Quick Thoughts: Who's Watching?

by Scott Bourne

If you’re a photographer, chances are, you’re a communicator. Most of the photographers I know are really storytellers. They have something they want to say, and they use the medium of photography to do it.

While it would be easy to focus this post on the communicator, I want to focus it on the audience. That’s something rarely (if ever) talked about in the photo community. Too many photographers make images they like, and then go looking for an audience.

Serious communicators find an audience first, then go craft a story that fits the audience. Photographers should consider this approach as well. If you’re taking photos for kids, you better get down on your knees because they see everything from 30 inches. If you’re taking pictures for an intelligent audience, include lots of details. Get it?

If more photographers could learn this lesson, then the art and craft of photography would be considerably more important.