One of the things that make each one of us human is the ability to feel and be affected by emotions. Happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, elation, joy, despair and many others can be reflected in our communications with each other. And the same as how we confront each other with emotions, images can reflect emotions too.
This form of emotional communications can be as direct as images of facial expressions and how each person mirrors the face which he or she sees. Family members and people we know in pictures are usually one of the first we can relate to. So, to see a photograph of a happy scene in the past will make us laugh. Some of these emotions are locked as memories when we reflect back but the photographs are keys to unlocking these past emotions.
Even when strangers see certain portraits, they can relate to the feelings that are portrayed in the shots. Happiness is the foremost emotion and one that everyone wants to be seen as feeling. This is why we always smile when we are asked to take a photo of ourselves.
Windows to our Soul
Emotional photographs open up the windows to our souls. Each of us do not feel exactly the same way at any one time and we may react differently to different situations. So, when looking at a photograph, we tend to open up and are less apprehensive in expressing our emotions.
Emotional Scenes
Our emotions can also be affected by scenes, even ones without faces of people directly portraying facial expressions. This sometimes has to do with how we compose our pictures.
Soft wide panoramic landscape shots of a green fields and blue skies can portray a calm and peaceful feeling.
In contrast a vertical shot of a sunset with amber skies presents drama and leave your viewer with a feeling of wonder.
Or take for example a scene of an old dilapidated house taken in dim lighting. This would result in a feeling of nervousness and fear?
Relate your pictures with the right scenes and mood
If you are taking shots of your children playing around, you can further emphasise the feelings of happy and joy if you make sure that the entire scene is bright, clutter free, and colourful. This key element together puts your active children in the right backdrop for the shot.
If are taking a picture of an old lady in an empty room, scenes of cheerfulness and joy will simply not be suitable to present the purpose of your shot, if it is to capture the gloomy state of the old lady. You can do this by composing the old lady sitting by the window of the room on her own. This portrays the feeling of loneliness and sadness. She could even be looking out of the window giving the viewer the assumption that she is awaiting for a glimmer of hope.
Mixing Contrasting Moods for Impact
Although I mentioned previously that you should consider putting the subject of your picture against the right backdrop to present a certain emotions within your picture, there are times you may consider taking a creative approach and mixing different emotional elements in your picture to create powerful and impactful images.
It’s just like mixing contrasting colours together in the same picture. The two different tones of colours will stand out starkly different against each. In this sense, you could be putting an element that may seem out of place with the rest of the mood in the picture, therefore isolating your subject from its background.
For example like in a picture of a busy street, everyone seems to be moving along as normal and nothing out of the ordinary, but then a beggar being the only one sitting down and in a poor desperate state gives the viewer a feeling of disparity and sadness.
Learn from Paintings
In photography, we create images just like how a painting is created, except that it’s many, many more times faster. However, we can apply the same train of thoughts just as how a painter would think about the emotions derived from his painting.
This means to look deeply at the meaning of your shots and what you wish to portray from the final shots. The next time you shoot with emotions in consideration remember to take note of:
- Colours – bright, dull, monotonous or mixed, colours are a direct play on how we feel about a picture
- Background – the background of your picture tells a story about your subject and creates an emotional bond between the viewer, your subject and the background itself
- Composition – clean, cluttered or minimalist, you can affect feeling of confusion, emptiness, relaxation or even excitement.
- The occasion – is it a birthday party, a farewell, a holiday? Take note of the occasion in which you are taking the pictures and think about the picture story you want to create from your pictures
by sharpshooter
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