In addition to choosing whether you want to tell stories with a single or multiple images, you should also decide what kind of story do you want to tell.
Visual storytelling series#
The first and last images in a series are the most important because they have to be strong enough to grab a viewer’s undivided attention. On the other hand, a series of photographs allows a viewer to process each image independently and then connect multiple images into a cohesive storyline. A single frame might be very powerful but it’s still only a part of the bigger picture. Single Shot VS Photo SeriesĬan a photographer narrate better stories with a single image or with a series of images? While it’s not easy to answer this question since it depends on the topic of storytelling, it’s still important to remember that a single image is only a “semi-truth” because it’s impossible to tell everything in just one photograph. Never assume that everything will happen smoothly and that everyone will behave just the way you expect them to! Be prepared to tackle various issues that may arise at any time. It can be pretty useful to learn a little bit about the local culture, cultural practice, events, and behavioural patterns of the subjects you’re going to photograph. When it comes to storytelling in travel or documentary photography, each place and its people will have specific tales to tell and this can be purely entertainment or to do with cultural preservation or even aimed at societal issues aimed at instilling moral values. Street photography is also a form of documentary photography that is great example for conveying stories through photographs and this can be executed well if you walk around the area, so you get an idea of what to expect. If you carefully scout the area you will shoot before the actual session, you will know what kind of lighting is available (and what to bring) and what kind of weather patterns you can expect.
In addition to this, there’s a practical value of planning your shoot ahead. However, keeping this order in mind can help you avoid chaos and edit the story in less time. Often during a shoot, you might not be able to capture the photos in the exact order you planned. You should also consider using some symbols in your images in order to convey your message more clearly. The planning process should include selecting the topic, doing a research on the topic and planning your shots – they should be very diverse and visually appealing. You must plan in advance how are you going to visualize the story you have in your mind. Planning is one of the most important parts of visual storytelling process.
Visual storytelling how to#
The following 6 fundamentals of storytelling through photography can be very useful especially if you’re still new to the concept of storytelling in photography and you want to learn how to tell stories with your photos: 1. In case of a series of photographs, images are ordered in a specific way for telling stories, with the aim of affecting the viewer’s emotions and intellect. To put it simply, it’s a way for a photographer to tell a story with a series of photographs or even single photograph sometimes. If you read magazines like National Geographic, you’ve surely seen some great examples of photographic storytelling many times. There are many forms of storytelling like written, oral, digital, etc., and in photography, storytelling is usually called a photo essay or photo story and it’s a rather common practice.
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