How do you tell stories in your photography?
Do you see a story before you click the shutter? Do you see it develop as you process the image?
Do you prefer to tell the story as you share your images? or for you prefer to give a hint through a title (maybe) and let the viewer develop their own stories?
I never look for stories in an image. I do use subjects as metaphors but I donāt consider that to be a storyā¦ If Iām shooting foliage then itās about forms and colors and not a story on seasonal change. Personally I think that pursuing an image with a story in mind leads to inferior images. They become more literal, of a documentary nature. Others may feel differently.
Thanks for sharing your view @Igor_Doncov
That certainly puts me at ease because i found myself sometimes worried that there was no story in there
What i personally mean by a story is what the scene may represent to me or what it reminds me of and sometimes like you said it is nothing beyond interesting lines, shapes and light
Typically I do not look for a story when shooting an image but when seeing the photo I get a more layered, deeper connection or emotional response because of the story it tells. It is no longer just a record shot but much more. Hopefully that feeling is also felt by the viewer. I usually try to think of a title that gives a hint of what is different and unusual.
I agree with this. There is often an association that you make with a subject and you try to convey that association. I guess itās a question of semantics. What is a story? To me story is an explanation of whatās there. If I show rocks on the beach itās how they got there and came to have that shape. If itās cracked mud then itās a story about the rains and drought that caused it. If itās a pinnacle in Utah then itās aboud geological forces that caused it. I was referring to those type of relationships. I donāt feel that kind of pursuit leads to good imagery. Well, even that generalization is wrong. I mean fine art photography.
Since this was tagged ālandscape,ā perhaps this is geared more toward those who work in that niche. As a wildlife photographer, Iāve found there are many ways to tell stories. In some cases, the translation is quite literalā¦ documenting action as it unfolds. The story can be told in a single frame or a sequence. This is pretty straight-forward. Something happens in front of the lens, and you try and capture the moment(s). For some, this isnāt as creative of an endeavor, of course.
What I have found is that I will consciously think of storytelling through composition and camera settings at times. Placement and balance of subjects and similar artistic choices, combined with focus on a particular subject and other technical choices, can all help convey and improve oneās storytelling.
Coincidentally, I made a post on social media this morning related to landscape photography, mostly discussing minimalist compositions with subtle tones. I wrote about how these types of shots helped translate the peace and serenity in those places when I was there. That too is a form of storytelling, I suppose, if you can help the viewer feel what you experienced.
Max
Great question. For me, the images that tell stories and have metaphors are the strongest and the most interesting. However, off the top of my head I would guess something like 10% of my images do that effectively. I strive for images that tell a story but for now Iām ok with a majority of my images just being pretty or cool looking. I definitely look for compositions that tell stories in the field, but sometimes the story comes to me later when selecting images, postprocessing, or giving them titles.
Aref, I think it would help if you explained what you mean by ātelling a storyā. If you take a very broad look at the subject then every image tells a story. You take the image for a reason and that reason is a āstoryā. What am I missing here?
Good point @Igor_Doncov i think my post was too general.
But perhaps it is good that way because sometimes the story is a literal story. For example this image below (feedback aside as that was discussed in the post) to me the story hear is the parallel between how trees go through stages pronounced dead by the death of the leaves but comes back in the spring and so on which maybe analogous to certain life philosophies.
Perhaps it is the story if the geological record that you want to say or maybe metaphorical as in an image of a lone tree that could give the vibe of loneliness or perhaps resilience
I donāt know to be honest
The reason behind the post was to gauge how other photographers strive to convey something beyond the awe factor of the first look and to see if more people see this before they click the shutter or when they process as well as to see if artists prefer to keep it open and let the viewers try to reach that conclusion or give them a nudge by a title or a small description
Not sure if that makes sense
Perhaps the problem is not that images donāt tell a story but that most tell the same story (lake with a mountain behind it, water rushing in to shore. flowers in front of mountain). Perhaps the point should be to tell a unique story.
When out photographing landscapes, I try to think about the following things, and incorporate them into my images;
Good light appropriate to the subject. For grandscapes that means golden hour light, and/or dynamic weather. For abstracts and intimates it often means overcast light.
Strong visual design elements, such as lines, shapes, textures, colors, patterns. Inclusion of these things often drives my compositions, choice of foregrounds, etc.
These two things are something I definitely think about before I click the shutter, and I go looking for them. And I believe my my strongest images are the ones with both of them. Iād rather have these two things than a strong story with out these things.
I do not think of stories while I am seeking out subjects to shoot. I think it limitās you to a mindset that is too narrow, and it will limit your creative possibilities. For example, many abstract landscapes do not have a story in the classic sense, indeed in some cases the story is all in the viewers mind, and what they see in the abstract. When you you let your mind wander, and react to what is presented, you are open to creative choices.
While I donāt go looking for stories, I almost always recognize them before I trip the shutter, and only rarely discover them after the fact while processing. Itās hard to ācreateā a story through processing alone. What I do think about while out shooting is how the conditions and subjects there on that day might fit into broad themes that are in my collection of images. Can I find visual design elements that clearly accentuate a theme. If I can, then thatās the start of a story.
@Ed_McGuirk thanks for those insights that makes a lot of senseā¦ I think i am similar to you except that I donāt see anything beyond light and composition (at least trying actively to) even after i take the image.
I really never think about what the photo represents or may represent except when i see it on the screen.