In this interview, essential points are raised concerning the need for carefully a chosen subject for a photographic project . David Hurn expresses the importance of choosing the right subject with a series of useful tips and comments, in response to Bill Jays questions.

Hurn explains that subject choice is of crucial importance when photographing anything you intend to communicate meaning and to engage an audience. He explains that photography should only be a “vehicle for transmitting a passion in something else”, other than photography as an act. He argues that passionate images are only possible when the photographer has a subject matter they are passionate about in mind.

Hurn supplies some useful information about how to approach choosing a photographic subject, suggesting a few steps that he uses, to ensure he selects a good subject. His steps are composed of a number of questions that he suggests we ask ourselves. For example, he encourages us to consider “Is this subject visual”. He is asking the reader to question whether or not their subject will engage an audience and if their passion can be communicated visually. This question is similar to his other question ” Is it practical”, he raises the point that a photographer must select a subject that can be accessed by them and in a way that will allow them to produce interesting photographs. He also suggests you pose the questions “do I care enough about this subject” and “do I know enough about it?”. He explains that it is important to know enough about a subject to avoid misinterpretation and important to care about the subject matter in order to creative emotive images.

In conclusion, David Hurn encourages us to carefully assess our choice of subject. He offers a basic framework of criteria for choosing a subject. At first these questions may feel too clinical, however they allow you to increase the creativity of your photographs as you have a clearer idea about what you want to convey through them.