There are many other things you could use for your subject other than people. This will evoke particular emotions within the viewer, helping you to tell your visual story. You may think that you can’t capture emotion with inanimate objects, but you can certainly create mood and atmosphere with any kind of subject. How about asking your subject to close their eyes? This can create a mood of natural tranquility in your photo and a little sense of mystery. It just needs to look natural.ĭon’t be afraid to try something different. That said, a close-up shot where the subject is looking directly into the lens can be very powerful and create a strong connection with the viewer. Photographing your subject while they’re looking away from the camera, letting them decide what facial expression to use, often results in a more natural feel to the image. Try using props so they have something to focus on, making them feel less self-conscious.Īlways anticipate what may happen next so that you’re ready with your camera to capture a moment that shows the true personality of your subject, or an expression that will evoke a certain emotion in the viewer. Have them move around and try many different poses and positions. Try to convey your creative vision to them so they can imagine and portray the emotion. Most people get cheesy or shy when they get in front of the camera, so it’s best to first of all make your subject feel very comfortable. Interact and make conversation with your subject, or make them laugh, in order to help them feel more at ease and draw out their true feelings and emotions. But this doesn’t have to mean that you capture them in a standard pose with a fake smile on their face.

Sometimes you’ll be photographing a specific person and you’ll want them to pose for you. Obviously, you’re not always going to be shooting candid portrait photography. Photographing people discretely as they go about their everyday lives can result in the most fantastic images that convey a whole range of different emotions. They’re more likely to have the most natural smile, show real excitement, or perhaps quiet thoughtfulness in these situations.Īlternatively, try your hand at candid street photography. That way you’ll capture their true emotions in your pictures. Photograph your family or friends engaged in their own environment without drawing attention to the camera. So try taking candid shots of people, where the person isn’t aware that you’re taking their picture.

Photographing people doing something they love, or going about their daily lives, is often the best way to convey their personality to the viewer.

It can come across as fake and unnatural, and it’s unlikely to evoke much feeling in the viewer. When we take photos of people, we often get them to pose, look into the camera, smile and “say cheese.” But this isn’t usually the best way to capture the true emotion and personality of your subject. All of these things contribute to the story that you’re attempting to tell. People naturally convey different moods and emotions by their facial expression, body language, and even their hair style and clothing. Photographing people is the obvious choice for creating emotion and feeling in a picture. So let’s take a look at nine ways to create more meaningful iPhone photos that connect with the viewer because of the mood that you’ve created. Your feelings may not match exactly to my descriptions, but I hope that they all make you feel something! But in general, there are certain things that help to create certain moods in your photos. Knowing how to use them is always going to help you to create more atmospheric and engaging pictures.Īs you’re reading through this article, take some time to really look at each picture and think about how you feel and what kind of emotions they evoke. Of course, feelings and emotion are subjective, and each of us may feel differently when we look at a particular image. In this tutorial you’ll discover how to use light, location, weather, colors, movement, subject matter and composition to create extraordinary iPhone photos that connect with the viewer, evoking emotion and feeling that help tell the story you want to convey. If a photo tells a story and tugs at the heartstrings, it’s successful. A really great image is one that conveys a mood and pulls the viewer into the scene. One of the most powerful, yet difficult, elements to master in photography is capturing emotion and feeling.

Faces showing different moods