Do you have a visual strategy?
During a Storytelling masterclass, my mentor at the time taught us the concept of 'Visual Strategy'.
Visual Strategy is not about the rules or restrictions you impose on yourself, such as shooting with a fixed lens or always in portrait or only in black and white.
It's about how you take the photograph. Is about whatever you put in the frame. And it's about what the viewer should think of it.
Do you manage to convey what you meant when you took the photo? Did you want the viewer to admire, wonder, be amazed? Did you want to tell a story and see if others pick it up the same way?
Everyone has a different visual answer to a question
Everyone has a different visual answer to a question. Have 10 photographers submit a photo on subject X. You get 10 different photos. The same is true if you show 10 viewers a photo. Everyone has their own personal filter, based on upbringing, education, experiences and beliefs. Based on this filter, they will form an opinion about your photo. This is hard for you to control.
However, you can help them form an opinion in a certain direction. You can do that with your visual strategy. Because you have already determined what you want to show with your photos, you will build that image accordingly. Elements that do not contribute to your 'message' are simply left out of the frame, or are given a less prominent place in the composition. What is important is what you highlight, what you allow to recur in a series. Preferably in a subtle way, so that the viewer himself has to 'work' a little for the image.
Having a Visual Strategy is useful when working on a photography project. It gives you direction. It ensures a unified visual language. It ensures that you keep in mind what you want to achieve with your photo (series) and - if you apply it well - makes viewers understand the images.
What they think of the photographs afterwards is a whole other discussion.