Storytelling through images
Sometimes one image just isn’t enough to communicate a story and this is when being able to create and curate a set of images can be a really powerful tool. Start strong, finish strong. With an abundance of imagery online, I love to start a set of images with my strongest image to capture my viewer’s attention and I’ll usually save the second strongest image, for a memorable finish. In saying that, I haven’t stuck to this concept as I wanted to introduce the set with the idea of the place to set the context, but in general starting and finishing strong is a good rule of thumb! Order. I don’t necessarily group images by chronological order. While I’ll loosely sequence them together based on when they were taken, I’ll also cluster sets by visual elements such as tone, quality of light, content, colour etc. For example, some images are from different days in different environments and lighting situations. However, the color links them all.
Surprise your viewer. When I’m sharing work, I try not to be predictable with the way I sequence images together, I love adding-in surprises or elements of the unexpected to keep my viewer’s attention (this also makes it interesting for me too!).
Context and details. When storytelling, add wide-angle (zoomed out) images for context and add in close up and details for interest or to break up repetitive shots.
another example of transitioning the story, different days, different context, putting them together to create a sense.
Culling. Less is more. Culling is the key to a good series, avoid repetition and remember you don’t need to tell every second of the story, our brains can cope with tenuous links and these are often the most interesting! After I blog or create an Instagram story I’ll often look back over it with a critical eye and end up pulling out a few images. Although I’m emotionally attached to many of my images, I know I can build a stronger set by keeping it short and sweet and to the point.
If you are selecting what images to put together, try looking for a visual element that links them, for example in the images below, all of the shots are linked through-line. If you are finding it hard to make images look good together, often converting them to black and white will help!
I hope this blog post has been helpful to you! If you’d like to get more info like this straight to your email then you can grab the goodness by clicking here. Another one of the key things I’ve worked with my clients on is image curation. If you’d like to know more about how to better curate your website, social media platforms or just how to create a beautiful photo gallery then send me an email -info@Raulmoreno24productions@gmail.com
