Writing through a Lens

By

Robert Davis

Taking a picture isn't as easy as it seems.  Some people think that taking the perfect picture is picking up a camera and snapping. Great writers know that a nicely photographed picture can make a reader gravitate to your work. Photography can be one of the trickiest parts of telling a story because pictures speak to your audience. So, if your picture doesn't match the title of your publication or writing, people aren’t going to read after the title. A bad picture could dissuade a person from reading. More than likely before reading your works, an ordinary person will look for something about the story to catch the reader's eye.

As a beginning author, you must think that if you don’t have a big name in writing a lot of people aren’t going to want to read whatever you write to begin with. It has been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” A picture has the power to bring a piece to life. Your job is to find out how to make readers want to read what you’ve written. This can be a simple picture to illustrate what you’re going to write about. Bringing a picture to life can be quite complex though.

Many aspects go into taking a great picture to promote your masterpiece. Get creative and flirt with angles to manifest a picture that will catch even the hardest critic’s eye. Using the right angle of the sun can be critical in this instance. Lighting and angles definitely play a big part in taking a perfect still picture. The time of day, expression, and mood can affect any possible good-looking picture. For instance, did you know that many smartphones today such as the iPhone and Galaxy have features on the newer models to help you capture well-photographed pictures, such as portrait mode so authors can take extravagant face shots for the covers of their books? Professionalism is expected in every aspect of your publication.

You’re writing through a lens, and words can be misinterpreted. Knowing how to match a picture can be very helpful for readers. For example, you don’t want to write about a “happy” clown in a children's book covered in blood. Those two things don’t go together. Same thing goes for using a blurry or unprofessional picture for a serious matter.  Also, a book about anything concerning a bad outcome more than likely needs a cover photo of something dark and gloomy. You would never want to use a picture of something unintentionally blurry. Never be afraid to get nature in your photo either. Simply staying still and using the focus on your camera or your smartphone can get you the picture that you want. Looks are very important to Millennials and Generation Z. If it doesn’t look good, why bother with it?

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Robert Davis is a student at Calumet College of Saint Joseph.