Be a Better Photographer by Using Your Heart

My previous post, How to Get Great Photos of Your Favorite Plants, was heavy on the practical and a little thin on the emotional. As a photographer with a strong background in art history, I understand that great work is not just great technique. It is an artistic vision that begins in the heart. Mastery of technique is certainly required to communicate one's vision, but it is this vision thing that is the subject of this article.

My thesis is that strong feelings make for strong photographs. When the photographer is closely connected on an emotional level, it shines through in the work somehow. Maybe it is that little bit of extra time or extra effort that makes a difference. What drives this extra effort is an emotional attachment to the subject and the revelation of it to viewers who sense that bond.

Yes it's all kinda mystical and new-age-y. Even silly. But an emotional attachment is there on some level and that's what we want to tap into when we are trying to get great photos in the garden or landscape.

You've been out there in the perfect stillness of a dewy morning, been rushing out when the sky clears after a thunderstorm to look for the rainbow, been struck by the radiance of a sunset. And you have said "That would make a great picture." But what you have been feeling is "This is a great, emotionally-charged moment."

So what to do? Be present. Be there fully in the moment, with no distraction. Pay attention completely to your little rectangle of the world as you frame and focus. Your connection to your subject needs to be unwavering. There must be a clarity of vision that reveals truth.

If you only see a bunch of plants or spots of color, you are not there yet. Get closer or farther, get behind, in front or to the side, but work your way around your subject until you can feel it there with you. Hey, you've taken the time and effort to get outside and start photographing - why not bring everything you have to the enterprise? Make emotion a part of your technique - all it takes is concentration, connection and clarity.