Beyond the obvious

The happy brewer As promised in my previous post, Appreciating Photographs , I am going to try to offer an insight into why I think an image 'works'. The photograph above is from my latest photo story on the Mad Brewers of Belgium (De Dolle Brouwers). You can read the actual story on my website and see a large slide show with the rest of the images. The brewer, Kris Herteleer, looks happily on at the latest batch of beer cooling in the large copper basin. Steam rises from the hot beer creating atmosphere. The brewery machinery is visible in the background. For me the way he is holding the edge of the basin, leaning forward and especially that happy smile says it all. The image stands on its own but when seen in the context of the full photo-story it gets an added dimension. It is also a very important image to the story as it show's Kris' sense of accomplishment.  De Dolle Brouwers have to work hard to make a success of their small traditional brewery in a very c...

To tell a story visually is difficult as any picture editor knows. You have to grab attention, communicate the essence of the story in an image and engage people so they follow through and read the article. There's the old saying that a 'picture is worth a thousand words' and it keeps being used because it's true. Getting people to pay attention relies on three elements working together - picture, caption and headline. Two of the three most important elements relate directly to photography. Pictures sell magazines, newspapers and website content. Unfortunately editorial departments are under siege, often drained of human resources, budgets and under increasing pressure to take the 'safe' creative option as editors fight to keep the wolf from the door. There are many exceptions and numerous editors who will take risks and put their necks on the line to support good photography – thank goodness. Most editors are just trying to maintain the status quo. This is n...