In order to get great pictures you have to learn to tell stories .
I know that it seems that one thing has nothing to do with the other, but deep down they have a whole relationship. We often think that a good photographer is one who has a magnificent and spectacular SLR camera, one who has a range of lenses suitable for each situation, or perhaps one who has been able to afford a very expensive SLR photography course.
While it is true that all these means help (to a greater or lesser extent) to obtain that desired photo, I have to tell you that the secret of a great photograph has nothing to do with the camera itself, nor with the objective, nor with the advanced technical knowledge of whoever has captured it. No way.
The magic of a photograph resides, most of the time, in the story it tells.
HOW DO PHOTOS TELL STORIES?
We believed that to tell stories you had to become a writer, novelist or storyteller. But nothing could be further from the truth. Have you ever heard that famous saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” ? It is because the images speak. Tell stories.
This phrase does not only apply to the informative photo, the typical journalistic photo that recounts an event. The phrase is also valid (and above all) when it comes to photos that convey a story, feeling, emotion or reflection.
Look back and think about all those photos that once captivated you. They all conveyed something, told a story. The story was not written, it was not explicit, but it was implicit in the photo, in a subliminal way. A subtle message that your brain receives, processes and archives without you even realizing it.
A FEW INSPIRING STORIES
Here is a small inspiring selection that will make your mouth water ?
5 GUIDELINES FOR TELLING STORIES THROUGH A PHOTO
As soon as you start looking for that "story" and putting it into your shots, your photos will no longer be the same. You are going to impress yourself first and you will feel enormously proud and satisfied, I guarantee it. Here I leave you a series of simple guidelines that you can follow and apply every time you look for one of those stories. Keep in mind that these are not absolute rules, there is no black or white here. To tell a story anything can go, you have to experiment above all. That being said, here are a series of little tricks that work for me and for many photographers:
- Use inanimate objects and things and give them human properties . (The example of the 2 coca-cola bottles). A simple bottle or glass can star in a story of love, happiness or loneliness. A lonely or old tree can tell a great story.
- Being real people, portraits convey stories much more easily . When shooting portraits, try to make the character reflect some clearly identifiable emotion: surprise, laughter, fear, pleasure, peace, confusion, etc.
- The old and the children are always a succulent subject to photograph . Both age groups touch us more easily and evoke stories in our minds with hardly any effort.
- The spontaneous scenes are the ones that tell the best and most sincere stories.
- Black and white photos evoke nostalgia, are romantic, and easily find their way into our hearts and minds.
