Twenty-six years ago, in 1993, I started my new job at Georgia Tech after just graduating with my master’s degree in communications. The first project I was assigned was to use the new Nikon Scanner to help start a computer catalog of the photos shot for our department at Georgia Tech.

I tried to design a system using Filemaker Pro but found the software that came with the Nikon Scanner. That software was Cumulus.

Using that software, I created the first computer photo catalog system for Georgia Tech.

In 2008 I pitched to Chick-fil-A’s corporate communication team to use PhotoShelter as the system to handle the photos online.

PhotoShelter did a story on how we implemented their online database system. Here is that link.

I have consulted many businesses, nonprofits, and colleges through the years, helping them set up their photo catalog.

This week, I saw online that Andrew Wiard posted a great article, “THE FOUR CS – METADATA MUSTS.”

I have written about Metadata and the International Press & Telecommunications Council a few times on this blog. I recommend using PhotoMechanic to embed your text into your photos so they are searchable. You can also use the Adobe products Lightroom and Photoshop to do this as well. I find that PhotoMechanic is the fastest and easiest way to edit and, most of all, deal with embedding metadata.

When you are adding content to the metadata and you click on the triangle on the right of the Keywords, you will get the pop up you see with what I use is the Structured Keywords.

You can type each of the words or use a database that is much faster.

Carl Siebert has created two videos I recommend to help you speed up the process of creating keywords with PhotoMechanic.

I have created structured keyword lists for my clients and used a generic list for my tagging. For example, Chick-fil-A needs what I call industry-specific lingo for their searches. This would be true for any business.

Google is the Gold Standard for search. Google continues to work on its system, so you find what you need when you search for something. Now Google is very advanced. If you had ten people search the same word, they would likely get a different result.

You see, Google knows your past searches and goes to great lengths to be sure your search results fit you the best way possible.

Most photo search fields for photo databases look similar to the Google search bar, and you can refine those searches as I show here with PhotoShelter.

Andrew Wiard’s “Four Cs, Five Ws and an A” is missing what I think is critical. Keywords will help your clients find your photos.

Client Searches

If you shoot an assignment for a client, they will likely not need you to find those images. Clients will call and ask if you have a photo. They will then describe what they are looking for from your collection.

Do you have back-to-school photos? Do you have beach photos? Do you have bad weather photos?

While you can remember shooting a photo and finding it, you will improve your ability to see your images had they been tagged with keywords and not just a caption.

Link to blog post explaining that, “Photographers need to understand difference between Captions & Keywords”

Too often, photographers do a poor job because “We Assume and Use Our Own Words.” We have to think about the client looking for a photo. Not the words we would use to find it, but they will use.

We often create databases that communicate something beyond the target’s comprehension level. Use words your readers will be comfortable with. 

Avoid using jargon or acronyms – and if you absolutely must use them, make sure you explain them in simple terms. Think about the client. Be clear on what you’re trying to say and structure your words to make sense to your audience.

Click on the image above to go to fotoKeyword Harvester if you want to buy a keyword generator. It works great, especially if you are new to putting keywords with your pictures.

Summary

You need to embed words into your images to make them searchable. The words you use need to be the words that clients will use to find the photos, not the ones you would use to describe the images.

It would help if you had good Keywords besides writing a good caption – that’s the 5 ‘W’s. Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Without this information, a picture is useless for editorial purposes. There is no limit to additional details, but these five are mandatory.

I suggest buying a Keyword list to start with and then learning to create custom structured keyword lists for your clients and using PhotoMechanic to embed these into the photos.

One of the best ways to create a custom keyword list is to ask your client to do this for you. Can you give me the search words you would like to use to find photos in your image library? I did this with Chick-fil-A, and this helped me to help them find the images they needed. You can combine that list with a traditional keywords list.

When you take these steps, you will make your images easier to find for your clients and you.

There is a process to finding and telling stories about how a company changes lives.

Before you can tell stories for a company, the company needs a strategy. This strategy is most always built around increasing profits. If you are a nonprofit, you are still most likely trying to raise funds.

Start with the question, “What does the company do for its customers?” Usually, this falls into two categories from my experience.

First, they help their customers with a problem they are having and cannot fix on their own. A great example is plumbers, which help unclog people’s pipes.

Second many companies provide an experience for their customers. A great example of this would be Disney World.

Decisions are primarily emotional, not logical. Even with what we believe are rational decisions, the very point of choice is arguably always based on emotion.

Companies want to inspire their customers. This involves changing the way people think and feel about themselves so that they want to take positive actions. It taps into people’s values and desires.

The best thing to do is to tell a story. Stories don’t tell people what to do. They engage people’s imaginations and emotions. They show people what they’re capable of becoming or of doing.

The key is to find the best story that illustrates how your company played the hero by helping a customer.

Make a list of customer stories you have played a part in and get these elements for each level.

1. Identify your customer crisis and the needed help
2. What would have happened if the help was not received?
3. How bad was it for them? Bump in the road, or was this life and death?
4. Are they available to capture their story?
5. Will they be willing to tell their story?

Once you have a good list of possible stories, please go through them and rank them from the most emotional to the least dynamic.

While you will try and do the story with the emotional impact that pulls on people’s heartstrings, you must be realistic and see which one is doable. Which one can you get the best visuals to support the story?

[NIKON Z 6, Sigma 35.0 mm f/1.4, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/200, ƒ/1.4, (35mm = 35)]

Many of us may feel like Joseph, son of Jacob & Rachel in the Bible. His story was made into a Broadway show Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Joseph repeated two of his dreams to his brothers, in which he was portrayed as ruling over them. In the first, the brothers were gathering wheat in the field, and the brothers’ bundles bowed to Joseph’s bundle. In the second, Joseph envisioned the sun, the moon, and eleven stars (symbolizing his parents and brothers) turning to him.

This prompted feelings of jealousy within his brothers.

You can read the story in Genesis 37 if you haven’t heard it before or need to review it.

While all those dreams would become a reality, they didn’t happen immediately.

The FaceApp, which takes a photo of you and ages you, was popular this week. It was a quick way to see into the future. It wasn’t long before someone read the fine print and realized you might be giving your data to a foreign government like Russia.

Patience Young Grasshopper

“Patience, young grasshopper” comes from a 1970s TV show called “Kung Fu.” David Carradine played the role of Kwai Chang Caine, a half-American half Chinese character in the old west who had been trained as a Shaolin monk in China.

The opening line to every show was the Master telling David Carridine, “When you can snatch the pebble from my hand ‘Grasshopper,’ it will be time to go.” The show continued for years before he finally snatched the pebble out of his hand. This, in turn, produced the saying to a young person, or any person trying to learn something that would take more than a day or two to know, “patience, young grasshopper,” and it stuck all of these years.

Seeing the Prize vs Getting the Prize

Both Joseph and Kwai Chang Caine saw the prize. Joseph, through his dream, and Caine could see the pebble right before him.

I see all the time how I can help a client using my skills to help them attain their goals. So, why can’t they see how I can help them? I can save them money, time, and headaches if they let me.

Does that sound familiar? I think all my photographer, writer, and storyteller colleagues see daily with their clients how they could help, but the client is, for some reason, unwilling to let you do your thing.

Getting 20/20 Vision

I have found that often when I look back over my career, that had I not had to wait to do what I thought I was ready to do, I would have missed out on some experiences that prepared me to do an even better job for the client.

Had I not lost my job with the International Mission Board, I couldn’t have then worked for Georgia Tech. I wouldn’t have gone back to school for my master’s in communication.

Without the master’s degree, I wouldn’t have been able to be an adjunct professor teaching photojournalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia this past year.

My skills were limited when I started working at the Hickory Daily Record in 1984. When I went to the International Mission Board, I didn’t have things in my portfolio that said send Stanley to cover that story.

While working on my master’s degree, I had to work full-time to pay the bills. I was one of the first photographers hired with a new concept Glamour Shots. That was before PhotoShop days. I learned so much about posing and working with people to do headshots.

Going After What You Want vs. Letting Things Come To You

You do need to set goals. Going to college, for instance, is necessary for many jobs. It would help if you went after that goal to get the job you want.

Then there comes that point where even if you’ve done everything in your power to make it so; you discover you can’t make it happen. This is where the letting things come to you part enters the conversation. At a certain point, we need to release control. Loosen our grip. Allow things to unfold. Please give it up to a higher power, the universe, whatever. For me, I pray about it and give it to God.

I believe what you need comes to you at the right time, even if you don’t quite understand it. My faith has taught me that God is in control.

I am learning that you need to let some things happen organically. This is where when a client brings up something; you are ready to speak. It also means that you back off after speaking.

One of the best things I have learned is that Great Ideas also require the right season. Putting seeds in the ground is a great idea to grow something. However, it has to happen at the right time of year, or they never will develop into anything. They actually can die.

Another thing I have learned is that if you plant grass seed in the late fall, it will grow in the spring. If you plant it early or later, the grass will not burst from the soil until the conditions are right. The right temperature, sunlight, and water.

Prayer for Anxiety/Patience

Father, sometimes the wait is long, and impatience gets the better of me. Forgive me and grant me the patience to await your blessings upon my life and not question your power.

Meghan Duncan & James Dockery have been catching up since their time together in Kosovo a couple of years ago. This is Meghan’s second storyteller’s workshop. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 140, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

We have a teaching schedule that requires the subjects to be available to the storytellers for 3 to 4 days during our first time in the field. Meghan’s person had some job come up at the last moment which through her whole project either out and we find a substitute or as Meghan pushed for was to pack all the process into a couple of days.

Since this was Meghan’s second workshop, Jeff Raymond decided to let her, along with the support of Bill Bangham, go with her on getting the b-roll to meet that deadline.

The project’s success dramatically affected how motivated Meghan was for what would require all-night editing.

Meghan was given this paragraph about Cesar:

Cesar became a believer while he was in prison. He became a spiritual leader within the prison and now wants to continue ministry as a pastor. He has started studies at the Facultad but is taking a break to get married. He is involved with a new church plant and will hopefully become the pastor of that church.

Watch how she got more by peeling the onion, as we say in storytelling.

If you are passionate about theological education, start the conversation with ABWE here at abwe.org/go.

Maybe you work in the media industry and want to explore telling mission stories. Go here to learn more about the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop.

Storyteller Courtney Gille is getting a b-roll of the family she is working on for her story. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 4000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 52)]

This is Courtney Gille’s second time doing the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop. She went with us to Nicaragua.

Each storyteller is given a paragraph on what the team knows about their subject. Here is what was given to Courtney.

“Erika Fucaraccio is a Chilean graduate from SCA. She began attending in 1989 when she was in the 6^th grade. Now, her boys attend SCA to receive the same Christian influence she received.”

Doing a pre-interview before sitting down and capturing her subject on camera helped Courtney dig deeper and find the emotional impact of the school on her.

Listen to the final product here in this video.

Maybe you feel the call to missions after seeing Erika’s story. Go here to learn more www.abwe.org/go.

Maybe you work in the media industry and want to explore telling mission stories. Go here to learn more about the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop.

Storyteller Ken Robinson listens in class to James Dockery teaching Adobe Premiere Pro. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 8000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]

Storyteller Ken Robinson was assigned Christian Aracena for his story. Here is the paragraph that he was given.

“Christian Aracena is a Facultad graduate leading a thriving church plant in Las Condes. They have an English translation available for their service, which ministers to ABWE short-term missionaries and other ex-pats (not just from the US). His one daughter is currently attending SCA, but his older daughter is struggling with English impacting her ability to attend SCA. They are currently homeschooling her.”

Ken wrote on Facebook, “Well, it is finished! The Storytellers Abroad Missions Multimedia Workshops are complete. The finished product is more than just this video; it is the friendship and connections made and the difference in the lives of everyone on our team. We may never know our work’s full impact until the other side of heaven!”

Watch the final story that Ken captured.

If you want to support the Facultad Teológica Bautista ABEM so they can help more students like Christian Aracena, go here to learn how to do just that.

If you want to do a workshop like Ken did to capture this story, go here, Storytellers Abroad.

Storyteller Catherine Gray is out early, capturing the b-roll of the Ciliniroglu children being dropped off at school. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1400, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 35)]

Storyteller Catherine Gray was given one of the stories to help ABWE missionaries run a school in Santiago, Chile. We asked the missionaries what they needed. One of the primary needs was funds to use as scholarships for the students to attend the school.

We then asked the team to identify some students/families who benefited from a scholarship. They then gave us this information about one such family.

“Cuneyt & Claudia Cilingiroglu are parents of four students at SCA. He is from Turkey, and she is from Chile. Several years ago, they began a local business making muffins and desserts, but it had a slow start. As a result, money was tight. Through the Student Fund, SCA reduced tuition to allow their kids to continue attending while the business started.”

Watch the video captured by Catherine to see how ABWE stepped in and gave them more than just financial help.

If you want to support the Santiago Christian School so they can help more families like the Cilingiroglu family, go here to learn more on how to do just that.

If you want to do a workshop like Catherine did to capture this story, go here, Storytellers Abroad.

Cole Buchanan is off to get the B-Roll of pastor Rodrigo Cisternas. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 800, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 82)]

Storyteller Cole Buchanan was given this small paragraph and asked to flesh out the story.

“Rodrigo Cisternas is a seminary graduate (Facultad) in Santiago. He is now the pastor of a church in Recoleta that was planted by ABWE missionaries. That church has grown to almost 300 people, and they have worked to start three different churches. He also teaches at the Facultad and has children attending Santiago Christian Academy at a reduced cost thanks to the Student Fund.”

Watch the final video here:

If you are interested in this type of storytelling, join us on future trips, then go here to learn more http://storytellersabroad.com.

If you have an organization and would like to do something like this with you, contact me, and let’s see what we can do for you.

Storyteller Jennifer Nelson works with coaches Bill Bangham and James Dockery, putting the final touches before our showing to the missionaries who helped us produce these stories.[NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 3200, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 28)]

Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, sent their former staff pastor Julian Pizarro to Santiago, Chile, to do missions. Pizarro went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for his training.

He is planting a church in the upper-income neighborhood of Los Ciruelos.

Storyteller Jennifer Nelson was assigned to the Pizarro family because they are sending their children to Santiago Christian Academy, founded by ABWE [Association for Baptists for World Evangelism], to help missionaries educate their children while doing missions.

Without the school, Julian’s wife was staying out of the ministry to do full-time home schooling for their children.

Listen to the story that Jennifer captured telling how Santiago Christian Academy is helping them be more effective in their church plant.

If you are interested in teaching in a missions school around the world, like in Chile, go to www.abwe.org/go to learn more about serving opportunities.

Maybe you are interested in learning how to tell stories like this one. Go to StorytellersAbroad.com to learn more about workshops in the future.

Emily Tromp, in the foreground, worked hard on her story during our Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop in Santiago, Chile. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 4500, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 28)]

Before the workshop starts for participants, some coaches go early to the country and lay the foundation for the workshop. We work on logistics that involve housing, food, and transportation for the workshop.

The core of this time is finding stories. We talk with the missionaries and found out what needs they have right now. These are things like a building, money for something, and people.

It is a list of wants and needs. The problem with this list is there is nothing emotionally engaging to it.

WHY?

We then ask the critical question, “Why do you need this?” They tell us what they can do if they get those resources. Often those answers are pretty generic. “We can help more people” is a standard answer.

Can you give us an example of a life changed by your ministry that you need more support for? This is when we start to find those stories.

The teacher/missionaries at the Santiago Christian Academy shared how throughout the school, they were doing evangelism of families. Some families need help with scholarships, and individuals like you and churches can also reach more people with the Gospel.

This is one of those stories.

Storyteller Emily Tromp

Storyteller Emily Tromp shares the story of Maria Paz Gonzalez, a single mother who lives with her daughter, Antonia, in Ñuñoa, Chile. Maria has dealt with a great deal of adversity regarding her health and has struggled with heart issues that have impacted her ability to work. Due to financial difficulties arising from her medical needs, she did not believe she could afford to send her daughter to Santiago Christian Academy. Still, thanks to the “SCA Student Fund,” the school has been able to cover the costs of Antonia’s education. Despite continued struggles with her health, Maria keeps a positive outlook on life and thanks God for everything he has given her.

To support the student fund, go to abwe.org/give and search for Santiago Christian Academy Student Fund.

Maybe you are a storyteller but have never done a mission story. We are planning workshops right now for next year. Go to the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop website and start the process so we can alert you to the trips and dates for next year.

The workshop is designed for those with a working knowledge of photography and some basic writing skills. Many of the past workshop participants worked on their college newspapers, studied communications in college, or worked in the industry.

The workshop is designed around doing what a seasoned pro storyteller would do to tell stories for a missions agency. Our coaches have been working on missions for years. I grew up in missions and have professionally done mission storytelling since 1984.

Here are some of the things we address and this is not a complete list:

• Identifying the Audience
• Identifying the Client
• Navigating the politics of missions organizations
• Cross-cultural issues
• Difference between using logic and emotions to tell stories
• Why you need to know the story before hitting the record button
• Understanding how Human Voice, Words, Visuals, and Music can all tell a story more effectively
• Having a “REAL DEADLINE” and delivering a finished story to the client
• Coaches share their call to “Missions Storytelling.”
• Deep dive into a person’s life that you get to tell their story

“The debilitating interpersonal impairments experienced by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder are assumed to result from a neurocognitive impairment in the basic motivation and ability to understand people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – perhaps even their own.”

– Personality and Self-Insight in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder by: Roberta A. Schriber, Richard W. Robins, and Marjorie Solomon

I want to fit in and connect with people. This desire has led me to try and understand good communication skills and do a LOT of self-evaluation.

People with Autism and those struggling in storytelling have something in common. We can get a message delivered but are often perplexed about why the audience isn’t responding.

I am on the Autism Spectrum and considered to be high functioning. What is essential to understand for this blog post is, at its core, Autism is a disorder that has social impairment at its heart.

My wife, family, and friends have all gotten used to me. I will be deep in thoughts, and when something fascinating is in my mind, I often share this with those around me.

When I do share these thoughts, I am seldom taking the time to understand what is going on at the moment with them. I do a poor job of meeting people where they are in that split second and helping them make a transition to something I would like to share.

Guess what? When it comes to business and communications in general, this is a problem for everyone. When you have something to sell, you are like someone with Autism. You have a tough time meeting people where they are. People constantly are talking about everything they know about their product but do not understand where your audience is at the moment and about the product they are selling.

One important thing people in business and Autism have in common is often lacking an understanding of self.

We are so into our thoughts that we are not thinking about how we come across to others [AUDIENCE].

Two common themes I heard throughout my life are that first; I need to learn to meet people where they are in the moment. Secondly, almost everyone said that once people got to know me, they appreciated me much more.

You cannot survive very long with these characteristics when you are in communications or sales. You need to be seen as a person who cares for others. You need to be seen as someone interested in others and not just yourself.

The hardest part of storytelling is not knowing your subject or peeling the onion to get the best story. The hardest part of storytelling is meeting the audience where they are with the story.

Stanley Leary

It would help if you did as much research understanding your audience’s knowledge of the subject as you do about your story/product.

When it comes to storytelling for nonprofits, you will always have a “Call to Action” at the end of the story. Now that you have heard this story, you can get involved.

People take action to work with a nonprofit because of a few things.

• They have the skill the nonprofit needs.
• They have a heart for the nonprofit
• They have someone who is involved with the nonprofit that they care about [ie..family or friend who they want to support]

In narrative storytelling, the hero of the story, the subject, has a problem they cannot solve alone. They need some help. Either they have someone to help them, like a mentor or a resource that helps them overcome adversity and become better because of this process.

Many nonprofits are about providing education. They need teachers, administrators, and others to help run a school. When telling a story of someone they helped, this helps to describe what they do and invite others to help them continue doing this with even more people. If the audience has people who have worked in education in some way, they may see themselves wanting to be part of the organization. A teacher who just finished 30 years teaching and retired in their early 50s may want to go and teach in a nonprofit and give back.

The storyteller must know what the audience can do to be a part of the success of the future story of the organization.

Once you understand your audience, you now know how to meet them where they are and tell the story in a way that helps them to see how they are part of the solution.

Here are some questions to consider if you engage your audience as a storyteller.

• Have you had to change the story because of the audience?
• Have you asked questions that you wouldn’t have asked but the audience may ask when working on a story?
• Have you ever created a focus group of an audience and asked them what makes them want to participate in a nonprofit?
• Have you ever created a focus group of an audience and asked them what turns them off about nonprofits?
• Have you ever dropped a great story because it doesn’t help the organization?
• Have you had to talk a client out of doing a story because it doesn’t engage the audience?

Have you adjusted how you tell a story because of the audience?