Every Photo Tells A Story

I’ve discovered that a picture is an amazing tool to spur creativity. Have look around and let your creative juice flow.

There are many reasons that I love photography, not the least of which is that a photograph has the ability to convey stories to those that view them. One such medium for story telling in the time we live is digital photography.

A photograph has the ability to convey emotion, mood, narrative, ideas and messages all of which are important elements of story telling. Of course the gift of story telling is something that doesn’t just happen good story tellers are intentional about learning how to tell stories and practice their craft.

A common multiple image story that many of us will be familiar with will be the photography we do on a vacation. Whether we consider it or not such a series of shots documents the experiences that we have over a period of days/weeks or even months. I’ve included a few photos from one of my recent trips that tell the story.

Location photography covers a wide range of disciplines. To acquire the essential skills required to become a professional photographer takes time and motivation. The skills covered should be practiced repeatedly so that they become practical working knowledge rather than just basic understanding. Nature Beautiful scenery pictures is generic name on beauties of landscapes, mountains, cities, beauty of mother earth, green fields and mountain valley.

Photographic stories are the visual communication of personal experience; as such, each story is potentially unique and is the ideal vehicle for personal expression.

To communicate coherently and honestly the photographer must connect with what is happening. To connect the photographer should research, observe carefully, ask questions and clarify the photographer’s personal understanding of what is happening. Unless the photographer intends to make the communication ambiguous it is important to establish a point of view or have an ‘angle’ for the story. This can be achieved by acknowledging feelings or emotions experienced whilst observing and recording the subject matter.

Stories come in all shapes and sizes. Some are long but others are short. Thinking photographically, these short stories might be one, or maybe two, images.

Most newspaper photography fits into this category of story telling one image that attempts to capture the essence of an accompanying written story.

They don’t have the luxury of multiple frames to introduce, explore and conclude so almost always tell the story of a single event rather than a longer one. Such shots need to have something in them that grabs the attention of a viewer. They also will usually have visual and/or narrative focal points that lead the viewer into the photo.

THINK BELIEVE AND CREATE