Learning to Write About Pictures
The challenge of writing for a photographer
Photography is relaxation for me. There is something calming about walking around with a camera, looking at the light and shadow, textures, shapes, colors, and anything else to see if there is something of interest for a frame.
“One should not only photograph things for what they are, but for what else they are.” - Minor White
Finding what else something is can be a challenge for me. And it is what gets me lost in the moment instead of everything else that’s on my mind.
Then along comes Substack with an amazing photography community. The pace is slower, and there’s no feed filled with perfect photos.
And stories….
Writing about my photos: How hard can that be?
A photo is something, more often than not, that just happens in my viewfinder.
I come home with a few, bring them into Lightroom, and see which ones look good.
Then what? What do you say about them? Stories about the place you took the image start to sound the same if you go to the same state parks and small towns.
I’ve been posting for around a year now. Finding my voice and figuring out what to say is definitely not getting a lot easier.
What’s my plan?
Going forward, I’m going to try to write more about what I noticed about a scene that made me hit the shutter button, and what I like about the composition. In my visual field notes posts, I’ll add more technical tips and discuss challenges some shots may have presented.
This week’s images
I have a few images along this hill. It faces west, and late in the day, an interesting sky can provide opportunities. This sky wasn’t great, not many clouds, not late enough in the day to start turning colors. But I happened to drive by while these horses were grazing along the hilltop. The bright blue sky behind them, with the backlit horses, made me stop and see how the silhouettes would turn out.
If you’re a photographer, does writing here on Substack come naturally, or do you struggle with the narrative side of a post?
✅ Where to Find Me
You can find more of my work on the web at: Simmons Photography
If you want to work with me, or inquire about licensing images: Contact Page
More of my work can be seen on Vero and Flickr.
Writing is definitely one of the most difficult things for me at times. There are days when I can sit down and write away as I just carry on a conversation with myself. Then, there are other days why my mind is dry and I've got nothing to say. That's part of the reason I disappear from online at times. I just have nothing to say.
The articulation can become a conflagration.
Sometimes I think, "It's there, all in the image. That's the conversation."