The Elements of a Photographic Story

Portrait in black and white of a highland cow also known as hairy coo in Scotland.

A Photographic Story Is Made Up of Different Elements

To tell an interesting story with your photos, you need to:

Telling the story.
Building a story.
Know how to use storytelling.
Know how to use copywriting.
How to use a scenario.

Here's what you need to know to tell a story with your photos.

A Structure

A story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

It's not just a story. It's not just about juxtaposing events. You can't just say I did this; I did that, I went there.

Don't forget that viewers come for themselves, to enrich themselves, to improve, to change, to become better and different.

If you only talk to them about yourself, you'll quickly lose them. They'll tune out.

The beginning = the opening.

You need to show the environment. You need to connect with your audience.

The environment: development.

You need to integrate wider and tighter shots. The end: the conclusion.

You must always conclude a story in a positive or negative way. The viewer must know and understand that it's over.

A Theme

For a good story, you need a theme. It's a central idea.

You should be able to sum it up in one or two words: mystery, secrecy, escape, freedom, research...

This theme doesn't have to be explicit, but it does have to come out of the story

This theme must correspond to the conclusion.

The aim of the theme is for the viewer to get caught up in the game and identify with it, putting his or her own existence into it.

The Atmosphere

Atmosphere is the style and tone that must match the type of story you want to tell. You need to create a mood that makes your story more compelling.

Simplicity

Keep it simple.

A good story doesn't need complication. Don't tell too much. An overly detailed story weighs down the narrative and breeds boredom.

Method #1 for Creating a Photographic Story: Finn Beale's Method

You need 3 elements:

A place.
A character.
An event.

The Place

The setting not only provides the context for the story. It's the stage on which the characters will experience the events.

You have to present the scene. The viewer has to believe in the scene. It will set the tone for the story. You can use close-ups or wider shots.

Close-ups make for more intimate scenes. You need to get up close without zooming in. You need to concentrate, for example, on reading water, plants and trees.

A Character

He's going to be at the center of the story and may have aspirations. You need to develop anthropomorphism.

The event

Something always has to happen:

Tension.
Suspense.
Surprise.

Method #2: Donald Miller's Method

If you think back on all the stories you've loved, you'll find that they all obey pretty much the same principle. There's a real magic formula.

The main character, in other words the hero, has internal, external or philosophical problems.
He wants to solve them.
To this end, he is looking for a guide to help him.
This guide has a certain authority.
Under the guidance of this guide, the hero undergoes a transformation. He will act.
The guide will give him a plan for acting, overcoming setbacks and achieving success.

Now that you know the formula, you understand how good books and films are built. All you have to do is apply it to your photos.

Creating a Photographic Story

Not all good stories are about life. They're inspired by it.

Every good story reproduces the facts of life in an imaginary setting. It must seem real, imaginable, plausible.

A good story is always about human beings, whether directly or in the form of a parable.

If you want to create a good story with your photos, you need to talk about the viewers or your audience.

You need to talk to them about their feelings, their emotions, their past, future or present actions.

You need to evoke their happiness, their misfortunes, the questions they ask themselves.

All the stories you tell in your photos must touch the hearts of those who look at them.

Your audience must want to follow and experience your stories.

You have to encourage him to go all the way.

This is commonly known as "attention grabbing".

A good photographic story should include the following 5 elements:

a character we call the hero.
A universe.
An event.
Adventure/action.
A resolution.

More than elements, they're actually 5 ingredients. A good story is like a recipe. You mix them together to create a story.

Each photographic story has different dosages of ingredients.

This is why they are infinite in number and always unique.

Have you noticed that these elements or ingredients are the ones you find in movies, TV series, soap operas, books and fairy tales?

In truth, as you'll have gathered, telling a story with photos is exactly the same as telling a story with video, written or spoken words. It obeys the same mechanism. What will change is the medium and grammar you use.

Let's move on to the details of each ingredient in a story.

The Character

Generally speaking, for a story to come alive, the character is necessary. The viewer or reader must identify with the character.

The main character, also known as the hero, has emotions and feelings. He wants to convey messages.

The main character sets the story in motion. It's through him or her that the narrative exists. For example, in the Star Wars films, the hero is Luke Skywalker. The whole story hinges on him. If you want to apply this character principle to your photos, you'll immediately think of street photography, studio photography or war photography. After all, human beings are always in the picture. It's easy to identify with them and put yourself in their shoes.

You're quite right. It's a no-brainer.

In nature photography, if you're into wildlife photography, you're also staging living creatures. They are the heroes. That's why you need to choose them carefully and show them off to their best advantage through special attitudes. The look is also very important.

In landscape photography, the main character can be a tree, a rock, a flower or a mountain.

As with wildlife photography, you need to choose the right point of view, lighting, framing and composition to bring out the best in this remarkable element.

In landscape photography, mood helps reinforce the main character or element. That's why, when you're creating a landscape photograph, you need to set a particular focus that will be the subject of your picture.

You don't have to take a photo just because it's beautiful. If you want to make it interesting and captivating for viewers, you have to add a character.

In abstract photography, finding an identifiable character is a little more complicated. The character can be the rhythm, a color, a shape. What you need to remember about the character is that he's indispensable. The viewer must identify with him. He must therefore be easily identifiable.

The Universe

The Difference Between a Photographic Story, a Narrative and a Narration

Seascape of Isle of Skye in Scotland in black and white.

The Photographic Story, the Narrative and the Narration Are 3 Different Elements

Story, narrative and narration are closely related concepts, but they have slightly different meanings in the context of literature, communication and storytelling. Here are the main differences between these three terms.

Story.The story is the plot or sequence of events that unfold in a literary work, film, play, etc., and is the basis of the narrative.

It represents the series of events or actions that form the narrative framework. The story can be linear or complex, with sub-plots, twists and turns, etc.

The story usually answers the question "What's going on?" or "What are the main events?"

Narrative.Narrative encompasses the entire narrative work, including the story itself, as well as the way it is told, structured and formatted.

The narrative includes characters, setting, narrative style, themes, symbols, etc., all of which contribute to the overall understanding of the work.

It answers questions such as "How is the story told?" or "What elements shape the reading or viewing experience?"

Narration.

Narration refers to the process of telling or describing a story to an audience. It is the means by which the story is conveyed.

Narration can be first-person (where a character tells the story from his or her point of view), third-person (where an outside narrator tells the story), or even through different narrative points of view.

Narration encompasses narrative choices such as perspective, style, voice, rhythm, etc., which influence how the reader or viewer perceives and understands the story.

In short, story is what happens in a work, narrative encompasses both the story and the way it is told, while narration focuses on the process of telling the story. These three elements are essential for creating a coherent and captivating narrative experience in literature, film, theater and other forms of narrative media.

Create Interesting, Meaningful and Attention-grabbing Photos

If, like me, you are reading this article on the photographic approach blog, it's because you're always looking for the best way to create interesting photos that make sense and hold the viewer's attention.

There are several ways to achieve this. You can create aesthetically pleasing photos. You can express your emotions, evoke feelings, convey messages.

You can also choose to tell a story.

But you're going to ask me what to do with nature photos.

You're right about that. It's not the easiest. If you're photographing people or everyday scenes of human activity, telling a story is easy, because the viewer will be able to put themselves in the place of the people photographed and become part of the scene.

Certainly, telling a story by photographing landscapes, animals or fish isn't as obvious. In fact, it's just as easy, as long as you know exactly what you want to do.

Telling a story with a photo or photos is certainly the strongest way to make your photos have an impact.

That's what I'll try to explain in the rest of this article.

Think About Creating Photos for Others

If you want to create photos that interest other people, in other words viewers, you have to think about them when you photograph.

I'm sure you'll tell me that photography is a means of expression. You express your emotions, show your feelings and convey messages. I couldn't agree more. But this essential principle doesn't exclude the fact that you need to be interested in other people and talk to them.

You need to understand what they want from your photos, what they're going to do with them, how they're going to perceive them. You're certainly going to express yourself, but by understanding what others expect of you, you're going to make yourself understood. Photography is a means of expression, a language that enables the sender, the photographer, to express himself and the receiver, the viewer, to understand.

You can create all the photos you want, but if you don't interest others, you'll end up getting bored and breaking the virtuous circle of artistic creativity (I've already mentioned this principle in a previous article).

You must also bear in mind that each person is only interested in himself. The most important thing to them is themselves. This fundamental principle applies just as much to me as it does to you. Everyone is interested in themselves to a different degree from others, but it's a fact common to all human beings.

These are just a few of the reasons why you need to think of others when creating your photos. That's why telling a story is an excellent way to create your photos and interest viewers.

You get great satisfaction out of it, and you make other people happy by helping them.