This one is more for me than for you. It is meant to serve as a reminder, a must-do, for a stronger practice of photography.

I feel this is important: a photographer aspiring to make photographs that elicit a deeper emotional response must, before anything else, do this: connect with the subject. And by connect I mean, to foster a relationship, even for the short term, where the subject feels relaxed, calm, and open to possibilities.

This talk about making the connection may sound trivial or clichéd but it is folly to dismiss the positive impact it brings to the photograph. If a photograph does not compel a second glance then, very likely, the photographer never connected with the subject. On the other hand, a photographer who connects early on has already won half the battle towards making a more impactful photograph and is free to focus on the complementary technical aspects of poses and angles and lighting.

A photograph is long remembered not for correct exposure but for the authenticity of spirit that shines through, not for perfect lighting but for the essence of character that pours forth, not for sharpness of features but for story that touches the heart. I am not suggesting that technical factors are not important. They are, and to the extent they are well taken care of they strip away distractions and leave the viewer to experience just the story. Still, they come a distant second behind the emotional content and the story that define the photograph.

How does a photographer go about making the connection? The famous 20th century portrait photographer, Yousuf Karsh, used to study the work of his famous and not-so-famous subjects and observe them at work.  His intent was to understand as much about them as he could. The behind-the-scenes work of studying his subjects informed his studio lighting and helped him formulate poses. During the photo sessions he would converse with his subjects on topics he had learned about from studying their work. The result: iconic photographs!

While most of us may never experience the acclaim Karsh received, we can all certainly aspire to make great photographs. And to that end we, as photographers, benefit greatly knowing that making the connection — and putting that knowledge into practice — is an indispensable ingredient to making great photographs. It requires us to invest effort but the returns come back several times multiplied.

Here then are the simple steps to making the connection, to channel your inner Karsh if you will: study the subject beforehand, get to know them, and as you work to make their photographs engage them in conversations.

I said simple. I did not say easy.