The Power Of Emotional Photography (What do your images say about you?)
What does this image say about my character?
When you make an image, it says something about you
No two people will make exactly the same image. Your choice of content and composition, your decisions on editing and colour palette all reflect back on the way you see the subject and the way you want to portray it. But they also reflect back on your character and the person you are. You may be saying more about yourself than you realise.
This was clearly demonstrated during a conversation I had some time ago. I was examining my work in more detail. As part of this, I had asked various people to comment on some of my images and to say what they thought these images said about me. Unknown to me, one person who kindly agreed to do this was a Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioner. NLP is all about understanding the state of a person through both verbal and non-verbal communication. So, for an NLP practitioner, a photograph can be very effective at communicating how the photographer was thinking at the time they took it.
The images that I had made were all bleak, monochrome, mountain landscapes. Although we had never spoken before, the NLP practitioner told me a lot about my character. This wasn’t just about my mood and my frame of mind when I made the image. He deduced all this from the images I had shown him. He was absolutely correct in everything he said about me. It was quite shocking to learn what I had unwittingly revealed about myself in these images.
It also underlined to me that we make images for a reason. We may not be aware of this when we start to create but we are always saying something, even if it is sub-consciously.
Now I try and understand the “why” of my images
It is important to say that I may not always know the “why” when I capture an image or start work on a project. Often, I am drawn to make a particular image, even though I do not understand why. I may subsequently be drawn to make other, similar images. A body of work has been started.
However, if I am to be successful with this body of work it is also important to start thinking about the “why” if it wasn’t immediately obvious. What is my project about? What am I trying to say? What do the images say about me? To me, the “why” is more important than the “what” or the “how”.
I find this process more organic and more satisfying than setting out on a pre-determined path. I rarely set out to make images with a goal in mind, unless I am reaching the end of a project. I find it more interesting to let images and project find me.
Here’s an example of finding my “why”
Long before Covid, we took a holiday in Gran Canaria. I hadn’t planned to make any serious photographic work out there: it was a time for rest and relaxation. But I became fascinated at what was behind the tourist façade of the island. I started seeing the graffiti by the motorway, the rear entrances to shops, the sign of decay and the signage that pointed to something other than a perfect tourist experience.
Naturally, I started making images of these subjects. They spoke to me. The images started to form themselves into a body of work. There was a “why” behind the project.
And what do images like that say about me? I will leave you to form your own opinions about that! (But do feel free to send me a message with your thoughts if you would like!)
What do your images say about you?
Even if you are not making bodies of work or creating projects, have a look at some of your favourite images. Choose the ones that really speak to you, rather than the ones that are the best technically. Spend a little time looking at them. Why did you make the composition and editing decisions that you did? What was the driver behind wanting to capture that particular image? What does the image and the decisions say about you?
If you are feeling brave, ask some trusted individuals what they think your images say and what they reveal about you. This exercise can be more worthwhile if you avoid asking friends and family and ask people who do not know you so well. Just beware if any of them are NLP practitioners!
I recently showed some images to a friend of mind
She is not a photographer but wanted to see what I’d been making recently. I told her about my Dead Flowers In Vases project. And I showed her an abstract icescape in a vibrant blue and red. She immediately exclaimed that the red looked like blood. Then she asked when I was seeing a therapist.
The therapist comment was (I hope!) made in jest. But, actually, photography is my therapy. That is why I have written the following on the home page of my website: “I use photography to express emotions that I cannot communicate in other ways. My images are not about the subject in front of the lens. They are about the person behind the lens.”