Putting Story into Your Images
Added 2020-01-08 23:23:37 +0000 UTCThis is something that I believe all photographers will benefit from integrating into their list of challenges. Submissions to magazines, for example, require some kind of loose story, even if it's just a consistent visual theme with a vague hint of something else, some story - as opposed to singular, different and model-type posed shots.
I think the best way to practice this is actually with a magazine submission. It forces you to think about story, about each image and how it may relate to an image before it and after it.
The First Story - 'Waiting'
The images above were shot with Anoush Anou around a vague theme/story of 'Waiting', in Marhc 2017 in Sydney. I briefed Anoush about it before hand but really only hinted at the theme, whilst then tweaking individual shots and expressions, compositions etc, to fir the theme. There are many facets to waiting, such as a typical waiting, expectant and maybe slightly sorrowful look, there are momentary times when you 'stop' waiting and wander aimlessly, mindlessly, lost almost, and also other aspects. Anoush modelled it very well indeed.
Tech: Shot on film with the Pentax 67, Kodak film (Portra 400 and TRI-X and I think some Fuji Acros, and processed and scanned at home.
The Second Story
was shot with Laneikka, a Sydney fashion model and blogger. She was 15 years old when this was shot at the same location as the previous set with Anoush. The set was submitted and published to Elegant Magazine in late 2017 so it was more of a 'fashion story' without a particular concept other than my own . view through the camera influencing the style and emotion of the shots. See Lindbergh's fashion stories for good examples here.
Tech: D800, Nikon . 70-200mm f2.8 normally set between about f4.0 and f2.8 depending on zoom factor.
Wardrobe was supplied by Laneikka.
