Mood

Moods and emotions are sensations all humans beings have experienced, regardless of  age, race, gender or beliefs. The ability to emotionally feel can often be a foundation for empathy, compassion, and spiritual connection, be it strong or brief.

The notion of Moods and Emotions is a fact of life, we are powerless to deny the existence of sense; and it plays a significant part in the journey we undertake as individuals.

Any day of the year, at any given moment, we as physical entities are feeling an emotion or mood. Weather we are in the presence of someone we love, or undergoing a task we hate, our thought processes and actions will be altered by the mood or emotion we feel. For instance, in the presence of love, we are generous, sympathetic and benevolent, however, while experiencing discomfort or anger, we can often be cynical, hurtful and selfish.

To avoid "bad" emotions, one must be extremely strong minded and selfless, it is exceptionally difficult to notice the overall value of something we loathe, or take into consideration those who have hurt you.

Emotions are an overwhelming ride though good and bad, and trigger evolution in ones personality, as they undergo their journey of life. The creative souls of humanity have been attempting to evoke emotions and capture moods through art since the dawn of humanity. In my opinion, the most powerful means of doing so is through music, however, imagery in paintings, photographs and drawings can be just as effective, but through a different sensory organ.

To capture a mood or emotion through art, the artist must have more than technical capabilities, the emotion lays behind the art, but is often the most important part of it. Frequently, the artist will express their own emotions through their art as means of expression and release. To me, this is one of the most interesting characteristics of the human race, and is the rationale behind my connection to art.

Photography is one of many art forms used to powerfully evoke emotions and thoughts in the viewer. From the black and white images of photojournalists such as Don McCullin and Robert Capa, to the Fine art and Surrealist photographer such as Sandy Skoglund  and Man Ray, photography is used as a commercial tool to provoke thoughts and emotions on the given topic.

Emotion can easily be emitted from a photograph of a moody subject such as destruction, happiness or defeat. In a sense, anybody with a camera can capture a mood that is blatantly apparent to those who are at the scene. For instance, a newlywed couple dancing on their wedding day is an unconcealed emotion of happiness; Families mourning the death of a loved one at a funeral, again, is an openly visible mood, which would show though a photograph taken by anyone.

Many photographers do shoot these kinds of scenes, but the more emotional photographs are often the ones that make the viewer think about the subject, and consider the emotion behind the image.

The image of a more subtle emotion often yield far more mood than meets the eye. The viewer is drawn to thoughts of what the subject means to them, what it meant to the photographer and why they photographed it. With images of less obvious expressive value, it is rarely the subject itself that has evoked the emotions, but more the style and techniques the photographer has used to capture the image.

The key is in the way the artist has photographed the scene, not how the scene appears to the naked eye. To do this, the artist has to consider many aspects of the subject. This is what is often referred to as the "eye". Photographers often see the world in a different way to others, which is what makes their work interesting, emotional and thought provoking. This, I believe, is when the artist has transformed from "taking photos" to becoming a "photographer".

 

The point of this blog is to remind ALL photographers, regardless of experience, that their photographs are art, they provoke emotions and thoughts in the viewers, and can sometimes represent something from the photographer.

Have you ever thought about what you would like to tell people through your images? Or perhaps just some emotions you would like to express. Many turn to the arts, and one way or another, photographers do too. Give it a go, try to really express yourself through photography.

For example, a close friend of mine, while undergoing a spate of depression, was photographing contemporary style images involving themes of being trapped, self hate and ultimately suicide. The images were extremely powerful, and even more so when you hear the story behind why the photographer shot them.

This is taking expressive photography to the literal. However, you may find that you are expressing yourself already, without even knowing it, like you are sub-consciously drawn to that photography because of your feelings or personality. My two biggest passions in life are Music and Photography, so it is no coincidence that I ended up becoming a music photographer. The other side of me is extremely passionate about environmental issues, and I have a love for nature and animals, hence my personal/hobby photography as wildlife and landscape.

My words of advice is find your niche, not just photographers, but all people, find what it is you love, what you hate even, find that passion, and express it. Most creative people will understand me when I say life isn't about paying bills. Do what you love, don't give up, with enough time invested, you will gain whatever you want from it.  

Thank you for reading, whoever you are 

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