What Your Photos Teach You
Your photos teach you a great deal. They teach you what it is you know, what you don’t and who you are.
Clearly I’m referring to much more than your camera skills or your knowledge of composition.
Your camera is both a window to the world around you and also a mirror that reflects your world view and your life’s experiences.
Your photos are time capsules that tell the story of the places, events and people you’ve met along your journey.
But your photos also document the world in line with your own, unique perspective and artistic vision.
They could not have been made by anyone else.
They are your photos.
That’s what makes them unique.
What Are Your Photos About?
Dusk is, perhaps, my favorite time of day. I made this photo from the edge of the magnificent Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland with the very last light of the day.
I just loved the contrast between the last rays of warm light caressing the mountain top with the cool bluish hues throughout the rest of the scene.
In fact this photo is far more about color, in particular the color of the light, than it is about mountains, ice and water.
Family and icebergs at the incredible Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in southern Iceland.
What’s Your Unique Selling Proposition?
If ever you find yourself pondering over what your photos are about you might first consider what they explore.
While you might have a landscape photography portfolio, it may be that your best photos depict weather.
Likewise, if you’re a portrait photographer it’s important to understand whether you simply photograph people (e.g., weddings, family portraits, child photography) or explore the Human Condition through the documentation of life’s major events.
The concept of a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), while it comes to us from the world of marketing, should neither be feared nor scorned by the photographer.
And I think that’s true whether you consider yourself to be an artist, enthusiast or professional photographer. Of course these days many of us a probably a mix of all three.
USP is simply a tool that helps us better determine our own creative path by differentiating ourselves from other photographers.
By all means give it another name if it reminds you too much of an 8am to 8pm corporate existence. It’s not the name that’s important, it’s how the process can help you on your own creative path.
It’s probably helpful, before we can work out why it is we do what we do, to first understand what it is we create that’s, somehow, different to other folk in our field of endeavor.
Beauty of dusk showcased in this reflection of an iceberg on Jökulsárlón.
How to Photography Beauty at Dusk
The secret to making the photos in this post is, quite literally, to be there. And I don’t just mean showing up and being ready to make photos at the right time of day.
I mean being in the right frame of mind to do so and being receptive to changes in light that are occurring at the edges of the day.
“To make great photos you have to be there, both physically and emotionally.”
You can’t make a great sunrise photo while you’re chasing sleep under the covers. On my first visit to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon I made sure I stayed there as long as I needed to for the light.
For the vast majority of our world’s population getting to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon will involve travel, time and fairly significant cost. But once there you’ll want to do the following:
Explore the location to find interesting subject matter and good vantage points.
Wait for the light while connecting, emotionally, with the landscape.
Be accepting and open to opportunities created by the vagaries of weather.
In my case I arrived not long before dusk and continued to photograph, both from the shoreline and while on a midnight zodiac cruise, way into the wee hours of the morning.
Bluish hues on a highly detailed iceberg on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
Accepting Discomfort For Your Art
What hardships and levels of discomfort are you prepared to accept for your art?
It’s an important question and one that I believe is central to your own, personal photographer’s USP.
Photographing Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon was great fun and a major highlight of my first trip to Iceland, during which time I drove around the entire island.
Why then would I be overly worried about missing dinner?
If you were to calculate the amount of dinners most of us are likely to have during our lifetime, compared to the amount of times (i.e., zero to one for most folks) we’re likely to visit Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, such decisions should be a no brainer.
The fact is that many folks are not prepared to put up with discomfort in the pursuit of creating great photos.
However, discomfort is a key factor that, all to often, separates the successful landscape photographer from the snap shooter.
And I think that’s also true for photojournalists, sports and wedding photographers alike.
Perhaps your own, personal Unique Selling Proposition doesn’t have to be mentioned out loud. Just keep it to yourself, but understand that it’s one of your strengths that separates you from your competition and makes the photos you create unique.
You’re prepared to go the extra mile
Like me you put up with inclement weather to make great photos
You know that missing a meal is really no big deal in the great scheme of things
Of course with proper tuition and practice anyone can produce really good photos, most of the time.
But having the world’s most expensive camera won’t make those photos for you. Believe me I’ve met plenty of folk who have gone down that path. It’s one of the reasons why the second hand Leica market remains so strong.
After all I could have the most expensive car in the world, but that wouldn’t make me a better driver.
You need to know how to use the camera you have and, if you want to make really great travel photos, you should practice using your camera in the kind of situations you’ll likely find yourself when traveling.
But it’s important to keep things in perspective and to know when to draw the line between fun and plain hard work, particularly when you’re on holidays. Right?
If you dream about visiting Iceland, and you’re interested in seeing more of this island nations spectacular beauty, feel free to journey through my Iceland Photography Collection.
And do give some thought to looking at your best work and determining what those photos tell you about yourself.
Once you’ve identified the positive attributes and strengths in your own photos you’ll be able to identify them in yourself.
That can only help to reinforce your motivation to continue down your creative path by taking more photos that align with your own, unique world view.
