Tell Your Story

One of the most difficult things to do as a photographer is learn how to tell a story through an image.  Sometimes the moment happens and you are lucky to get it and other times you need to help create it.  The push to creating a story telling image can be frustrating to say the least.  If you are a wedding photographer then your relationship with your clients will set the tone for your images.  

When I was in my 20s, I was setting the tone more to have fun and party.  These days I can relate to the fathers of the bride and the bride's themselves. I have many more emotional experiences to refer to in my life compared to when I was in my 20s and it was just time to party. I truly believe my images look more emotional because I am more emotional but I share that with my clients.  When I tell the father of the bride how beautiful his daughter is in her dress and I cannot wait for him to see her in it, I know he's thinking since I have daughters of my own. I always refer to my own daughters and my storyline of Conversation because it makes me relatable immediately. I earned their trust because they know I'm coming from a place there familiar with. When I tell the father of the bride, I'm not sure what I'll do with my daughters get married and they are in their address for the first time…  Then we bring the dad into the room to see his little girl in her bridal gown for the first time and the emotions are set to be unveiled. 

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You can also tell a story through capturing images for the journalistically and not speaking to anyone at all. Photojournalism used to be just for the newspaper photographers because they had jobs to go on site quickly capture images that told the Story for the headline they were trying to capture. So in a way they are looking for certain things to happen that would support their headline. I guess you can say were doing the same thing on weddings just in a different manner. I have always respected photographers who knew how to do this. I always thought it was pretty hard to walk into a room full of people that you don't know and capture images that supported the headline your editor wanted to publish. It may sound easy to most but I guarantee you it's not that simple.  I actually almost majored in photojournalism in college then change my mind. I'm too much of a people person to watch from the outside in so, I chose otherwise.  

 I think one of the hardest things new photographers have to deal with is the over saturation of the same thing. I know when you're starting off you have other photographers you admire you want to capture images like them but when you get to an age where you want to be known for your work and not somebody else's style, then telling your own story is more important than ever. When you look at my images on my Instagram and see for my website you'll notice a common thread. I love emotional/fun/interesting images captured in the way that shows you the love I put into them.  I do not use a special effect for my images trying to make them look like a particular style.  I think if you are doing this you are having a harder time separating yourself from the pack.  

My suggestion to you is to display yourself and your imagery is much as you can and that is all you show off. Do not show the special affect images that look like somebody else because it'll just separate you further and further from all the photographers who are doing just that. Tell your story.  Figure out what your story is and it does not matter what age you are. If you were young excited happy and then let that shine in your imagery. If you are an older photographer in your true passion is colorful sunsets then do it.  If your having a hard time looking at your own images and that seem yourself in them and maybe it's time to "Tell Your Story!"