What Makes a Photo Work?

A Walk Through the Fog in Venice

We talk a lot about photography as storytelling, but what makes an image work? What gives it the power to stop a viewer mid-scroll?

Let’s start here: a foggy November morning in Venice. Shot handheld, 35mm lens, f/4, ISO 400. Soft light, no dramatic sky. Just instinct, timing, and a willingness to chase atmosphere.

At first glance, it’s an ordinary frame. Slight motion blur, low contrast, no sharp focal point. But it holds. Why?

• Mood through light – Fog acts like a giant diffuser. It reduces dynamic range and flattens detail, which can be frustrating unless you use it to build mood.

• Compositional economy – Leading lines from the bridge railings do the heavy lifting. Vertical symmetry from the steps, framed diagonals — all pulling the eye upward toward the subject.

• Subject hierarchy – The lone figure isn’t sharply rendered, but that’s the point. The silhouette suggests rather than defines, giving the viewer room to enter the image.

Technical perfection wasn’t the goal. Emotional coherence was. And that’s something even seasoned photographers overlook.

This is what I explore here on Through the Lens: visual essays, breakdowns like this one, and what it means to photograph places like Venice and Budapest with intention.

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