By Melissa Cartew

For one to really understand the essence of photography, you have to understand the purpose of photography. What is the point? Photography is all about capturing memorable moments so that they remain forever with us. With that, you have to capture every emotion, the joy, the sadness, and the excitement. Just like in the photo above. You can really see the joy and fun. It is possible even to picture yourself as the elephant. This should be every photographer’s goal, connect with your audience and let them live in the moment and, even for a microsecond, and you will have achieved the purpose.

Photography is Art

As a professional photographer, I sometimes tend to get lost in the technicality of photography. Is light perfect? Is the focus right? All these are questions that automatically come to mind. But here’s something we tend to forget, does this photo speak to me? Does it resonate with me? Is it memorable? Paying attention to the technical detail is crucial, but one cannot afford to get lost in the technicality. We must remember the essence of photography and ask ourselves, how does photography connect us with our audience. Photography is art. You get to tell a story, to capture your audience and give some sort of escape from the hectic world. Sometimes there’s nothing more relaxing than getting lost in a picture. You want your audience to look at a picture and instantly be in that moment you captured, not merely see it, but be in it. You want them to forget everything else but the story you are narrating. This is the essence of photography, and the surest way to ensure you are connecting with your audience. This brings us to the first point.

Tell a Story

Here’s an interesting fact, before we knew movies as we now know them, they were called moving pictures. A moving picture, so the movies we see today are an evolution from a simple photograph. They got the unfair advantage of getting to act out their story, speaking it, one we don’t have. That one moment a photographer captures has to tell the whole story. It has to capture your audience’s attention, emotion and imagination. Connect photography with every aspect of human nature.

Rediscover the Thrill

Do you remember when you first took your first photograph? The sheer thrill of seeing your work come to life, the satisfaction in knowing you had created something immortal, was enough. This was maybe back when you were a student and had to hire a custom writing paper service to help you with your work and allow you to dedicate some more time to photography. Even as you grow as a professional photographer, it is imperative to remember that initial thrill and try to preserve it. It is what makes us love our work. Loving your work is key to creating photographs that enable you to connect with your audience. Once you have a personal connection with your subject, it translates to your audience. Because it is an art, every emotion you put into a photograph can be felt by the audience, so make it worthwhile.

Immortality

As I said before, taking a photograph is all about creating immortality. That subject or moment you capture will remain in existence forever, so to speak. Knowing the power in that might push you to do a better job. Every photograph has a consequence. You either end up looking at a great photo for the rest of your life or a cringe-worthy photo. We wouldn’t want that, would we now?

Conclusion

Photography in its self is beautiful. It is an art. It gives you the power to preserve memories of great moments, be it of nature or our loved ones. You are able to create immortality in moments. Having this in mind above all the technicalities involved will help you to put value in photographs and let all the emotions translate to your audience. With this in mind, it is imperative to tell the story as it is, captures it in all its glory, then you will have a great photo. You will be able to make an emotional connection with your audience and make every moment memorable.

Melissa Cartew Bio

Melissa Cartew is a photography enthusiast and freelance writer. She has a Master’s degree in Economics and currently is deepening her knowledge in IT. Melissa’s hobbies beyond writing include traveling, street photography, and fashion.