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How to Take Emotional Pictures

There are a number of elements that go toward making a good picture. Creating a good picture requires the photographer to be able to compose the picture correctly and meter the scene in order to get a correct exposure. One critical element in pictures is emotion. Whether your picture is a portrait or a piece of a photo essay or documentary, being able to take emotional pictures can be very challenging.

Instructions

- 1
  Turn your camera on and meter the scene in which you are working. The most important step in being able to capture emotion in a picture is to be ready to take the picture at the exact moment it happens. This requires you to have the camera ready to shoot.
- 2
  Pre-compose the scene. Depending on the event you are shooting, either a sports game or some other event, position yourself where you anticipate the picture happening. Look through the viewfinder and compose the scene the way you would like to see it.
- 3
  Observe the scene unfold in front of you. You cannot create this type of picture, you have to capture it. By following the scene and anticipating the exact right moment, you will be ready.
- 4
  Hold the camera to your eye, place your finger on the shutter release and press the shutter release half way down to engage the camera's metering and autofocus programs.
- 5
  Press the shutter release the entire way down to take the picture as the emotion you were anticipating appears in the scene you are photographing. French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson coined the term "decisive moment"; and it refers to all the elements of a picture, including emotion, coming together at the exact time you press the shutter release.

Photography