Dear friend,
I think what we should aim for in our photos is to evoke a feeling— a mood. What is on our minds. How we feel.
How can you make photos the mood of your soul?
1. Photograph what you feel
I feel the way you can better show your mood and soul through your photographs is to photograph how you feel.
If you feel moody and depressed, photograph with that emotion. Look for others who look solitary, alone, and depressed. Perhaps shoot with in high-contrast monochrome to reflect your dark feelings.
If you are feeling elated, and life is looking kodachrome-rosy for you, shoot with soft pastel colors, and look for natural shapes that uplift you.
2. Every photograph you make is a self-portrait
You want to make photos which show your soul. Every photo you make is a self-portrait of yourself. Of how you feel. Of how you see the world.
3. Make your photos more subjective
Don’t seek objectivity in your photography. Make your photos as subjective and about you as possible.
There is no ultimate truth in photography. Only your opinion and perspective of the world.
Only show in your viewfinder or frame what you want to show. Subtract everything else.
4. Stir the hearts of your viewers
A photograph that doesn’t stir the hearts, emotions, or soul of your viewer is dead.
The first test I have to myself before uploading a photograph is that I look at my own photos, and I think to myself:
Do I feel anything in my heart when I look at this image?
Also as a tip, I recommend looking at your photos as small thumbnails. If a photograph as a small thumbnail can stir your emotions, it is probably a strong image.
5. Photography is self-therapy
One of the best ways I’ve dealt with pain, suffering, and death is to photograph it. For me, photographing death was like self-therapy.
Even street photography was a chance for me to overcome my personal fears in life.
Not only that, but street photography gave me an excuse to go on walks. To air out my mind. To relieve stress, anxiety, and frustration in my personal life.
I think photography is the ultimate self-therapy tool. If photography isn’t decreasing stress, frustration, and sadness in your life— what is it good for?
6. Photograph what you feel, and feel what you photograph
Ultimately, photograph with your entire being; your entire soul.
Feel what you photograph. And photograph what you feel.
Always,
Eric