As the second year of our fight with coronavirus started, many of us are in great need of some joy and experiencing some positive emotions. As a photographer, I am not only my happiest when I capture landscapes and life around me, but also, when I can immerse in someone else’s story in a photograph. The second is possible only when the magical ingredient of a good picture, the mood, is present. Conveying the mood is a difficult task, but choosing wisely the subject matter and using the right tools of storytelling, we can capture viewers’ imagination and influence image interpretation.
One of the photographs that takes me to a happy place and makes me feel total connection with the winter landscape, is ‘Hibernation’ by Alex Noriega. Softness and peace of a winter day invites me to embark on a visual journey and at the same time, brings memories from countless joyful days spent on the Austrian slopes. I love everything about this photograph, pristine snow that lends a tranquil mood to this scene, elegant trees struggling under the weight of snow, as well as folds and curves in the snow leading the eye into the image.
It is not always easy to show what scenes ‘feel like’, not ‘look like’, but precise composition, careful exclusion of distracting elements and waiting for perfect light help to achieve the memorable look. So, whatever you photograph, before you press the shutter, decide what is the predominant emotion you feel and plan to convey in your image. When you know it, composition will follow naturally.
Beata Moore
Discover. Experience. Create
