How do you capture life in a photograph?

[Cella]

I understand how you capture life in a drawing or a painting (being a fine arts student already), but when it comes to photography, how do you go about capturing the life of your subject?

I want to better understand how you feel it in photography, because I want to take a closer look into photography myself.
Though I do appreciate the fact that its not something that you can explain like a word definition in a dictionary, or something by the book, but maybe a description or, something that you've found within you to capture the life of your subject in your photograph.

[ukanfoff]

basically same thing just different medium.
its either wait for that moment and take it or set it up.

5 years at academy of art san francisco, traditional illustrator major.
but id rather take photos.

[RuihaiLiu]

I find it's not necessarily the photo itself, but its layout and presentation.
A rather cheap way, but effective, is for you to have you page layout have several pictures of the same subject, in different positions, each slightly different, to show the motion and different expressions he/she can show.
Depending on who or what it is, blur or BG blur can work.

Really thogh, you have to make the subject look raw. I mean, that you snapped the photo on the streets, and, three minutes later, no tinkering or major editing done, it's on the website or printed. That's why, IMO, HDR photography is so pointless and lame. It's not real. Make sure the subject doesn't know you're taking it, or thinks you're done taking it, or doesn't know exactly what you're taking as a photo. It helps convey "real life"/

Well, if that makes any sense...

[ukanfoff]

Originally Posted by RuihaiLiu

I find it's not necessarily the photo itself, but its layout and presentation.
A rather cheap way, but effective, is for you to have you page layout have several pictures of the same subject, in different positions, each slightly different, to show the motion and different expressions he/she can show.
Depending on who or what it is, blur or BG blur can work.

Really thogh, you have to make the subject look raw. I mean, that you snapped the photo on the streets, and, three minutes later, no tinkering or major editing done, it's on the website or printed. That's why, IMO, HDR photography is so pointless and lame. It's not real. Make sure the subject doesn't know you're taking it, or thinks you're done taking it, or doesn't know exactly what you're taking as a photo. It helps convey "real life"/

Well, if that makes any sense...

basically unscripted?