Dark & Twisty Photo Tips

How to use iPhone photography for emotional expression

I find it quite hard to talk about grief, loss and trauma without seeming like a Debbie Downer. It can be difficult to broach the tough stuff without feeling like you’re driving everyone away.

If you’re a Greys Anatomy fan you’ll know the dark and twisty reference: Meredith Grey’s light-hearted phrasing of her depression. I like it, so I’m stealing it.

According to Google, the phrase "dark and twisty" typically refers to a state of mind or emotion that is marked by a sense of darkness, complexity, and emotional turmoil. It suggests a mood or personality that is brooding, troubled, and possibly even unstable. It can also be used to describe a work of art or literature that is marked by a similar sense of darkness, emotional depth and complexity. Dark & twisty can be used to describe the type of person in life who is generally dark and pessimistic but also has the ability to perceive a situation to be the worst it possibly can be. Er, hello trauma my old friend.

Seriously though, parenting with anxiety is rough. When you’ve lived through traumatic loss, whether it’s pregnancy loss, TFMR, or a late loss of some other kind, it’s hard to relax. Even when your rainbow baby arrives. Every sniffle, sneeze and sickness brings back that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach, and makes you worry that the worst is coming. Again.

I find it hard to push these anxious feelings away so I’ve stopped trying to. These days, rather than forcing myself to feel positive (which never works), I allow the difficult feelings. Riding the storm as best I can until it passes.

I consider photography to be one of the best forms of self care for mothers. It’s one of my favourite ways to express difficult emotions, especially ones i cant quite articulate. As a mum of two young children, I’m still finding is hard to make time for my creative self-care and my hobbies, so I need to choose things which are quick and easy. So at the moment, my big camera is out and my camera phone is in.

I’m shooting with an iPhone and find that it really does everything I need it to to express myself creatively and take photos that reflect my mood and feel soulful.

So here are some of my favourite ways to lean into those dark and twisty feelings through iPhone photography:

Photograph the shadows

Shadows represent the darker, less visible aspects of our lives and photographing them is a powerful way to express feelings of discontent. They convey a sense of ambiguity, mystery, and unease. The interplay between light and dark creates a sense of depth, drama and mood too. This light and dark contrast also creates a powerful visual metaphor for the conflicts and struggles that we face. Spring and Autumn are best for photographing long shadows. The sun skims closer to the earth which helps bring out the textures in the fallen leaves or disgarded bikes. If it’s hard shadows with harsh light, midday in peak Summer is when you’ll find these.

Focus on the details

Capturing the small details of a scene can help to tell a story and express the depth of emotions. Getting your lens close to tightly frame your shot can evoke a sense of unease. I find textures work really well for this kind of photo and raindrops are the perfect expression of melancholy. One tip for photographing raindrops, look for them on window panes and look beyond them to see the colours that lie there. Your choice of background will make or break this kind of shot.

Covert to Black and white

Eliminating colour from your photos is an easy way to make them look and feel more moody. To stop your photos looking too “flat”, try to make sure the scene you’re photographing has a good mix of light and dark areas. Black and white photos can feel moody but also calming. I love this quote from Karen Haller who wrote The Little Book of Colour: “people often use grey to quieten the emotional noise in their lives and can feel comfoted by it’s presence. Shifting to a simplified palette of white, grey and black to feel safe and secure”. So, If you’re looking for a little creative self-care, why not try to shoot your next three photos with the intention of converting them to black and white.

Experiment with angles and perspectives

Changing the angle or perspective of your shot can add depth and drama to your photos. Try shooting from low angles or from unexpected angles to create a sense of unease or disorientation. One super easy way to achieve this with your camera phone is to shoot with it held upside down, so the lens is at the bottom. You can nestle it up close to flowers, grass..or anything really to tell a different kind of story.

Shoot a silhouette

Silhouette photos are great for expressing mood and emotion. The absence of detail in the subject adds an air of mystery that leaves artistic expression open to interpretation. To shoot a silhouette, you need to capture something that is in front of a bright background such as the sun. This creates a dramatic contrast between the bright background and the dark subject, resulting in a silhouette. Silhouettes tend to look their best when they have a strong, clear outline, so finding the right kind of subject is important. Get down low and point your camera phone up to help isolate your subject. 

So how about you? 

Do you like to take photos to express yourself, improve your mental health and nurture your emotional well-being? If so, iPhone Magic : Creative Photography in the Palm of your Hand is a self-paced online photography course where you’ll learn how photographing light, composition and colour can bring calm to your days, and that the only camera you need is the one that’s already with you, all the time. Join the waitlist here for early access to enrolment and a 15% discount.