Drama tends to be exciting, in life and in photography. Drama seems to ask questions, questions that make you look at an image longer because those images just beg for your attention. Let's look at this image:

Yes, the image has nice color and good light. There is drama between the light part of the dune and the shadow side. The real drama is the interaction between the tree and the harsh desert. The desert speaks of death. There is no water. Yet, the tree seems to survive. This kind of drama poses questions such as:

• How does that tree survive?

• Where is the tree getting water from?

• How long is it going to survive?

• What made this tree survive when two others have already died?

• How did the tree came to be planted there?

The image is simple, yet thought provoking. It is the drama that makes the image what it is. Drama is always in play when life and death are juxtaposed. When you see death everywhere, start looking for life to juxtapose with it. When you see an abundance of life, look for death to juxtapose with it. These two contrasts often make for great images.