Graph to show how I work with words to a story.

When I work in photography to tell a story the workflow is so different. I may have an idea or been given one by someone to cover.  I usually make phone calls and talk to the subjects before showing up.  At this point I have already got a pretty good idea of the story.

Once I arrive I allow the story to go another direction and try not to force it. I do see if things are going as I expected and if they are then great, if not I must then decipher what the story really is all about.

To me the pinnacle moment with the photography in story telling is when I have a moment that tells the story pretty much by itself.  Once I have this “decisive moment” I then continue to shoot.  I look for ways to introduce the subject/story.  I look for detail shots to use as transitions or even points in themselves about the story.  I look for a way to end the story visually as well.

When I leave I have all the visual content I will need.  I cannot call back and get a photo I missed—I can when I write.  I can call back and ask for clarification when writing.  Sometimes this can even change the story, but with photos I would have to go back and reshoot to fill in any holes in the story and I have done that before.

Graph showing how I work using photography to tell a story. No matter which medium you use you must understand your audience really well to contect with them and have the message delivered and understood. I was reading Temple Grandin’s book “Thinking in Pictures Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism” where she writes about Uta Frith, a researcher in cognitive development psychology who coined the concept of “theory of mind.” It is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one’s own. Frith uses this example to talk about it: For example, Joe, Dick, and a person with autism are sitting at a table.  Joe places a candy bar in a box and shuts the lid.  The telephone rings, and Dick leaves the room to answer the phone.  While Dick is gone, Joe eats the candy bar and puts a pen in the box. The autistic person who is watching is asked, “What does Dick think is in the box?” Many people with autism will give the wrong answer and say “a pen.” They are not able to figure out that Dick, who is now outside the room, thinks that the box still has a candy bar. Professional communicators must be able to understand the concept of the “Theory of mind.”  They must be able to correctly understand the reactions of the audience.    What I am amazed at is how both writers and photographers don’t understand the other mediums.  I am amazed at writers who can communicate in such a way that I am transported into their world. One thing I constantly come up against with many folks when they are word folks and not visual is what photos they think will work with their story.  If they were there they see a snapshot and it brings back their memories–they do not know how the audience will see the photo.  They lack “Theory of Mind” when it comes to visuals.   Many of these writers know how to take pictures and get good exposures, but do not know how visually lacking their photos are.  They have what I call incomplete sentences.  Most of the word folks that are not visual but take photos will take photos of the nouns of their story.  Here is John, here is his home, and here is where he works is what they make photos of for their stories.  They don’t see the photos telling the stories and showing the character of John and if he is a warm person and how much he cares for his family and work.  The writer uses words to lead the audience to where they want to go.  It is a very linear approach and very different to the photograph when telling a story. Photographs unlike words play to a different parts of the brain.  How they communicate is based a great deal of the shared experiences of people. Photographers are looking for triggers to help communicate. Over simplifying the process is like looking at just face expressions to communicate moods of a person. Smile can communicate happiness and frown can be sad.  The writer can control their message better because they can be sure the audience doesn’t drift off to something in a scene by not including it in the story they write even when the photographer has to contend with them in the photo.