A picture is worth more than a thousand words.

(c) Simon Cook 2016

They say that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, and on the web this is something very important to consider. Not only can a picture tell a story, but it is also the hook that will get a user to read your work.

Create Unique Photos.

If you look on the web you'll see the same pictures over and over again; there are a billion photos of cats, roses and dogs, and the ones that grab your attention are the ones that are different. So as you begin to create photographs for your articles, think of how they can be unique. Perhaps there's a perspective no one else has used, or maybe there's a technique (such as long exposure) that might make your photographs stand out.

Think about subject matter.

There are only so many pictures of flowers I can look at in a day; however, a photo of cool graffiti, a picture of something emotive, a picture that shows motion or some other interesting subject matter often makes me look twice.

Sometimes getting the reader to notice your picture, even if it is not that unique, is enough to pique their interest.

So is my picture worth more than a thousand words?

I recently took a trip to Cape May Zoo in New Jersey. As I walked around the zoo I came across this Cheetah. I took several normal pictures, but as I entered an enclosure, I noticed a gap through the wooden slats and fence - it allowed me to take a picture of the animal without it realizing I was taking the picture.

What makes this picture unique is that I left in the chain link fence as I feel it gives the feeling of being a prisoner. I could have removed it using Photoshop but I felt this way it was far more poignant and unique.

As I looked at this picture I found myself becoming very emotional; it isn't simply a photograph, it's a story. It tells of the isolation of the animal, and somehow captures the sadness of this great cat as it looks out of its prison into a world it longs to roam in.

Conclusion

You don't have to be a great photographer to take pictures that capture the eye, you simply have to look at the subject in a different way, and from the perspective of a potential reader. The hard part often is being at the right place at the right time.