Taking More Meaningful Photographs

I honestly think that photography, at it’s very core, is meant to be personal.
And SO OFTEN we leave that personal part out of our photos! So I am
hoping that by sharing these few simple tips, you’ll start thinking about
how to make your photos more meaningful. AND GUESS WHAT—you don’t
have to have a “fancy” camera to do any of these things!

1. Be observant! Ask yourself some questions: What is it about your life
that makes you happy? What is it about your children that you notice when
they aren’t aware you are looking that you wish you could CAPTURE
forever? What is it around you that amazes you and inspires you?

So what does this look like? For me, I am inspired by all the little bits of
nature that are all around us all the time. You know—the little things that
you only notice if you are looking down or that you might not pay attention
to as you walk by while getting the mail or taking out the trash. I love
finding and capturing those little bits of nature! I’m also inspired by the
passion that my 3 year-old has for his trucks. That is something that I
WANT to capture NOW because it won’t last forever. I also want him to
look back and remember that about himself. I also am inspired by
relationships and feelings! If you take time to consider these things
BEFORE you take the photo, your photographs will almost instantly be
better and SO MUCH more meaningful to you!

2. Tell the Story! If you really boil down the purpose for photography the
answer you’ll end up with is that it is meant to tell a story. Stories have
settings and characters and details. So when you are trying to tell a story
with your camera—start with those things!! The setting might be your
child’s bedroom or your grandmother’s home. The characters are obvious
—they are the people that you are photographing!! The details are the little
pieces that you only see when you are looking closely. But they are HUGE
in telling the story because they are the things you’ll forget the fastest if
you don’t capture them!

3. Be authentic! If you get stuck ONLY taking certain photos because
you have seen others take them or it seems like it is the “right” photo to
take and if you don’t take it you’ll be sent to photographer prison, then you
are only capturing the same story that everyone else tells and not the
photos or the story that is authentic to YOU! This is SO easy to do with the
internet and the ease of posting our digital photographs! I still find myself
caught up in this sometimes!! Don’t worry if the photo is “award winning”
or if it is “professional-looking.” Think more about, “Is this me?” “Does
this tell my story?” “Does this make me happy?” Those are the photos that
will be priceless to you! And, yes, sometimes it may mean taking the photo
in front of the Mickey Mouse ears at the entrance to Disneyland and
sometimes it might not!!

We all want better photos and I know that I sometimes get caught up in
worrying about camera settings and if my photo will be technically “right.”
But really, I have come to the conclusion that those things are important,
but NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE!