Featured
The Real Secret to Creating Powerful Images Starts Before You Pick Up the Camera
Who is your photo for, and why must you make it?
We live in a time when anyone with a smartphone can snap 3,000 photos in a day without breaking a sweat. And judging by all the ‘content’ on social media, it seems everyone is.
With that much noise out there, the real challenge for photographers — especially the serious ones — isn’t to shoot more dreadful shots of backpackers heading away from you in a misty forest.
The real challenge is to create images that stop someone in their tracks.
Images that punch. Images that feel. Images that make you go hmmm….
We all want to be inspired by a photograph.
And we who make photographs want to inspire.
But the difficult truth is, powerful photographs don’t just happen.
They’re built, crafted— idea by idea, question by question, moment by excruciatingly deliberate moment.
If you’re serious about creating work that actually stands out (and let’s be honest, you wouldn’t still be reading if you weren’t), it’s time to lean deeper into the creative process — before you ever hear that magically satisfying click of a shutter.
Let’s chat about how.
Start With the Right Questions
You want to be more creative? Start by being more curious.
Every strong image begins with a question — sometimes lots of them.
What do I want this photo to say?
Who is it for?
Why does it need to exist?
How can I show this differently than everyone else?
Or at least most everybody.
And if you’re shooting for a client?
Double that curiosity.
Asking the right questions up front — about expectations, audience, mood, tone — can save you from that extra-special kind of misery that only comes from delivering something the client didn’t even want in the first place.
Get good at asking. Get even better at listening.
By “doing your homework”, your laying the foundation for a photo that actually connects.
Write It Down or Watch It Disappear
Ideas are slippery little things.
You think you’ll remember that brilliant spark you had while driving to the grocery store? And that’s so cute.
Think again, bucko.
That idea left town like a scorned lover in a 2013 Carolla with bad tires.
Write. It. Down.
Jot your ideas, your questions, your assignment notes. Use paper, pen, or pencil for immediate impressions
Use a notebook, your phone, the back of a receipt if you have to — but capture it while it’s alive.
When you start treating your ideas like they’re valuable (because they are), you’ll find they show up more often.
And you’ll have a better shot at turning them into the kind of work you’re proud to put your name on.
Simplicity Wins
You don’t need 14 lights, three assistants, and a smoke machine to make a strong image.
Simplicity is the sharpest arrow in your creative quiver.
Strip it down.
Find the cleanest, most direct way to express the idea.
Focus on great light, smart composition, and powerful concept.
That’s it.
That’s the secret sauce, the ‘juice, the magic of photography.
You could even get an “FU” trophy from Penn and Teller with that magic!
If the idea doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, leave them in the truck.
(I know most of y’all don’t have a truck. I kinda like trucks, so I used truck in the previous graph. But feel free to leave that stuff in whatever sedan, sports car, or SUV you drive.)
Some of the most jaw-dropping images ever made were built with nothing more than light, subject, and heart.
Think Beyond the Easy Shot
With everyone (and their dog) out there making decent images, good isn’t good enough anymore.
If you’re just doing what you’ve seen a hundred times on Instagram, you’re blending in, not standing out.
Originality isn’t optional. It’s damned near survival.
Don’t be afraid to turn left when everyone else is running right.
Try the weird angle.
Shoot from the wrong side of the light.
Ask yourself: “What would happen if I broke the rule here?”
That’s where the giant cupcake of wow smacks you in the face and you smile bigger than Forrest when he sees Jenny for the first time.
Gear Isn’t Going to Save You (But Knowing It Will)
Listen, gear’s great. I love a sweet, fast, glorious lens as much as anyone.
But creativity doesn’t live in your camera bag.
It lives in your mind.
You need to know what your gear can do — and what it can’t.
Trying to force a concept your tools can’t handle is as frustrating as trying to explain gravity to a bowl of shrimp gumbo. (There’s a story there involving a massive quantity of expensive bourbon, but this is not the time or place.)
Making the best damn image possible within your limits?
Caus that’s what we call genius.
Master what you have.
Work your kit until you can make magic with it blindfolded.
Then, when it’s time to upgrade, you’ll actually deserve it — and you’ll know exactly why.
Clients, Concepts, and the Tightrope Walk
Client work is a balancing act.
You have your creative voice. They have their brand voice. Sometimes those two things blend together like root beer and vanilla ice cream.
And sometimes they step all over each other like two pre-teens learning the Tango.
But, like it or not, you still have to dance.
The key?
Over-communicate.
Ask more questions than you think you need to.
Define the goal.
Clarify the mood.
Understand the audience.
And when things get fuzzy (because they always get fuzzy), stay calm and patiently guide them back to clarity.
A great photographer is more than a great shooter — they’re a great collaborator, partner, and ally.
The more you understand the “why” behind a shoot, the better you’ll nail the “how.”
Build Your Own Table
One last hard truth:
Creative client work isn’t falling out of the sky.
If you want those cool, edgy, portfolio-making gigs, you’re going to have to create them yourself first. Making the client believe you can do it gets you most of the way there.
How?
Personal projects.
Tell stories with images
Test shoots.
Find new ways of seeing
Self-assigned challenges.
Prove the concept.
Shoot the work you want to be hired for.
Then put it out into the world with your name on it, loud and proud.
Clients hire you based on what they see.
Show them what you can do when no one’s looking — and they’ll come calling when it matters.
Ya Know, Creativity Isn’t a Gift — It’s a Muscle
If you take nothing else from this, take this:
Creativity isn’t a right or a privilege. It’s a muscle. Muscles need to be exercised. Hard and often.
Work that image.
Question it.
Write it.
Stretch it.
Test it.
Break it.
Fix it.
And every once in a while, let it surprise the hell out of you.
The more you fully engage in the creative process — thoughtfully, consistently, relentlessly — the more powerful your images will become.
Your photography is more than simply content.
It’s your way of exploring your unique, one-of-a-kind vision.
A Little Challenge for You:
Next time you pick up your camera, don’t just take the first photo you see.
Ask these three questions first:
What do I want this photo to say?
Who is it for?
Why does it need to exist?
Write your answers down and build the shot from there.
(Oh — and when you make something killer? Show it off. The world’s got more than enough boring pictures already.)
Hi, I’m Don Giannatti, a photographer and mentor for up-and-coming photographers. You can find me on my website, Don Giannatti, and at my Substack site, where I also publish for creative people.
