“Without atmosphere a painting is nothing.” ― Rembrandt

Introduction to aesthetic photography. Purpose, uses, benefits, and features.

With the launch of my namesake label ‘Katie Marvel’ and my official store The Wardrobe Shop, I’ve discovered my love now more than ever before for atmospheric, aesthetic photography. Creating a vibe, evoking a mood, and depicting the feeling of a scene as opposed to defining every detail is a creative and fun way to describe a look. I’ve delved into the exciting world of aesthetic photography and in this article I will be sharing my three top tips!

Aesthetic Photography | Tips & Tricks

Aesthetic Photography | #1 Evoke an Emotion

Evoking an emotion is an essential part of any artist’s toolbox of skills. The difference with aesthetic photography is that the emotion is predominant in the image, rather than secondary. When I first started my photography journey over ten years ago, I was focused on the technical aspects of the craft. Correct lighting, posing, composition. If you’re interested in an in depth series I cover on the art of photography for content creators, take a look at my photo studio series here! Now, I am more interested in making my viewer feel something, I want to evoke, to motivate, to inspire. The most essential part of aesthetic photography is defining the emotion you want to create, and filling the frame with feeling. I create a series of mood boards which depict similar feelings and photographs that I want to create. Brainstorming a list of words and adjectives that describe the emotions in the images you’d like to evoke is also a very helpful method of assisting me to plan the photoshoot.

Aesthetic Photography | #2 Define the Details

The next element of aesthetic photography is to highlight a particular area, or detail in the photograph as a way to direct the eye with the absence of usual elements in traditional photography. For this aspect I consider the most important part of what I am capturing, and prioritise it using selective depth of field. Keeping the focus soft, and only keeping specific areas sharp increases the contrast and enhances the details.

Aesthetic Photography | #3 Try New Tricks

Finally, don’t be afraid to try new tricks and break the rules! Aesthetic photography is all about breaking the traditional rules of photography. Don’t stick to a ‘correct’ exposure, instead use light in new and interesting ways. Don’t keep everything sharp, instead apply your focus selectively. One of the best ways to experiment is by finding new and odd props and objects to include in the photograph, particularly items like mirrors and pieces that manipulate the light make fascinating tools to play with encouraging new ideas and techniques. One of the best methods for breaking out of the usual approach to photographing is to set up your photograph traditionally, then break it up with interesting poses, angles, lighting, or depth of field. The best part of this process, and sometimes the most difficult part is that it requires thinking on your feet, and most of all don’t be afraid to fail on the way to a beautiful image!