And Increase Your Competition Score
by Rachel Owen
Texas School Instructor
Have you ever been moved by a photograph or piece of art and wished you could create something just as powerful? In a world where digital property can be stolen with a click of a button and trends change on a weekly basis, how can we set ourselves apart from those we aspire to emulate? The key lies in interpreting our inspiration – understanding how the artist manipulates our emotions. The secret to drawing inspiration without plagiarism is to understand the methods used: to replicate technique, not concept. To achieve this, we must first learn to analyze what inspires us.
Keep in mind these techniques for analyzing art are the same techniques competition judges use to score an image. By mastering the skill of quickly analyzing art, you’ll be able to critique your own work just like a judge. So, how do we analyze an image? First, you must identify how an image makes you feel. This is the first and most crucial step. If you’re new to this process, I recommend visiting a museum or gallery (Pinterest and Instagram work, too) with a notebook to jot down your observations. Aim to find 3-7 specific words that describe how you feel when looking at the piece. Focus on emotions rather than descriptive words about what you’re seeing.
Now for the fun part: understanding how the artist evokes these emotions. To figure this out quickly, we can break it down into four key areas.
- Color is one of the most effective and subtle ways our emotions are manipulated and, in my opinion, one of the most underused tools by photographers. The movie industry showcases incredibly complex and subtle uses of color. To see great examples, try a Google search for stills of your favorite movie before and after color grading. Consider these key questions when analyzing color:
- What is the overall color palette?
- Is it high-key or low-key?
- Is one color predominant across the piece?
- If one color stands out, what percentage of the piece does it occupy?
- What are the colors in the shadows?
- What are the colors in the highlights?
- Posing tends to be the focus for photographers, but often as photographers, we look to others in the same field for inspiration. As a result, there’s not much variation. Instead, try looking at sculptures and paintings for ideas. Assuming the piece you’re analyzing features people, ask yourself:
- What emotion does the body language convey?
- What is the subject feeling, and how does the pose reflect that?
- What is the subject looking at?
- Are there 90-degree angles, or is the pose soft and flowing?
- How many triangles can you identify in the pose?
- Is the camera angle above or below the subject’s eye-line?
- How much of the face is visible?
- Is any part of the subject hidden from view?
- Composition is the way our eye moves around a piece, and it’s the most advanced of the four concepts. Some people have an intuitive talent for composition, but anyone can learn it. A skilled artist controls what the viewer looks at first, second, and last. Consider these questions:
- What did you notice first in the piece? Second?
- Is there anything hidden that took you a while to find?
- Does your eye move from one part of the image to another repeatedly?
- Does your eye get stuck anywhere, stopping its movement?
- Are there repeating shapes or patterns?
- Are there geometric shapes and angles, or more flowing arabesques and curves?
- Is anything hidden or cropped out of the frame?
- Subject Matter is the most obvious element. It’s literally what’s in the image but I recommend analyzing it last. Often, you’ll notice new things after studying the other three concepts. Ask yourself:
- What is the main subject?
- What is the secondary subject?
- Is there a relationship between the primary and secondary subjects?
- Are there additional props or subtle elements in the piece?
- Are there repeating elements in the frame?
- Do the elements in the frame relate to one another?
- Did the artist deliberately choose specific textures, and do those textures repeat?
- Does every element in the piece feel intentional?
- Does everything support the primary emotions, or is there juxtaposition?
- How does the subject matter reinforce the emotions you felt when you first saw the piece?
A Real-World Example: Analyzing Migrant Mother – I’ve chosen Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” as an example because it’s one of the most iconic photographs ever created and an incredibly moving portrait. After researching this photo, I learned that Lange took five other frames during this 10-minute session. Knowing this tight timeframe and seeing the variety of the photographs, I’m inclined to believe Lange had more direction in creating this photograph than is initially apparent, which deepens my respect for the image and makes it perfect for analysis. Feel free to search for the image online as we’re unable to print it here.
Initial Emotions: despair, hopelessness, sorrow, fear, struggle.
Color: black and white, with full use of the grayscale. The middle gray tone is dominant, reinforcing the bleakness of the image.
Posing: The mother’s furrowed brow and hand on her face convey worry. The children lean on her, symbolizing a weight on her shoulders. Their backs are turned, adding tension, but their body language still communicates their youth. The baby in her lap is asleep, unaware of the hardship. The subjects are touching, emphasizing the family bond.
Composition: The mother’s face is the focal point. The children, as secondary subjects. The arm coming up from her lap guides our eye to her face, over the child on camera right, and finally to the baby. The tight crop feels intimate and cuts off the children, adding to the tension. The background hints at their poor living situation without becoming a distraction.
Subject Matter: The mother is the main subject; the children are secondary. Textures in the canvas background and clothing highlight the family’s struggles. Every element, from lighting to composition, supports the emotion of despair.
Every detail in Migrant Mother contributes to the emotion of struggle and despair. Lange could have changed the background, hidden the dirt on their hands, or asked them to smile, but the emotions would have been entirely different. Once we understand how an artist constructs their work, we can replicate their techniques without copying their concepts. For instance, instead of saying, “I want to make an image like that,” we can say, “I love this artist’s use of repeating shapes to create harmony. I’m going to try that.” Or, “I admire how this artist used subtle green tones in the shadows to evoke discomfort. I want to experiment with that.”
This mindset elevates your work and helps set you apart. Every choice in a photograph, from the smallest detail to the overall composition, has the potential to support or undermine your intent. When we learn to take advantage of every pixel, our work soars to new heights and opens endless possibilities.
Rachel Owen is a photographer living and working in the Chicagoland area. She is currently evolving into green-screen photography and digital compositing. She will be teaching “Whimsical Worlds” at the 2025 Texas School of Professional Photography Learn more at: www.rachelowen.com.
