It’s amazing how many images the world’s photographers produce! Professional or not, images surround us in our everyday lives. What makes successful photographers stand out? What drives us to revisit the same images over and over?
It’s amazing how many images the world’s photographers produce! Professional or not, images surround us in our everyday lives. What makes successful photographers stand out? What drives us to revisit the same images over and over?
All images tell a story. Whether they’re produced as works of art, on assignment for National Geographic, or as part of a family vacation, images say more than just a shutter speed, ISO, or aperture setting. We make images for a reason.
Storytellers, by photographer/teacher Jerod Foster, is the Photographers guide to developing themes and creating stories with pictures … it focuses on visual storytelling and how a deep knowledge of your process and your personal vision can create stronger images. Storytelling often requires the use of certain lenses, apertures, or light modifiers, but the story is what holds everything together. To become a better storyteller you will explore:
- Composition, light, depth of field, and motion and how to properly use your camera technically to dig deeper.
- Visual themes and how they provide stories with interest and depth
- Types of shots and shooting styles and what they convey in your images
- Research and ways to conceptualize your story before shooting
- Strategies for developing your own effective storytelling workflow during and after the shoot.
This beautifully written and illustrated guide will help you connect the how-tos of digital photography with the who, what, when, where and why of storytelling to bring your vision and your images to life!
Storytellers: A Photographer’s Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures
Free online chapter: A Photographer’s Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures
Jerod Foster is a Texas-based editorial and travel photographer with a focus on environmental portraiture and natural history for magazines, books, and commercial clients. He also leads photography workshops and is a photography instructor at Texas Tech University. Jerod is a partner in Badlands Design and Production, a specialty book design/publishing company that also produces HD video on cultural history and conservation projects in Mexico and Texas. Visit his website and read his popular photography “Field Lighting” tips and blog at jerodfoster.com.
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