essential skills: digital photography in available light
Capturing a story
How many movies have you seen where the opening scene begins with a long and high shot of
a town or city and moves steadily closer to isolate a single street or building and then a single
individual. This gives the viewer a sense of the place or location that the character inhabits. A
story constructed from still images often exploits the same technique. To extend and increase
the communication of a series of images the photographer should seek to vary the way in which
each image communicates. There is a limit to the communication a photographer can achieve by
remaining static, recording people from only one vantage point. It is essential that the photographer
moves amongst the people exploring a variety of distances from the subject. Only in this way will
the photographer and the viewer of the story fully appreciate and understand what is happening.
The photographer should aim to be a witness or participant at an activity or event
rather than a spectator.The images that create a well-crafted photographic story can usually be divided or grouped into
four main categories. Not all stories contain images from all four categories but many editors
expect to see them. The categories are:
- Establishing image.
- Action image.
- Portraits.
- Close-up or detail image.
Vietnam Vet Motorcycle Club at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne