How to Create Motivational Pictures

Determine the Message You Want to Convey

There are many inspirational messages out there. People deal with all kinds of troubles and stresses and there is probably a motivational phrase, quote from a religious text or accidental insight from a child to go along with each one. Before creating your motivational picture, you should determine what message it is you want to encourage people with.

Maybe you have just come through a challenging time and there was something that was particularly helpful to you. Maybe there was a favorite quote a relative of your would always mention. Or maybe you have coined a phrase yourself that keeps you going when times are rough.

Whatever it is that encourages you, you want to make sure you have that idea in your mind as you start to create your picture. That way, your picture will have meaning and focus and not simply be a cool photograph. Whatever you are shooting should evoke a particular emotion or feeling, so having those feelings at the ready will make it easier for you to ensure that you create an effective picture.

Take Several Pictures

Once you determine the message you want to convey, you should prepare to take several pictures of several things that would convey that message. Before you start shooting, make a list of the types of locations, people, animals, buildings, weather patterns--anything--that conveys your message. Let your mind go free while you do this. There may be an obvious choice, but the third, fourth or fifth image you think of may be less expected and therefore, more effective.

Realize that there may be several images that get your message across. You may find that certain animals evoke your idea, but maybe an old building in your neighborhood does as well. You may think that a black and white image works perfectly, but so does a bright, vibrant color photo. As you are shooting, give yourself plenty of options so that you are not stuck with an ineffective photo at the end of the day.

Edit Your Photo

Even the best photographs done by the top professionals may need a little help from time to time. With digital technology and accessible programs, it can be very easy to tweak your photograph. When you are done shooting, scan or upload your photo into a computer and finesse the image. You want to remove any stray hairs or dust marks and then you can move on to artistic choices.

There are countless options for changing the way a photo looks. You may choose to brighten one are to highlight part of the photo, or you may want to put something that was brightly exposed in shadows. You may want to add a blur or sharpen lines around part of the subject. Give yourself time to experiment and see what actions highlight the best part of your photo.

Add Text if Necessary

Sometimes an image alone can be immensely powerful and does not need to be augmented by words. Yet sometimes a short caption can bring the image together and make your message absolutely clear. You may choose to add the motivational saying or phrase that inspired you in the first place.

Find a place on the photo to put your text where it does not interfere with the image itself. You want to avoid covering up any important parts of the image. In fact, you can use the position of the text to draw the viewer's eye to the most important part of the photo.

You should also try a variety of font styles and sizes. You may find that a bold, strong font contrasts nicely with a softer image. Or that a more script-based font looks better. Whatever choice it is, make sure that you allow yourself time to work with many options so that you come up with the best one.