Visual Storytelling

A picture is worth a thousand words, and most of the time we as photographers have writers block.

Visual storytelling is an expression of our vision, in images, rather than words. So, many times my students or even peers will tell me about the situation they were trying to capture and it seems their descriptions are more vivid than their actual photos.

Why is that?

One of the problems is that we try to include too much in every image. Sometimes all we need is part of the whole that will speak volumes about our story. Be subtle, be gentle and your vision will be heard loud and clear. This was obviously a wedding that I photographed. Hands are always so important but so overlooked IMHO.

I’ve composed the image with the groom’s hand in the upper left area of convergence. The viewer doesn’t need to see either of the couples faces to know that they are in love. In fact, I believe it is better without them. Less equals more in this image.

Next time you go out to shoot, try looking at pieces of the whole. Compose, check the lighting and wait for the perfect moment and capture it. Then your images will truly speak of your vision. Enjoy!