Tell a Story with your Pictures

Thinking through the composition of a photograph often adds interest to any picture. A picture that tells a story will draw the viewer in. That may sound enlightening and obvious at the same time, but I realized that if someone asked me how to accomplish that with just one photograph, I would be at a loss for words. Not trained in the fine art of writing, I did some research into the elements of a good story and I found that thinking like a writer is a great exercise for adding "interestingness" to my photography.

You might consciously plot out a script and then purposely direct the content of your picture to relate that story. Other times a candid moment caught by your camera might reveal a story after the fact. Either way, a story telling picture might have one or more of the following elements.

• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Characters
• Point of View
• Theme

Let's apply them to photography one by one.

Setting - This is the environment in which your story takes place. In a photograph, that could be the background behind your subject. Where in the world are you? Are you in the city or the country, inside a factory or outside on a farm? The background will set the scene and it can tell half of the story. Unless the setting is the story, let it add to and not distract from your primary subject.

Plot - The plot is what gives a story a beginning, a middle and an end. How do I relate that to a single photograph? A viewer might wonder about the events leading up to the scene in a picture and what happened immediately following that moment. A simple example might be of someone in the process of blowing out candles on a birthday cake. You might wonder if the party was a surprise. Did they successfully blow out all the candles?

Conflict - Conflict and resolution are staples of storytelling. Tension between two or more subjects in your picture can create conflict for your story. Riot police confronting protesters, two people playing chess or even a cat eyeing a fish in a bowl come to mind.

Characters - Character development may be the most important element of any story and may be the most difficult to capture. A well developed character will be someone you can relate to on a personal or visceral level. The expression on a subject's face, the action of their body or how they interact with the setting are strong elements to convey your story.

Point of View - Is the viewer part of the experience or an omniscient observer. Can you look at the scene through the eyes of the main character or are you just passing by?

Theme - All stories need a primary subject. Using the elements above, that subject can be the setting, the action, the character or any combination. A sport photo can provide plenty of action while the concentration on the face of the athlete can define their character,  conflict can be evident between the player and their goal and the setting can be a professional field or a dirt lot. Every element contributes to the story.

You do not have to write a novel and not every picture even needs to tell a story, but thinking of these elements when you put your camera up to your eye can help make that photograph interesting. I include a few pictures that may suggest more than their moment.