Do you know the quote, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly…”? A curator opened a photography festival with this well-known and beautiful line from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was meant as a guiding principle for the photographic positions selected and exhibited at the festival that year: work by professional photographers, photographic artists, amateurs and young professionals. The projects on display could hardly have been more different, but they had one thing in common: they reached people and made them feel something In everyday photography, however, many projects are missing exactly that emotional dimension. The work may be carefully planned and elaborately produced, but it still fails to connect.
Images Everywhere: Challenge and Opportunity
Around 95 million photos and videos are uploaded to Instagram every day*, and around 140 billion Reels are viewed on Instagram each day**. We are constantly confronted with an overwhelming stream of visual content, especially across social media. So how are we supposed to focus on strong images, let alone create images with real substance? We are all part of this endless flood of content, not just as consumers but as creators. Photography is everywhere. And of course, taking part matters for visibility and reach. But how much of what we see actually stays with us? With all this visual noise, it is all the more remarkable when photographers manage to create images that stand out, resonate and stay with people.
Bringing Heart and Mind Into Balance
A strong photography project needs the right balance between emotion and intellect, between feeling and concept. Too much heart can make the work feel sentimental. Too much head can make it feel overconstructed. The real skill lies in bringing both together in a way that creates a story or series capable of drawing people in. Many personal projects fail at exactly this balancing act, even when they are technically flawless or built around an interesting subject. Photographers can become so focused on technique, staging or composition that the emotional connection to the subject gets lost. Sometimes the project simply lacks a strong idea. The result can be a body of work that is polished but still feels emotionally and intellectually flat. Photography, after all, is not just a craft. It is a creative discipline that asks you to use both heart and mind.
Show What Makes You Different: Technique Isn’t Everything
As a professional photographer, making good images is not enough. Your work also needs to carry something beyond the visual. That might be a social message, an artistic idea or simply a sense of entertainment and curiosity. Your photographs should not only look impressive. They should tell a story, express a point of view or communicate an idea. Ask yourself what your themes are in photography, and take the time to find them. Look for subjects that genuinely interest you, move you and have something to do with who you are. A great example is Verena Brüning’s photography project Windsbraut. She accompanied and photographed a 47-woman crew crossing the Atlantic over 24 days on a sailing ship, resulting in a published photo book. The project features striking images of rough seas, a traditional brig and strong, independent women. It is a powerful example of what can happen when heart and mind work together in a photography project.
Reading Between the Lines: The Power of What Remains Unsaid
Often, the most fascinating part of a photograph lies beneath the surface: what it leaves open, what it only hints at or what it does not show at all. There is something powerful about images that do more than capture the obvious. They create space for interpretation and invite the viewer to discover additional layers. Photography has a unique ability to lead people beyond what is literally visible. It is not only about what we see, but about what an image does to us, what thoughts it triggers and what feelings it brings up. Are you working on a photography project right now? If so, ask yourself whether there are other layers you could bring into it.
Invest in Your Projects: Use Both Heart and Mind
Despite their very different subjects and contexts, the exhibitions at the photography festival had one thing in common: the photographers and artists had a deeply personal relationship with their topics. Their interest was not superficial. They had invested real commitment, conviction and personal energy in the work. That passion made the projects believable and their messages feel authentic. These principles should not only matter at photography festivals or in gallery exhibitions. They also belong in everyday professional practice. Whether you are working on a personal project or a commissioned assignment, put more of yourself into it. More humour, more heart and more thought are often the ingredients that turn a visually strong project into one people actually remember.
*Source: Doofinder
**Source: Meta
