If you’re familiar with Love that Shot you know that I love to tell stories with my photography. You see, photos are more than just snapshots to me. They tell stories, hold emotion, and can even create a connection for the viewer. But you might be wondering HOW to tell a story with your own photography. And that’s what I’d like to talk a little about today…

How to tell a story with a photograph:

1 | Create Mystery

Think of your favorite thriller movie or adventure book. What is it that pulls you in? It’s the unknown. The mystery of what’s about to happen. That’s what keeps you on the edge of your seat. The same thing can happen in photography. All you need to do is build in a little of that mystery into your photograph when composing the shot. Here’s what I mean…

Say you’ve come upon a grove of trees while out on a hike and you want to capture the adventure and thrill that the majestic size of the trees reveals. Rather than photographing the grove straight on, look for the path to meander around a bend. This is what adds mystery into the shot…the unknown of what’s to come. You wonder, “What’s down that path? What’s around that corner?” By not revealing the entire scene in your shot, you build that anticipation of what’s to come.

That leads me to my next tip…

2 | Know What to Include/Exclude in the Frame

You as the photographer get to decide what you include or exclude in the framing of your photograph. This can be a powerful technique in telling your story.

When you’re composing your shot, look around the frame of the viewfinder. Do you see anything out of place? Can you move slightly to exclude it from the shot? Can you use a shallow depth of field to blur out any unwanted items? These are all questions you can ask yourself before you ever press the shutter button.

For instance, in the photo below, the subject alone tells a fantastic story, but in order to let it fully shine I needed to compose the shot in a way that eliminated the more modern and traditional houseboats surrounding it. Of course, I couldn’t eliminate them all together, but composing the shot tighter in on my main subject allows me to draw the viewer’s eye to the houseboat I want to feature. And I mean, with a subject like this, who wouldn’t want to tell its story!

3 | Color or B&W? That’s the Question

Color is HUGE in storytelling. Think about your favorite movies… are the thrillers dark and moody? Are the comedies bright and colorful? That’s done on purpose to enhance the storytelling aspect of the film. You always know who the villain is because they wear black, am I right? Haha!

In all seriousness, if you’re wanting to tell a story of tranquility, try including subdued tones in your photography. Shoot to underexpose a bit, or shoot during the blue hour to give your photos a cool tone.

On the other hand, if your story is bright and cheerful, you might include vibrant colors, and process your photo with a clean and clear technique while editing.

The absence of color all together with black and white photography tells a story all its own. You can use black and white photography to convey history, a time forgotten, or a quiet calmness.

And lastly…

4 | It’s All About Perspective

Perspective can be used in several different ways to tell a story. You can use low angle perspective to give your photos a majestic feeling… a feeling like the world is massive and you’re only a small part of it. Try this by looking up. Shoot from below your subject.

The alternate is also a great way to tell a story… give your viewers a bird’s eye view. Show your viewer how massive this world really is by shooting from above.

Final Thoughts

I know it can be frustrating to hear the suggestion to just add storytelling into your photos without hearing the HOW. So I hope these tips give you some inspiration on how to tell stories through your photography. If you have any suggestions I didn’t mention, please share them with us in the comments below!

Until next time, Happy Shooting!