Still Photography can be the easiest thing in the world to do, and also the hardest. Anyone can pick up a camera, start shooting and get instant results. The hard part is making those pictures count in a sea of [literally] millions. The interwebs are flooded with photo sharing sites that swell more each day with mostly mediocrity. And although it only takes a fraction of a second to take a photograph, it might be infinitely more difficult to get good results than it does with motion pictures. With movies, there is a linear process involved in the consumption of the piece. Wheather you’re watching a 4 hour sword & sandal epic film or a 30 second short, there are much more stimuli to engage you. There are at least 24 frames per second in movies (that’s already 720 individual pictures). Add to that music, dialogue, and special effects. The film maker has much more time to hook and reel you in. With photographs, you get one shot to say something meaningful. Pardon the pun.
One of the most difficult intangibles to add to one’s photography is the conveying of feeling. Many of us are technically proficient and we can compose well, but its ultimately some form of emotion that makes our photographs resonate with people. Have you ever considered that the mood you’re in while shooting directly affects the quality of your photos? Do you find yourself in slumps, shooting only bland photos for periods of time? It happens to all of us from time to time. As with any other discipline, there are periods of less than satisfactory results.
An article in Digital Photography School addresses these setbacks and provides an interesting perspective on how to produce photographs with extra “wow” or “aww” or whatever you like to exclaim. Give it a read for yourself.
Also see Shutterfinger’s recent article on how to get yourself out of a photographic rut: