SKP PhotoTips - It's Storytime!

Famous author Ernest Hemingway wrote a story in six words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."  Think about it for a bit - there's a huge story behind those few small words.

[Right here I sidetracked myself by doing a search on writing a story in six words and found a site with a bunch of them.  My favourite was from Alan Moore: "Machine.  Unexpectedly, I'd invented a time".  But I digress...]

In photography we have a similar opportunity.  One image can portray a powerful message - think about the famous Vietnam War photo taken by Nick Ut (click HERE).  While we are not necessarily in a position to capture such a haunting image, we nevertheless can look around us for ways share a story with our audience.

This first photo is an example of not quite giving enough detail for the viewer to allow his or her imagination to run.

I was inside a shop and turned around to see the little girl in total awe of the window display.  To be honest, this is more of an opportunistic snap than a composed photo - I knew I'd lose the moment if I took the few seconds I needed to change settings on the camera.  It's still a cute photo of the girl, but the viewer can't tell the reason for her expression.  What she's gazing at is a window full of little rubber duckies; the classic plain duckie, a policeman duckie, a country duckie - all sorts of different and fun characters.  I'm pretty sure I had a similar look on my face when I stood outside the shop...

I took the following photo of a tiny snail on an epic journey this past summer while on a hike in the North Georgia mountains - a simple photo that allows the viewer to construct a quick story in their mind.

As a side note, it's also a lesson for us photographers - don't forget to pay attention to the small stuff all around us.  And that's pretty much what we're all about - noticing and capturing the moments that others might not see.

Lastly, here's a photo from the first post on this blog - of the Atlanta Renegades rugby team (click HERE for that post).  It was an emphatically one-sided match, as can be seen from the mid-first-half score of 64-0 and the complete resignation of the opposing team player.

So go on - get out there and tell those stories that are all around you!  There's sure to be plenty of them coming up in the next few weeks, with family and friends gathering.