PHOTO CHALLENGE |

If there’s a recipe for storytelling through photography, this is as close to it as you can get. These things take intention, but as photographers come a dime a dozen these days, it’s your story that needs to stand out.

Character | All stories need structure; a beginning, middle, and end. Simply put: I’m doing this, I did this, then I did that, then I went here, the end. Ideally the ending wraps up the storyline, or even answers questions that are posed at the beginning. This structure creates an experience and is satisfying to view overall.

Theme | Every story needs a central idea, something you can summate in just a few words: loneliness, togetherness, love, mystery, intrigue, etc. The theme should be throughout the story, but ultimately correspond best with the final image. A strong theme will create a satisfactory experience for your viewers and enjoy the process of scanning each image from beginning to end. The discovery should be engaging and dare I say, exciting!

Location | You don’t have to be in some exotic and brilliant location to create meaningful photographs. While location-based photographs are inspiring, you don’t want to hinder your creativity by not being able to fly to the tropics tomorrow. Instead, take notice of your surroundings, remove distractions in every sense, seek good light, place your subject, and you’re good to go!

Feel | Like your theme, the mood and atmosphere of your photos sets the tone for the story you’re wanting to tell. You’re directing the ambience surrounding your subjects and of the location. A good ‘feel’ should bring the previous three elements together and make your story most convincing.

Simplicity | Like all good stories, you can’t overcomplicate the storyline. You want to relay information without giving too much detail and creating a dry, overwrought scenario. In photography, a little mystery goes a very long way. All you truly need is your location, your subject, and the purpose of your photograph.

Ending | The final component that brings your images together should do just that. Your images should tie together, have some component from the others to relate to one another. The location, subject, and purpose should collide and interact as the viewer explores your images.