Introducing EDP

Inside Salisbury Cathedral - a place that always stirs my emotions

So, I think I'd like to coin a phrase. How does one go about this I wonder? 

In the olden days, I suspect that a man would travel through the streets calling, "Bring out your phrases!". 

Whereas now, I probably have to pop the phrase in a handy prepaid envelope to a company in Dartford who will weigh it and offer me an undervalued rate of return. They will then melt the phrase down and reassemble the words into something more useful.

But anyway...

In today's wonderful world of the internet, there are a billion and one (no wait, I just refreshed my computer and it's a billion and two now) articles giving technical advice on how to take a good photograph.

Of course, having a sound understanding of the basic principles of photography, including exposure, composition and how your camera works, is a vital foundation. As is true for pretty much any endeavour you want to become good at.

But when it comes to actually taking photographs, you kind of need to forget all of that. Not flush it from your mind completely, causing you to become all stupid (where for example, you try to eat your camera) but just pushed to your subconscious so it's not actively at the forefront of your thought process. It needs to become second nature.

When you're actually in the field taking your pictures, analysis can get in the way of your enjoyment and more importantly, great pictures. Magical opportunities can be missed because you're umming and arring about a technical point whilst there's that split second break in the clouds offering the perfect illumination of the landscape.

So, what I've found myself doing when I get the pictures that I'm most satisfied with, is to let my emotions drive my photography. 

And that's my phrase *COINING SOUND* - "Emotion Driven Photography (tm)". Let's be really funky and call it EDP.

When you encounter a scene that really moves you, I guarantee that it will also stir others and make a great picture. Technical competence doesn't equate to technical perfection, so get the shot, however you can. Whilst not encouraging sloppiness, post processing can fix many flaws in your technique if needs be, the key is to capture that emotional trigger.

My experience is that my heart will skip and I may even gasp quietly when I see something that, for want of a phrase that describes the indescribable, touches my soul. A sunrise, amazing architecture, a child jumping in a puddle, newborn fluffy things, an abandoned but characteristic building - all of these and anything else can connect deeply with us.

When you're out taking photographs, try and listen out for this inner feeling. When you notice it start to tingle like Spiderman's Spidey Sense (which turned out just to be a bad case of pins and needles in his case), you know that a good picture is around here somewhere.

The more you get used to paying attention to the dance of your heart, the more finely tuned your senses will become at detecting the potential for beautiful pictures. Sometimes it will scream out at you! But it can also be very subtle. What it always is, is very enjoyable, nourishing something deep within.

Visiting places that resonate with you is always a good idea. I love old churches and cathedrals and living in Salisbury, feel very lucky to have one of the finest examples of gothic architecture on my doorstep (just past the milk bottles and old Betterware catalogue). It really does take my breath away, no matter how many times I visit.

So my tip for today is to let your photography become a more intuitive process, driven by your emotions, rather than instruction manuals.