By Heather Holt

For the Juneau Empire

Less than a second! The question is, how long is the average attention span for a person looking at a photo?

In the beginning of my journey as a wildlife photographer my goal was to get a sharp image of a stationary animal. How thrilling it was to bag and tag an eagle sitting up in a tree — got it! or a bear walking across the road — got it! or a whale’s tale as they go into their dive — got it!

It took several years to begin feeling that these images are just that — images, nothing compelling or artistic. Yawn! I started looking at my photography in a different light. I tossed the checklist and began focusing on finding the unexpected in my photos. Photos that jolt, that cause people to stop and look, really look at my photos and hopefully say “Wow!”

I began asking myself when I was taking my photograph, what makes it interesting? As a consequence, I find myself spending more time watching the interaction of the wildlife waiting for that wow factor and passing on pictures being snapped by others. Of course, add a cub, an eagle swooping away with a fish, great light, awesome fall colors, a fight on the river—- a bear! Now, you have a story.

In the beginning, you are looking to capture a great photo, but now you are selecting your shot, picking your story and evoking emotion from your audience. There are two easy ways to trigger an emotion. The first is to try to get to the eye level of your subject. These photos get the most attention. The other is to get a close-up interaction such as between a mother and cub, or an unlikely friendship between animals.

Interesting and unique behavior give you an unexpectedness in photos, and that is what gets the attention and stays in people’s minds. So, away with the list, and start seeing your subject as an opportunity to tell a story, your story, with your images. Sometimes the subject doesn’t want to be photographed, but when they do the results are worth it.

• Heather (Burford) Holt is a fourth generation Juneauite who offers local and flyout photo workshops designed to improve camera skills while capturing photos in the Alaska wilderness. She can be reached at flyingakcaptured@gmail.com, or visit her website at http://www.flyingalaskacaptured.net/. “Focal Point” is a column meant to provide inspiration, education and opportunity for all with an interest in photography. It appears monthly in the Empire.