Shot Themes for Transcendent Photography

Creative block can certainly happen in the field. One trick I use to hone my efforts when I’m out shooting images is to have a list of shot themes. I rarely use a specific shot list because as a documentary style photographer I’m capturing images of moments as they happen. There’s no re-creating or staging of images, and therefor I broaden my focus. 

Shot themes that help me stay in the creative mindset include: 

1. Faces - I focus on capturing photos where you can see the subjects face. Emotion is most prevalent in a person’s face. As a viewer, you’ll best be able to connect to an image if you can see and feel the emotion, which makes ‘faces’ an especially key focus of many of my photos. 

2. Weather - Similarly, weather breathes emotion. If the snow is blowing sideways or rain is coming down in sheets, the viewer can relate. I shoot images of storms rolling in, the hunter getting pelted by sleet, macros of snow, etc. 

3. Small subject, big landscape - I love showing the magnitude of the places hunting takes us to. One method of doing that is to shoot wider shots and frame it so the subject is in the lower right or left third of the frame and they’re standing amongst a huge back drop.

4. Details - Hunting takes us to very unique places with interesting flora and fauna. I focus in on the details of each such as a tight shot of a game animals hair or eyes, tight shots of the foliage on the ground, aquatic life in coastal environments, etc. These types of shots help establish place.

5. Travel/Culture - sometimes just getting to the point where you’re actually hunting can be an arduous task. Whether it’s flying overseas and crossing international boarders, or  stopping at a local burger joint before the hunt, I love shooting travel images and the culture that each region brings.