Tell Your Photo Story

I had a great question from Jamie Christianson. We were talking about Macro Photography (photographing up close) and he wanted to know where I start first when I begin to photograph my subjects.

I thought about this in more detail and said to myself, “I should do a deep dive for you” because I know how difficult it can be knowing how to tell your photo story.

Most of us live a fast life and as photographers, we can take a moment in time and share it for a lifetime. So it’s important for you to express yourself with your work. With that said, take your time and photograph deep within your subject.

Some things to think about:

• Where do your eyes go first? What excites you about what you’re looking at?
• Now take your camera and photograph that area in different locations.
• Take several shots with different f-stops.
• Change your lighting. Play with front and side lighting.
• Get in close.

For example… in my flower above, I love the colors and gorgeous flower petals, it enhances the yellow in the center of the flower. My story is the yellow beauty of this flower.   How do I make the yellow pop you ask?  Our eyes go to the sharp areas of your pictures and in order to get that area sharp, I had to stack (take several in focus shots and bring them together) my shots to show you more details.

When you’re walking by flowers or subjects that catch your eyes, look deep within them. Sometimes the story is hidden and it’s up to you to reveal them to the world.

In the match below…I really loved the colors of the flame at the bottom. My eyes went there first, so I had to make sure the color was just right. My story is how beautiful the bottom part of the flame from a match is.  Thinking about the story… I didn’t want to have the flame take over so I made sure there was no wind in my home studio. I took tons of shots until I liked the composition of the flame. With the room filled with smoke, lol! I finally got what I wanted. 🙂  Tip:  Don’t give up.  If you have an idea, keep at it.  Ask photographer friends advice.  You can always ask here in my blog posts.  I check every comment.

ISO 200 f6.7 1.5 sec

Yes, it takes time to experiment and make many mistakes, but if you know what you like within your subject dedicate yourself to express it. That’s the story – now it’s your job to share your 1000 words to make a difference and to do that you must tell your photo story with patience and dedication.

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan