Picture: Bazaar. China. 

There are many, many pictures on the internet, but which are the selected few that leave a long lasting impression, and perhaps that have made your heart skipped just one-tiny-bit?

Apart from the general guideline of one focus or subject in a frame, there are some tricks to capture those ‘I want this!’ images, and perhaps to submit your photographs to the next contest, and maybe to submit them for publication in a magazine.

i) Inside-out Emotions; e.g. cheekiness (above): ‘I know I look good, but I have to check on my lips.’ N.B It is not the index finger, not the thumb, not the pinky, but the ring finger. The body language of the subject unveiled something more than a lady in the picture, and maybe a safe code for suggestive content and desire.

ii) What’s going on? And hidden away from the camera (below). Subject is young, a girl with a butterfly hair-clip. ‘I’m curious, Mama.’

Girl behind the fence at Łazienki Park in Warsawa, Poland. Picture: Lin, NR.

ii) The Contradiction: ‘I know there is a disaster going on, and I am absolutely okay with it. Just swing on.’ Picture: Sean Hacker Teper, National Geographic 2014. 

iii) Completely unexpected: The very, very odd couple. Picture: Meg Kumin, National Geographic.

HuffPost and kulithesurfingcat (Instagram): Not just a regular cat. ‘I am half blind, it is okay. I am in good hands. Let’s surf!’

Recommended materials
MemNet by MIT Research: What makes unforgettable images so memorable 

HuffPost: Kuli one eyed cat surfs and swim

Written by: NY Lin