Skip to content
Storyteller Blog

Storyteller Blog

Human Eyes. Honest Stories.

  • StanleyLeary.com
  • More
    • Client Galleries
    • Workshops
    • Private Lessons
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
    • Photo Tips
    • My Mentor
  • College Course
    • Introduction to Photojournalism Syllabus (Spring 2019) UGA
    • Depth of Field & Lens Selection
    • Multimedia Package
    • Audio Package
    • Features
    • News Package
    • One Face, One Story
    • Captions
    • Manual Exposure
    • Copying, Renaming and Batch Captioning in Adobe Lightroom & Bridge
    • Resizing in Adobe Bridge and Compressing Your Folder
  • Lighting Exercises
    • 1) Rembrandt Lighting Assignment
    • 2) Mixing Strobes with Available Light
    • 3) Lighting Assignment 3:1 Lighting Ratio
    • 4) Mastering the Art of Clamshell Lighting
    • 5) Shooting Flambient Real Estate Shots
    • 6) Creative Backgrounds for Tabletop Photography
  • Newsletter
  • Bio
  • Contact

Author: Stanley Leary

Most companies know the value of a good story, but do not know how to tell their own story. Leary has a process to find and tell stories that communicate how they change lives, so that their companies grow again. Some of his clients include Chick-fil-A, Newell-Rubbermaid, Coke, Georgia Tech, and The Carter Center. Leary’s work has taken him across the United States and beyond — to Chile, Peru, Burkina Faso, Canada, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Portugal and Romania. The experiences of this award-winning communications allow him to engage audiences with storytelling that builds organization’s brand. His U.S. clients find that ability translates into making their messages cross-culturally relevant with diverse American audiences and within the mainstream media. Prior to forming his own company, Leary worked on staff for The Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record and theCOMMISSION magazine in Richmond, VA. For nine years he was on staff with PR team at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. Leary is also a teacher. He enjoys sharing his expertise with others. He has taught storytelling and brand building at Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.; The University of the Nations, Kona, Hawaii; Reinhardt College, Waleska, Ga.; Berry College, Rome, Ga.; Portfolio Center, Atlanta, Ga.; and Dallas (Texas) Baptist University. He also has been a guest lecturer at World Journalism Institute, Washington, D.C.; Southwestern Photojournalist Conference, Fort Worth, Texas; Art Institute of Atlanta, Ga.; American Society of Media Photographers. Atlanta (Ga.) Chapter; and the Southeastern Photographic Society, Atlanta Ga. Clients often contract him to teach their staffs to become more visually effective in building their brand. Leary lives in Roswell, Ga., holds degrees in social work and communications, and is married to Dorie Griggs. They have three children.
  • Home
  • Stanley Leary
  • Page 137
Storyline involves a Plot

Storyline involves a Plot

by Stanley LearyMarch 27, 2014September 1, 2025

Fujifilm X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/250, custom white balance with ExpoDisc A plot "ensures that you get your character from point A to point Z." The shooting of the story is often not in…

Storytelling involves Setting The Scene

Storytelling involves Setting The Scene

by Stanley LearyMarch 25, 2014November 21, 2025

Layering is one of the best techniques I know for setting scenes. Layering is when you have a foreground, a middle layer, and a background. For example, in the photo above, I use layering to…

Storytelling Involves Characters

Storytelling Involves Characters

by Stanley LearyMarch 24, 2014September 1, 2025

Here is one way to introduce a character running straight at the audience. The show, don't tell. When introducing your character, sharing an experience of the essence with the audience is essential. With the football…

Storytelling involves conflict

Storytelling involves conflict

by Stanley LearyMarch 23, 2014September 1, 2025

My last post was on the elements of the story. This is just on one of those elements: CONFLICT.Here are some tips on capturing that for the visual storyteller. Conflict—The major problem of the story…

Visual Storytellers: The elements they use to tell a story

Visual Storytellers: The elements they use to tell a story

by Stanley LearyMarch 20, 2014September 1, 2025

  To help with the conflict portion of the plot for my story on coffee growers in Mexico, I had to talk about the immigration issue. Why did coffee farmers risk illegally crossing the border…

Storytellers: Who’s Your Audience—NO REALLY!!!

Storytellers: Who’s Your Audience—NO REALLY!!!

by Stanley LearyMarch 3, 2014September 1, 2025

James Gregg, Staff Photographer, San Diego Union-Tribune [Fuji X-E2, XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/10] All photos from the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference At every conference I attend today, I am passionate about “Storytelling” and “Giving…

Great Photos Often Start With Dramatic Subjects

Great Photos Often Start With Dramatic Subjects

by Stanley LearyFebruary 20, 2014September 1, 2025

 Fuji X-E2, XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/105 How can you go wrong with a fire-eating subject? If you miss the exposure, maybe, but if you get a well-exposed photo of something average and then…

Student’s work from the YWAM School of Photography 1 2014

Student’s work from the YWAM School of Photography 1 2014

by Stanley LearyFebruary 19, 2014September 1, 2025

 Photo by Clara Kwon These are examples of the student's work from this past week on lighting that I taught in the School of Photography 1, which is part of Youth With A Mission's University…

12 week photography workshop for those who believe photography to be a calling

12 week photography workshop for those who believe photography to be a calling

by Stanley LearyFebruary 17, 2014September 1, 2025

Dennis Fahringer has been leading a photography program in Kona, Hawaii for more than 25 years. I first heard of the program back in the 1980’s from my friend and mentor Don Rutledge. Don was…

Photographing the Island Breeze Luau cast on the beach of Hawaii

Photographing the Island Breeze Luau cast on the beach of Hawaii

by Stanley LearyFebruary 13, 2014September 1, 2025

Nikon D4, 14-24mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/200 with 2 Alienbees with CTO 1 for off-camera flash. These are triggered with the Pocketwizard Radio Remotes. I enjoyed shooting these photos of the Island Breeze Impact…

The Portfolio Presentation: Mistakes photographers make and how to avoid them

The Portfolio Presentation: Mistakes photographers make and how to avoid them

by Stanley LearyFebruary 2, 2014September 1, 2025

There are many ways you may get to show your work to someone. What you need to know is that you never know who is the actual person who may end up hiring you. For…

Digital lets you shoot in manual mode and still be in the auto.

Digital lets you shoot in manual mode and still be in the auto.

by Stanley LearyJanuary 30, 2014September 1, 2025

  Fuji X-E2,  XF 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/8, 1/1000 I was shooting some photos of birds on our bird feeder when I realized I wanted a little more depth-of-field than wide open at ƒ/4.8, so…

Posts pagination

Previous 1 … 136 137 138 … 150 Next
September 2026
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  
« Aug    

Popular Posts

  • Writing With Light
  • Disaster strikes due to a mistake
  • Shooting Video with your DSLR (Part 2)
  • Plan ahead for great Prom Pictures
  • The feedback we give to first time Multimedia Storytellers
  • Why the MagMod Sphere is a Game-Changer for Event Photography
  • Creative Synergy: Collaborating at the Springer Opera House for Impactful Storytelling
  • Storyline involves a Plot
  • The Crisis Threatening Professional Photography
  • Found my Kodak Master Photoguide

Copyright © 2026 Storyteller Blog Theme: Blog Ink By Artify Themes.