Revisiting the Photo Story

by Stanley LearyPhotography
The Photo Story

I wanted to revisit the Photo Story in case you missed my earlier post and also just to give some photos to go along with each of the points.  Here is a link to that earlier post.

Here are the basic things to look for in a Photo Story:

  1. Opener: Sets the scene for the story
  2. Decisive moment: The one moment that can by itself tell the story
  3. Details: Besides being like visual candy to the story, help often with transitions–especially in multimedia packages
  4. Sequences: give a little variety to a situation
  5. High overall shot: Gives a good perspective to how the elements all fit together
  6. Closer: Besides the classic shot of the cowboy riding off into the sunset there are other visual ways to help bring the story to a close
  7. Portraits: These photos are great for introducing the characters of the story
Not that long ago we had the youth leader for our church leave to go to seminary. I just took some photos to share with him as a thank you and for the church to use. While I was not shooting a major news story for a magazine even in a simple event like this the shots I was looking for was driven by the list above that I use on stories for magazines.
Opener
While this was not the first shot I took, it is a good opener. You can see the gift being given to Stephen Finkel where the youth group had signed their names and personalized this for him.  It really does the best job I think of all the photos to introduce what is going on at this event.
Decisive Moment
Just a nice moment where people are enjoying themselves at the event.

Stephen’s mother and sister are sitting at the table listening to the lady gesturing and in the background is Stephen.
These are two photos that capture some nice moments. The bottom photo is the one I would use if I had to choose between the two.  I can see everyone lined up to say their goodbyes and his mother and sister hearing how much he meant to everyone.  This captures the emotions of the event really well.
Details
They had bought a nice book for everyone at the event could write a personal message to Stephen.  This is a good detail shot to help round out the story.
Sequences

These help communicate how everyone was close to Stephen and wanted to let him know that he meant a lot to them.
High Overall Shot

The high overall shot helps give a perspective and also shows how many folks showed up for the event.  
Closer
This may seem strange as a closer, but most of the folks in this photo are now apart of the church due to Stephen reaching out to his neighbors and inviting them. They all talk about his impact on his life.
Portraits
Lane Alderman the senior pastor of Roswell Presbyterian Church.

Lane Alderman the senior pastor of Roswell Presbyterian Church.

Emily Wright Associate Pastor

Closer shots of the key players lets you introduce these characters to the story.  
There you have a quick use of the photo story for an event. Use it whenever you cover something and you will have the variety you need to keep the viewers engaged.