William Albert Allard—Storytelling

Lessons 21–22

P

rofessional photographers often travel the world to produce
photographic essays, but anyone can tell a story with pictures without
buying a plane ticket to a faraway place. You can tell a story about the
neighborhood you live in or your own backyard. The elements of lighting,
composition, and other aspects of photography discussed in this course apply
to wherever and whatever you decide your story will be.

Building Stories through Pictures
When you’re building a story through pictures—whether it’s about a country,
a neighborhood, or a subculture—look for images that give the viewer a
sense of place. This is vital to the story. You need pictures that say something
about where you are, what it’s like to look around the place you’re in, what
others might see there, and—if the picture is good enough—what it might
feel like to be there. Think, too, about what the people who live in this
place are like—not just how they dress, but how they look when they reveal
themselves while working, at play, or in quiet, intimate moments.

+RZGR\RXJHWDFFHVVLQDQHZHQYLURQPHQW"7HOOWKHVXEMHFWZKR\RXDUH
what you’re doing, and why you think it’s important to tell this particular
story—perhaps to show a way of life that may be dissimilar to many others
but may explain how certain people live, even though they’re vastly different.

Using Portraits in Stories
Portraits are a wonderful addition to a photographic essay. You can think of
portraits in your work as either found or produced. Found portraits include
those of people you see in a café or on the street and with whom you usually
have no communication. Produced portraits are those of people you approach
and make arrangements to photograph. Many times, these are made in an
interior, as opposed to outside. Very often, the strength of a portrait is found
in the eyes, but that doesn’t mean your subject always has to be looking at
WKHFDPHUD$JRRGSRUWUDLWPD\¿QGLWVVWUHQJWKLQDPRPHQWRUDJHVWXUHRU