Why Did I Take This Photograph?

I have come to believe that a way to help improve my photography is to ask myself the question, why did I take this photograph?

Sometimes, the answer to this question is easy to see.

It might be the way the light is falling on the subject...

It might be that the subject itself is interesting...

It might be weather conditions that we don't see often...

Or it might be that the scene tells a story...

Sometimes, I am simply drawn to the aesthetics of the scene or subject and want to take a photograph...

But there are occasions when the answer to the question is not so straight forward. There may not be an obvious reason why I took the photograph and it is in trying to understand why I did that I learn something about myself as a photographer.

Why did I take this photograph?

I noticed these bins on the pavement near my home as I was walking my dog. I was struck by the three red bins, which are unusual in my neighbourhood, but I didn't take the picture initially. The next morning I saw that they were still there, and still drawing my attention, so I took the photo. I wouldn't normally photograph bins but it was the colour, the way they were placed together between two red lights, and the fact that there were three of them, adhering to the 'rule of thirds', that drew my attention, and I thought, why not?

In this image the number three also features. I also like the matching orange jackets, the different levels and the light and shadow adding depth to the image. I think it also tells a story - preparations for summer in a tourist town.

This is an image taken with my phone camera on a morning walk. I liked the way the light was casting a bright spot on the wall in contrast to the darker areas. I decided to wait for a figure to walk into the light. It might be a cliché photo to most people but I get great pleasure from managing to capture this kind of image.

One of the things I like about wandering along streets in cities and towns is that you just don't know what people will do. This man was walking along, doing nothing in particular, when he suddenly stopped and looked up, By doing this I thought he added interest and intrigue to the scene so I wanted to capture the image, deliberately not including what it was he had seen.

In this image, although the men are overlapping each other as they walk, their shadows are separate. I think the addition of the shadows adds an extra dimension to the photo.

I like the way the light was hitting the building and how the contrasting light and shadow make the geometrical shapes stand out.

These are a few examples of ways to start understanding your motivations for taking different photographs, which can potentially enhance your photography skills.

Ask yourself often,

Why did I take this photograph?