Photography is a large, complex piece of the puzzle when it comes to storytelling, and it’s often overlooked. A single image or curated set of photos affect mood, emotion and can help establish the message you’re sharing whether it’s an annual report, social media or blog post. Photography plays an integral role in capturing attention and getting your point across to readers.
With an iPhone or an affordable DSLR, we’re all photographers today. But it’s about being thoughtful, incorporating composition and the right lighting and capturing moments that really elevate an image, which then elevates your story.
Consider the following whether you’re the one snapping the photos or choosing which images complement your story:
Composition.
The way your subject is positioned in a photo can make your photo more or less interesting. Through techniques such as rule of thirds, symmetry or framing, you can draw the reader’s eye in.
With the image above, if you added a grid, you would see I’ve placed them in a position to follow the rule of thirds to capture your eye and focus on them.
Lighting.
This is the most powerful tool in your arsenal and it’s how you see and capture the light. It can help separate the subject from its background, emphasize your subject and add depth.
For this particular image, I wanted to create a sense of warmth indoors at Foster Coffee and the muffin and coffee in the window allows them to be back lit. The light separates the subject from the background and creates a soft, warm mood.
Details.
Detail shots tell the story by focusing on a small portion and can draw attention to specific details that may have gone unnoticed.
This photo shows another view of the same coffee and muffin by shooting overhead and up-close to show a detailed view of the ice cubes in the iced coffee.
Sequence and variety.
Once you have your shots, it’s important to arrange them in an order that tells a fluid story and includes variety to keep readers engaged.
When I photographed the coffee shop, I purposely shot a wide range of images to sprinkle throughout my personal blog and selected an order that gave you a sense of place, people and the vibe. Think about including wide angle images, medium angle images and details for variety.
