Have you ever had one of those dreams where something really, really bad was going to happen to you? Maybe a serial killer was chasing you with a chain saw or some other subtle murdering device. Perhaps you dreamed you were in a room that spontaneously bursts into flames and the door was stuck shut. You try to scream, try with all your might, but nothing comes out. You’ve really got something worth yelling about, you just can’t make a sound.

When it comes to photography that’s the good kind of nightmare. What the heck am I talking about?

Personally, I’d rather have a whole lot to say and have to struggle to try and communicate it, than to sit around yelling nothing at the top of my lungs. I am of the opinion that if you don’t have anything to say it doesn’t matter how loud you yell because it doesn’t mean a thing. If you’ve got nothing to say it doesn’t matter if everyone comes running from miles around to listen. They might as well stuffs their ears full of cotton and ignore you altogether. The outcome is the same. You haven’t communicated anything. In fact, it’s worse if they don’t ignore you because you’ve squandered an opportunity to communicate.

Just what, in my opinion, is yelling in the world of photography? Let me first clarify, I’m not saying yelling is bad. I’m saying yelling without something to yell is bad. Yes, I used the “b” word. I’m that serious about it. Right. So, here is what I would consider yelling photographically:

Great lighting. Yes! Great lighting is bad or rather a waist if you don’t use those skills to communicate an idea.

Beautiful models can be a type of yelling. Hooray! Eye candy!!! Now I’ve got eye cavities! Thanks for nothing!

Cool props. I love cool props. Then again I love the feeling of weightlessness I get when I jump out of an airplane. Just like a parachute opens and keeps me from becoming cat food when I hit the ground, having meaning in your photographs keeps a cat from eating them. Well, you know what I mean.

How about killer composition? Sure, you bet! That’s screaming. Why lead your viewer’s eye around your image if there’s nothing for them to see that means anything?

In fact anything in a photograph that draws a viewer’s attention could be photographic screaming. So if you’re screaming anyway, why not scream something you want to say?

I’m not saying every shot of your neighbor Danny watering his lawn in his underpants has to elicit tears from your audience or inspire a call to action. And I absolutely love that hunger for technical mastery that so often comes with the love of photography. Heck, the better your technical prowess, the more effectively you can communicate your idea. I just think any photograph you take that isn’t intended to communicate is just an exercise, a practice run. If you have set out on the road to master this craft you may want to ask yourself what is your planned destination. Me? I just want to have something of value to say, a way to say it effectively, and someone to listen.

Nice!

Now Shipping: The Nice Clip! - The lens cap clip and cord catcher Wired called, "A super handy little widget!"

Chase Jarvis Portrait Sessions - Inspiration from a Master of Photography
Strobist Lighting Diagrams Photo Tips & Tricks Vol. 1

| Del.icio.us | Technorati | Stumble it! | Digg