Telling compelling visual stories

Compelling visual stories are the foundation of any great yearbook. The challenge for the photographers who make the visuals and the editors who select them is figuring out which images tell the best stories. Telling compelling visual stories

Like any great storyteller, the photojournalist must… Understand the story — You cannot capture images that bring to life the story of people and events if you do not know what the story is. Include strong storytelling elements — Both photographers and editors need to locate and feature powerful visual elements that communicate rather than simply illustrate. Telling compelling visual stories

Understanding the Story – Background Research Do the research to find out all you can about the person or the event before you arrive at the assignment. Telling compelling visual stories

Understanding the Story – Observation Spend time observing the people and the event before you start shooting. This can provide the key to figuring out what people and activities will best tell the story, and the best angle and timing to capture them. Telling compelling visual stories

Understanding the Story – Talk to People Talk to the people involved with the event. They can often alert you to interesting and significant stories within the event and help you to anticipate the best moments to capture them. Telling compelling visual stories

Understanding the Story – Arrive Early, Stay Late Often the most interesting and telling images are those that capture the people and activities before and after the assigned event. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Sense of Place and Time Work to include visual elements that provide readers with a context of location and time. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Foreground & Background Include foreground and background elements that add information and interest to your photos. Eliminate foreground and background elements that do not contribute to the story. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Expression Human expression is a powerful way to add visual impact to a photo and to capture the intensity and mood of a story. Patience and anticipation are required to capture interesting expression appropriate to the story. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Interaction Subject interaction often completes the visual story in addition to adding visual interest. Cropping an interesting expression too tightly may rob the readers of information that explains the reaction. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Body Language Body language is an important and interesting way to communicate action and intensity. This is especially important in sports photography where stop action would otherwise fail to communicate a sense of competition and movement. Telling compelling visual stories

Storytelling Elements — Lighting Instead of reaching for the electronic flash, consider natural lighting as a way to preserve the dramatic look and feel of the scene. Natural lighting is an easy and effective way to give the reader the sense of being there. Telling compelling visual stories

The Bottom Line… Visual storytelling that grabs, informs and touches your readers is not the product of luck or special equipment. Compelling visual stories are produced by photojournalists who understand the story and take advantage of visual elements that enhance the story for their readers. The next slide will test your understanding of visual storytelling approaches and techniques. Telling compelling visual stories

How did they tell the story? You need to see it before you can capture it. See if you can identify the storytelling elements in the images on this yearbook spread. Telling compelling visual stories