Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision

It’s All Subjective

The subject of a photograph is not, for example, a Kashmiri man in front of his family. That’s the subject matter. The subject itself is the emotion, thought, or intangible that you are trying to express through the image. In this case, it’s the general concept of family and the specific concept of family dynamics in Kashmir. The subject of the photograph can be simple: family, beauty, color, or wonder—that intangible thing that you responded to when your inner photographer said, “Oh! Oh! Shoot that!” or whatever it is your inner photographer says. Mine tends to be overly dramatic.

Srinagar, India. This man is a baker, and while I stopped to photograph him I had the unexpected surprise of having his family appear as well. ...