of visuals and haptics - what kind of creative are you as a photographer?

photo by Borj Meneses for Digital Photography Plus

How you present your photographs shows what kind of creative you are as a photographer. What kind of creative are you? Haptic or visual?

Have you ever wonder how some photographers reached a particular style that individually represent them - or why people viewing specific photos react more or appreciate certain pictures more than they would other photographs?

Ever think why some photographers present their subjects totally different from what they are in reality - how some banal objects are distorted to form an ambiguous image quite unlike what they really are?

photo by Nanette Villanueva for Digital Photography Plus

And then there are others who choose to present their view of the world for what it really is. They either document, enhance, or even emphasize, but not totally veering away from how the image is supposed to be.

Which is the right or wrong way in presenting your image as a photographer? Is there a proper or an improper way or even a much better way of viewing or appreciating photos?

How a photographer choose to present their vision of the world has a lot to do with the mental processes they underwent in arriving at the final image. It has got something to do with what creative type a photographer as an artist is.

So what kind of creative photographer are you?

There are 2 kinds.

photo by Christopher de Venecia for Digital Photography Plus

One is a visual photographer. They use their camera to document the world as it is. A camera becomes a recording device and a lot of importance is given to the subject. Documentaries and photo-journalistic works are typical example of a visual photographer. Their photographs make us react more strongly to actual events or images. It enables us to view things and places that we’ve never experienced or seen before. If you as a photographer give an objective view of the world reflecting the images within it as it is, or if you as a viewer appreciate this kind of photos or images, you are a visual creative.

photo by Nanette Villanueva for Digital Photography Plus

Another creative kind gears to a more expressionistic, intuitive way of presenting their images. They do not just capture images they incorporate their most individualistic way of personal expression. Colors are determined by their own emotional or personal symbolism. They break from tradition, as they present the essential nature rather than the physical nature of their subjects. Images are distorted or abstracted, moved or rearranged to liberate their inner vision actively imparting part of themselves to their photos. These types are called haptic photographers. A viewer appreciating this kind of photos more can be haptic creatives.

There is no right or wrong or much better way of appreciating or viewing or expressing things in photographs. It is just the way people are, showing how they are creatively wired. No matter what type of creative you are, it is in your own disposition as a photographer to make your own image work. The possibilities are endless. Do not let someone else dictate or set the limits to what you ought to present or achieve in your images just to be appreciated. Do not compete with others in their own turfs, create your own niche, and don’t be influenced by fads. The important thing is you enjoy the process of making photographs to continue doing so. In the end this will allow your creative capabilities to shine forward and be recognized.