Storytelling?

I don’t think portraits tell stories but are part of the story. For the most part, most portraits are the nouns of a sentence. For a complete sentence, you need a verb.

Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 280, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

Storytelling?

Yes, this photo has a subject and a verb that makes it storytelling. However, one image often lacks all the elements in a complete story. This is where caption can help make up the missing parts.

Most storytellers agree you need five elements for a story—five main elements of a story: setting, plot, characters, conflict, and theme.

Subject vs. Author

Great storytelling is when you never notice the author/photographer. However, today I would say too many people think they are doing storytelling. It is all about the author/photographer.

I love this photo of my wife and me with the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy. I love telling the story of how Truett’s son Bubba asked me to give him my camera to take the photo.

Too often, the photo is what I think our generation over-emphasizes as storytellers. As a result, the story becomes more about looking at who I am with and what I am doing. Don’t you wish you were here?

Sure take these photos and even share them on your social media, but don’t let these replace storytelling where you tell the subject’s story.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5, 1/100

This young lady is peaking in and seeing does she want to be a part of this brand new Young Life club at the Rancho el Paraíso located in the Agalta Valley of Honduras. Inside the room, Daniela Tereza Perez is talking to the other youth. HOI helped bring Young Life to their campus to help reach the child in the area.

If I do my job just right, I had you clicking on HOI to learn more. So I am pulling you into the story.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 450, ƒ/8, 1/250–off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger

In my opinion–Don’t confuse a lovely portrait with storytelling. It is a noun that needs help to make a story.

Think of it this way: if you are telling a good story, everyone who sees it will take away the same story. The story impacts audiences differently, but they will be able to tell the story. Likewise, looking at a person’s portrait allows each person to make up what they think the story is about.