Photography: suggestive images

This looks fun, photos of children enjoying themselves gives a very positive image. We can promote parks, nature reserves, pubs, carnivals, whatever we like with suitable photographs suggesting a positive image. Some photos are negative however.

Drinking alcohol on the pavement is illegal in many places now, because it gives the place a bad image. Families enjoying a sunny afternoon in a pub garden suggests a safe family atmosphere.

Beautiful nature pictures can suggest calm and serenity. They suggest a relaxing day walking or fishing after the chaos of everyday life.

I drove past here a couple of days ago. The weather wasn’t very good, but they were fishing using shelters from the rain and small tents. It would be worth it just for the view.

This building needs some work, but I think the ivy makes it interesting. The image a place presents is important, it provides a lasting memory and one that can now be captured by cameras, phones and tablet computers.

These snapshots of life make people want to see for themselves; to be part of that. They want to walk down the river on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy a picnic. They want to enjoy a beer in the garden of the pub on a Sunday afternoon. Even a 25 mile charity bike ride would give you something to talk about for weeks. I used an image to promote the carnival this year and it went on Facebook and I tweeted it to remind people that it was on. The local police re-tweeted my image and I think more people came to the carnival. That means more money for the charity stalls, but the fun fair was also bigger and the whole event seemed better with more organisations represented. Presenting a good image can get a project lottery funding, get a business extra customers and be the difference between success and failure. Local groups and social enterprises are now springing up to try to tackle some of the problems and inequality that have emerged over the past few years. Using pictures can be a means of creating a positive image and telling people what you’re trying to do.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments box. You can also follow me on Twitter.

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