Fleeting expressions and picking the moment

Taking a photograph that tells a story requires patience, knowing what you want to say and then picking the right moment.

I noticed this lady selling jewelry on the market. She was chatting to customers and showing them her merchandise but nobody bought anything.

She was aware of me taking pictures and didn't mind. I kept an eye on her and picked the moment that I thought told the story of her day on the market.

There are still many businesses struggling with the recession and people have certainly tightened up their budgets, even on items like market jewelry.

I decided to upload this image to illustrate how waiting patiently and picking the right moment can produce an image that communicates the story.

A few seconds later her expression changed and the brave sales face was back on again.

Sometimes photographers take a lot of images in the hope of getting one good one. Seems too hit and miss to me. The real key to getting that good image is figuring out what needs to happen in front of your lens to tell the story. Then with patience and timing you can photograph the moment, a split second that nails it.

Till soon,

Paul

www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Comments

The Story Behind the Stories in My Photography

Thank you for taking the time to explore my work. Photography, to me, is a meditative act—an opportunity to be fully present and notice the smallest details. The interplay of colour and light, the textures and shapes, the shift of an expression, a gesture — these subtle moments bring me pure joy. They are why I love storytelling and creating visual poetry. Every image in my portfolio is born from a moment of connection or curiosity. Whether I’m in a bustling city street, a quiet room, or a remote location, I aim to create photographs that resonate with empathy. Take "The Cyclists," for example—what appears to be a simple scene of people pedalling along the pier transforms into a visual symphony of movement and stillness, the hurried energy balanced by the serene focus of the riders. This interplay between action and calm often draws me in. I’m drawn to capturing the essence of a person—their inner world, not just their outward appearance. My approach often dances between the...

Overcoming creative block and self doubt

Every photographer, for that matter every creative, I've ever met comes to a point when they're not happy with the work they're producing. The pendulum between creative highs and dry spells swings continuously. For some the cycle is long and the bouts are quite mild for others the feeling of doubt about their work can be a crushing experience which returns all to frequently. It's actually quite healthy to have these periods of doubt because it can often be the beginning of something new and interesting which takes you further than you thought possible. Creatives in the commercial world have to always perform and although they may agree looking back that they've had a few patches where their work was less good, they always seem to bounce back. A very few creative geniuses deliver such high quality work that their poorest attempts still surpass the rest of us. But I have never heard of anyone, from tortured soul of Van Gogh to the supreme showman and genius, Salvador ...

What You Photograph Reveals How You Think

Photography is often described as a way of seeing. Less often do we talk about it as a way of thinking. What you choose to photograph, and just as importantly what you ignore, quietly mirrors how your mind works. Some photographers are drawn to faces, micro-expressions, emotional spikes. Others chase atmosphere, light, mood. Then there are those who gravitate towards structure, systems, order, the invisible logic holding a scene together. None of this is accidental. The camera becomes a sorting tool. It reveals what your brain prioritises. Where others see chaos, you might see alignment. Where some look for drama, you look for balance. Geometry, repetition, flow, layers, these aren’t just visual preferences, they’re cognitive ones. Strong graphic images tend to come from people who think spatially. Who notice how things relate before they notice what they mean. Lines before labels. Structure before story. And yet, the best images rarely stop there. They gain depth when human pres...

Beyond the obvious

Search This Blog