For our September Challenge, we invite you to be inspired by our September featured speaker, Karen Waller. In her presentation "Echoes in Time and Nature", she explored transience,
the passage of time, fragility and vulnerability in her photographic subjects. These qualities create mystery or a story to emotionally engage a viewer. She looks to reveal the unobserved in nature, landscapes and everyday surroundings. She uses creative techniques such as multiple exposure and intentional camera movement as well as artistic processing to accentuate what she observes, adding emotional impact to her images.
Our September challenge is to create nature photos that engage our viewers with an emotional connection to the subject or scene. When out shooting, allow yourself to emotionally engage with your work. Observe and shoot with childlike wonder. Strive to create story and mystery.
To begin, be an observer. Notice what you are emotionally responding to that inspires you to shoot. Allow yourself to engage with your subject and the surroundings and consider how you can communicate the experience to others. Then consider the following and how it can help you share what you are feeling.
Light:
Flat lighting is unimaginative and lacks emotional impact. Directional light will enhance your subject with contrast in highlights and shadow. Light helps to communicate the emotion of the experience. Take advantage or the color that comes with early morning or late evening light. There are so many options with light that will make your images stand out. Shadows introduce mystery. Consider if side light, rim light or backlight best convey your story.
Weather:
A beautiful clear day produces flat light. There are days of gorgeous blue sky that are irresistible to photographers. But changing skies add color and drama that create emotional weight and may result in a more impactful photograph. Take advantage of mist or fog or an incoming storm.
Composition:
Your intention is to take your image from a snapshot to a photograph with impact. Be truly mindful of your subject and the story you want to convey. What about this subject has attracted you? Does it have more impact with the inclusion of an environmental background or as a tight full frame shot? Are there distractions in the frame that can be eliminated by changing your position or angle? Will the viewer’s eye be led to the most important features of the scene? Keep these considerations in mind in the field.
Animals:
When photographing wildlife, there are ways to strengthen your story and a viewer’s emotional response. Eyes are an essential element for connection. Do your best to get on eye level with the subject. Connecting with the eyes will result in a sense of intimacy. Look for catch light in the eyes. You may need to change your position or angle to get it. Catch light gives the eyes, and the subject life.
Watch for gestures that strengthen your story. Gestures as subtle as a change in head position or reactive movements to the environment reveal clues to your subjects life experience.
Get Creative:
Multiple exposures and creative blur are fantastic tools for making impactful images. Consider Karen Wallers images that take advantage of these techniques. They reveal the subjects in unique ways that can stir the emotions of the viewer. Detail is lost but a new way of seeing is discovered. These techniques can add mystery or let the viewer experience motion or gesture in a unique way.