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telling a story with pictures

Just like any good oral story, photos can tell a story if you follow the basics: Have characters in action, show a beginning, a middle, and an end. Photojournalists have been successful at this technique for years, and you can be too. And while every single picture does tell a story, a series of pictures may tell the whole story better.

Here are a few tips for your story-telling shots:

• Take your viewers on a journey with you.
• Establish the location, time, and atmosphere to help the viewer imagine the situation better.
• Retain the standards of good photography: lighting, focus and framing.
• Pack as many story telling elements into each photograph as possible.
• Don’t think, just shoot. Take as many shots as possible (especially if you’re using a digital camera) as rapidly as possible to capture the right moments. You can weed through them later to select the final sequence.
• Include your subjects in as many shots as possible.
• For drama, be sure to show situations and their possible outcomes.
• To show personalities, shoot emotion and motivation.
• For action, shoot tight shots of hands, feet, etc.
• On final section, offer a logical but surprising ending.

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