmicks, techniques or post processing if you want to create great images. Instead work on understanding your own reasons for shooting a photograph and how you can share this with others. Make your message simple and easy to understand and people will love your work.