Photography, by its very nature, is not just about reproducing what the photographer sees but about expressing our inner thoughts. When I journey through the natural world, my interactions with the places and wild animals I witness have stirred so many emotions in my heart. As a photographer, then, the challenge is not simply to capture an image; it is to accept these emotions and capture them visually.
This process is not always easy. How is it possible to translate your emotions into a tangible medium, a photograph? It was never intuitive to me at first, and so it became a matter of simply spending more time in nature doing photography. With time and practice came a framework, and later, a series of logical steps that can be taken during one’s journey as a photographer to take more meaningful photographs. I will share those steps with you today.
Table of Contents
1. See with the Heart
This is the first and most important step toward taking meaningful photos. See with the heart.
My photography is based on a fundamental and unequivocal premise: I only shoot what I love, what I consider intrinsically beautiful, and above all, what elicits an authentic emotional response in me. It is not about seeking the “perfect photograph,” nor is it merely a technical act, but rather a profound recognition, almost a calling.
Whether it’s the tenderness of a bird, the imposing antlers of a deer, the intensity of a big cat’s gaze, the resilience of a creature thriving in harsh conditions – or even the environment itself, the landscape without animals – every subject must resonate with an inner chord of yours.
It is a filter, of sorts – a selective approach that leads you toward certain subjects in the first place. As photographers, if we do not love our subjects, how can we expect to spend so much time observing and then photographing them? Listen to what your heart says about the things in front of your lens. For me, photography is like the act of paying homage. Rather than documenting, I wish to celebrate the beauty of the subjects I love and that inspire me.
Once a subject and a situation catch my attention and my heart, the process shifts to a deeper analysis. I observe the animal, the scene, and its environment. I pay particular attention to how the scene makes me feel. Often, if I have the time, I close my eyes to get a moment of darkness to focus more on my sentiment and emotions. The goal is to process what I have physically seen and what I have emotionally felt in my heart.
With my eyes closed, the question I ask myself is simple but powerful: “What did I truly see?”
When I open my eyes again, I see with much greater clarity – not just the subject, but also the graphic components of the scene, such as lines, shapes, colors, and textures. And along with that, distractions. Can I eliminate these superfluous details from the composition? It becomes clear what the essence of the photo should be, what is truly meaningful.
2. Decide What You Want to Communicate
The next step of this intuitive process is to ask yourself questions about your intent with the photo. This is how you transform emotion into images.
Do I want to convey the tension of a predator lying in wait, the maternal love of a mother for her young, the harshness of a challenging environment, or simply the inherent beauty of the subject? Or perhaps the spectacularity and dynamism of a moment of action: an instant of flight, a wild run, or a predation moment?
Composition is the tool to craft your visual narrative, the story that strengthens the image. All coherent elements should be concentrated, and all incoherent ones excluded. As much as possible, the whole image should combine to tell your story: the subject, its pose, interactions with secondary subjects and the background, the environment, the timing of the shot, and, of course, the light.
3. Begin with a Visual Sketch
But it’s not that simple. In practice, I rarely achieve that perfect alignment between idea and result on the first attempt. So, the practical phase begins. It is an iterative process of intuition and mistakes, exploring different angles, framings, and perspectives, or simply waiting for the right moment when the subject looks in the desired direction.
In most every art form, there is something known as a rough draft or a sketch. I believe that photographers would have more success by embracing this concept. For almost all of my photos, there are the first attempts – sometimes not even captured but only scrutinized through the viewfinder – which I call “visual sketches.”
These visual sketches are trials and experiments. They only have a kernel of the meaningful image I am trying to capture. However, that’s enough. I sift through my sketches, gradually spotting elements that are strong, worth trying to include in the final image. Sometimes these are purely accidental: a surprising detail, a burst of movement, a catchlight in the eye.
And, with equal honesty, I know that these visual sketches are full of weaknesses: an imbalanced composition, a missed expression, or a distracting element. By recognizing these distractions in the sketches, I learn what to avoid in later compositions.
I don’t want to sound too lofty, but it’s somewhat akin to how a painter creates preparatory sketches before applying color to canvas or how a sculptor shapes clay before carving marble. If it’s natural for those artists to go through a series of drafts and studies, why shouldn’t it be the same for photographers?
4. Optimize Iteratively
This is the final step, where you take the photo. It began with the subject you saw with your heart, became the concept you chose to communicate, and soon materialized into sketches that informed you how the image should look.
Now, you take what you learned from the sketches and begin to capture photos that bring all the desired elements together. The photos still may not be perfect, especially at first. So, it is a process of learning and refinement.
Take a photo, consider it, and improve upon it. Was the subject not ideally positioned? Was the background too present and “cluttered”? Is the depth of field correct? Is the light right? Would it better from a lower point of view? Do I need a different weather?
Take another photo that improves upon one or more of these things, and then repeat the process. Consider it again. Think about what can be improved. Do your best to improve it, then reconsider again, and so on.
It’s not the individual trials that matter, but that they are improving. Every attempt, mistake, or imperfection brings you closer to the desired vision.
This process is easiest if the subject isn’t very shy, even if it is “common.” It allows you to move around while experimenting, and gradually refine the image toward your ideal. Rare and fleeting subjects may not offer you very much time, making it difficult to do visual sketches or iterative optimization.
However, that only makes these steps more valuable when your subject does allow for them. By using this iterative approach more often, you will become faster at it, and it will be more intuitive. Then, when you come across rarer and more challenging subjects, you will be fast enough to capture the desired image more often.
Conclusion
Following these steps is the most successful way I have found to create meaningful photos. And yet, a meaningful photograph remains a difficult result to achieve, at least for me. This is a reality I’ve learned to embrace.
When results are hard to come by, it’s important to recognize that you are following a path where not all elements are always under control. There will likely be another opportunity, even another day, or a new way of approaching the problem. And even if no successful photo results, then you have still expanded your eye, your heart. The next time that you practice photography, you will take this experience with you.
Photography is an intimate journey, the intersection of observing the external world and exploring your inner landscape. The goal is never the overall number of shots taken during each outing, but rather the path toward images of quality and impact.
It doesn’t matter if, at the end of the day, there are only a few photos to be taken – or, on unfortunate days, none at all. It doesn’t matter if numerous attempts are needed. What matters is that you spent time seeing, taking photos, and attempting to capture the essence of the subject. That is how you truly capture meaningful photos.
I hope this article on my way of understanding, portraying, and ultimately loving the subject I photograph can be helpful and inspiring for your next outing dedicated to your favorite subject. Feel free to leave a comment if you found it interesting or have any questions for me.
