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BY TOM WATSON

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. It has also been said that every picture tells a story.

Keeping these thoughts in mind, consider the last time you looked at photographs belonging to a friend, neighbor or family member. Try to recall what picture or pictures were most interesting to you. In this particular picture or pictures, was a person in the photo? There is a good chance that there was.

People in photos, whether they are professional photos or everyday snapshots taken by your aunt and uncle, are more unique and create interest to the person viewing them. For example, the next time you are showing your new snapshots of your vacation, notice how the person looking at them takes a little longer with a snapshot with a person in the scene.

People in action, captured on film, add a tremendous perspective to any photograph. They create a common interest to whoever looks at them, and it matters not if they are photographed candidly or posing for the camera. There will always be a story to that picture.

A photo of a person riding a bike, for example, can trigger the immediate question of whether he is in a bicycle race or out for a morning ride. The girl in a bus stop photo, as another example, may have gotten on or off the bus, and it looks like somebody you know.

Consider the picture of a man sitting at a diner by himself, appearing to be deep in thought with one finger in the handle of his coffee mug. What can he be thinking about? Is he lonely, depressed, concentrating, tired or just wants to be alone? Get the idea?

And for more examples, consider some of the most famous pictures of all time, with people in them, that not only pose several thought provoking questions, but have also triggered much controversy as well. Just to name a few, consider the Mona Lisa or The Last Supper. Now, although these are paintings and not photographs, the people in them are certainly more interesting than a scenic photo.

Tom Watson is the owner of In Digital Photography, which provides tips, advice, products and resources on digital photography and starting a photography business.