We all react to artworks based on our own experience and tastes.
This is also true of course for photography.
As photographers we need to react both rationally and emotionally, and here’s why
Some time ago I had a discussion with a couple to take their pre-wedding photos. The bride to be, very organised, showed me dozens of photos she liked from magazine cuts, and when I asked her about what kind of photos she had in mind for her husband she said there’s a photo she really liked, and proceeded to show me photo of Brad Pitt…
It made me smile, you see there was nothing special about that photo she showed me, it was just mostly a passport style headshot of the actor against a white background. The thing is, she didn’t really like that photo, she liked Brad Pitt, and I do too…
But what I realised here, is that most people don’t really think rationally and just react emotionally with photographs, and yes truly photographs should talk to you on an emotional level but as photographers we should also look at them rationally in order to understand and therefore being able to criticise and then improve on them.
I perfectly understood her point of view as a client and my job was to make sure that she would love the photos we were about to take, and she did. Our job as photographer is to understand the client need and request in order to produce the best possible work for them.
So listening to your customers and getting to know them is key in building a strong connection and making sure they get what they want.
Listen question and improve
Nico
