Creating Photographs That Elicit Responses
Since the term was first coined way back during the Roaring Twenties (silent film actress Clara Bow was the original “It Girl”), the “it” factor has been synonymous with a unique, intangible star quality.
Might the “it” factor also apply to photographs? Sure; why not?
Photographically speaking, I suppose we could also refer to it as the "wow" factor.
A compelling image has its own je ne sais quoi: an intangible, captivating quality. It communicates something. It evokes an emotion. A mood. It makes you want to take another look. Perhaps it leaves room for viewer participation by not revealing the whole story.
Compelling images aren't simply record shots: they're about something.
Creating a photo that will elicit a response begins with what and how the photographer is feeling when making the photo. If you’re uninspired or impassive when releasing the shutter, it’ll be nearly impossible make an impactful image. You have to feel something first before you can expect someone else to react to the image. There needs to be a connection between you and the subject.
Okay then, let's assume you're not just going through the motions. Something caught your eye. Something interesting made you want to grab the camera.
What exactly drew you to the scene? What made you stop and say (or think) WOW? What made you want to photograph it? What emotion, mood or story do you see? The answers to these questions will guide you to create a strong photograph.
Both lighting and weather conditions play pivotal roles in terms of creating mood: so do compositional elements like leading lines, color, patterns, negative space, balance, and subject placement.
How you arrange the composition guides the viewer's eyes through the frame and influences how they'll react to it.
Different shutter speeds, the angle from which you shoot, what you choose to eliminate from the frame, and how you process the image are additional tools you can use to set an emotional tone and create a more impactful photograph.
If successful, the image you create will communicate something. There may be a narrative shift between photographer and viewer – meaning the story you were trying to tell or the emotion you were feeling could be different than what the viewer perceives – but that’s part of the magic. Everyone experiences the world through their own lens.
The point is, you made a connection.
"Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field."
~Peter Adams
Case Study: Capturing a Monsoon over the Teton Range
This is an example of using weather conditions, lens choice, and processing to tell a story and convey a feeling. This photograph feels ominous - in a spectacularly showy kind of a way. Watching this monsoonal energy advance into Jackson Hole was arresting.
The irony is that there had been no rain in the forecast on that day. Planning to do some astrophotography later, I arrived in Grand Teton National Park early for some final preparation ahead of the shoot. By mid-afternoon, cumulonimbus clouds began forming in the south valley. After watching them for a while, it became obvious the night sky was going to be a no-go - but this monsoon looked like it might be a doozy!
Given the speed the clouds were now moving, I had to pivot quickly. I knew I needed to put more distance between me and the mountains in order to depict the scale of what was going on overhead. Antelope Flats was the first thing that came to mind since I wasn't too far away from there. Using a wider angle lens enabled me to include everything I wanted in the frame. While this rendered the Tetons a little bit smaller, it underscored the enormity of these cumulonimbus formations and the relative sizes of each.
Processing in black and white enhanced the menacing sky.
This is not at all what I anticipated shooting on that day, obviously. Luck was a big factor. I just happened to be there when this happened. My knowledge of the park was helpful, since I had very little time to put myself into a position to capture the leading edge of the storm.