I guess what I’m trying to accomplish with this blog is to get people to start thinking about how to convey emotion in their work and not just to document things. I think that takes some understanding of composition, and when to go with the rules, and when to break them. Everyone now has the capability to get great photos with all the amazing cameras that are available, but it still takes some “thought” about what you are doing and why. With just a little knowledge and thought though a huge difference can be made.

As to being open and compassionate–I’m wide open. Life has taken me down some rough roads that have taught me how to feel, how to have empathy and compassion for people, and an intense desire to be real. More than anything really in life I want my life to be an open book for people to see and know I can relate to what they’re going through and care about them. I hope as you said that somehow that gets conveyed in my photos. Not sure I’m anywhere close to that happening, but it would be great if it did some day.

Thanks again for your comments Kelly,
Tim

It’s all a matter of perspective really. Ansel Adams did just black and white. His work is significant in the sense that it moved a lot of people. But it moved a lot of people because a lot of people saw it…

If I take some of his individual works. They seem to me to be very reproducible. I’m not being so arrogant as to say that *I* am as good as Ansel Adams but maybe I’m being something because what I am saying is MANY people are as good and/or better than Ansel Adams.

Now that I’ve spent the last year actually taking shots of nature (I used to just take photos of events, people and motorcycles )…I can really see how easy it is to get something moving.

…anywho onto the topics you mentioned…

I think the best way to invoke and emotional response through a photo…is to look for the emotion in the subject. Spend your time when you are not behind the lens observing people, watching how they interact and respond to different things/people in the world.

Be open and compassionate in life and you’ll be able to easily capture it in art.

Peace,
Kelly

I have a Canon 5D Mark II. But these post are more about composition than equipment and how best to invoke an emotional response with our photographs.

I would be very interested in your thoughts about how you put emotion in your photos. Nice work by the way.

Thanks for your comments,
Tim

Okay…I’m loving your photos BUT…really four or five great shots out of a thousand?? You can do better than that!

What kind of camera do you use?

And that Ansel Adams quote is irrelevant in the digital world.

I’ve taken 12 *significant* photos in the last month.

http://kelly.halldorson.com/blog/?p=795
http://kelly.halldorson.com/blog/?p=723

Peace,
Kelly

Thanks for the complement.
Tim

I was shooting a concert for a friend – and a guy (who is disabled) was there with his dog… he told me he didn’t have any good pictures of his dog – or him with his dog. Dog was on the floor – so I lay down and started snapping away… got some great shots of her. Also took some of them together – then took him several prints for him and his family at the next concert in the series.