Does every image have to have a point? Certainly the great images tell a story or make us think deeply about a subject. But then not every picture is great or has the potential to be great. I like to take pictures because most of all I enjoy it. But for someone looking at my work, they need to be able to see my point. Why did I take that shot? What was it that attracted me to capture the location at that moment?

 

My advice is simple. Forget all those arguments about needing to have vision and take some of the pressure off yourself. Next time you frame up to take a shot, ask yourself one simple question; what has attracted my attention in order that I want to take this shot? Was it the light, the reflection, the colour, the composition? Once you understand that you can create an interesting image.

 

Now the job of the photographer is not to make the audience think "what do they want to show me“. No, it’s to make it obvious to the viewer what you want them to see and you can only do that once you understand why you’re taking the picture.

 

The tools you have at your disposal and by which you must draw the viewers’ attention are the camera, its lenses and more recently Photoshop. Think about how you can make it obvious to the viewer what has attracted your attention. Can you use shallow depth of field, a long lens, a wide angle lens to move in closer on the foreground? Can you arrange the composition differently to emphasise some aspect of the image? All these options and more are open to you. Your role as a photographer is to understand the various tools and then put them to work for you in order to engage the viewer and allow them to understand what has caught your attention. If your audience can share your interest then you have a successful shot.

 

So why this picture? Well it just caught my interest.