Angling for the Story

by Kelly

Storytelling in photography. 

It is about communicating an idea, a message, or an experience with a viewer through a photo or series of photo. And in lifestyle photography (a multidisciplinary style of capturing ordinary life in an artistic way), storytelling is always the primary goal. 

As photographers, one of the best ways to add visual interest to our stories is to take a variety of shots from many different angles. In this way, it places the emphasis on different aspects of the story. Then when the individual images are put together in a photo essay, the contrast between the photos moves the story forward, and at the same time, adds interest to the overall story.

I recently completed my Week in the Life™ project which is basically a week-long photo essay.  And I thought today I might share with you some of my favorite shooting techniques and how I like to use angles to help tell the story in my photos.

#1) Shooting from the Hip

In its most literal sense, ‘shooting from the hip’ is a technique where you hold your camera at hip level and take the shot without using the viewfinder. My interpretation of this technique is to shoot at the same level as my subject, whether it’s at my kitchen table or out in the backyard.

I would say this is my go-to way of shooting…getting down closer to my subjects or standing at eye level. It is the way I ‘see’ things and I think it has become a defining aspect of my style.  And what I love about shooting this way is that I feel like it places the emphasis on the action that is taking place. The viewer is no longer a casual observer, but rather, it places them right there with me in the midst of the action.

#2) Inside Out

As a self-described homebody, I spend a great deal of time in my house. As I walk from room to room, I am always looking outside – whether it’s standing at the front door watching a storm blow in or standing in the kitchen looking out on my backyard. My view, is a big part of my everyday experience and so therefore, I think it only seems natural that I would want to capture that in my photos.

Whenever I am trying to capture a scene from inside my house, I like to include a piece of the door or window since those are most often the ‘frame’ through which we view the outside. To me, including windows and doors in my images adds a sense of place or perspective which helps to tell that story.

#3) Leading Lines

Leading lines are a powerful tool to draw a viewer into the story of a photo. (It’s our May theme too!) Whether straight or curved, leading lines move the viewer’s eye throughout the frame which then adds dimension and depth to an image.

Leading lines can take on many forms…rivers, roads, fences are the obvious choices. But I find that sometimes a more subtle expression of that can be just as intriguing.  Such as the edge of a countertop or the curve of a plate or bowl.

#4) Looking Up

I spend most of my days looking forward – working, driving, cooking, reading. For the most part, this is where the action in my life happens. This is the frame of reference for my story, so to speak. But something happens when I change my perspective and turn my camera upwards toward the sky. For me it is accompanied by a certain feeling of smallness. Which I don’t think of as a negative thing. To me it’s more about accepting my own physical limitations while at the same time appreciating the limitless nature of the universe.

When shooting towards the sky, I usually include some part of the scene to give a sense of place…anchor the story so-to-speak. This might be leaves of tree against a beautiful blue sky or a silhouette of my neighbor’s house against a brilliant sunset.  

#5) Looking down/Flat Lay

Whereas looking up often transcends the minutiae of ordinary life, looking down draws a viewer right back into it.  And depending on how much or how little of the scene is included, this perspective places the emphasis and focuses the story on the subjects included in the frame.

Think about the ‘from where I stand’ perspective. It’s such a simple storytelling device - two individual subjects – a person (or people) and a place (tile floor, beach, forest, etc.), the details of which tell one unified story.  This perspective is also used in a ‘flat lay’ which is really nothing more than a styled arrangement of an assortment of items. It’s all the rage on Instagram, and I think one of the reasons it’s so popular is that it focuses the viewers attention directly on the elements presented and removes any possibility of distraction from the setting or outside environment.

#5) Macro

Macro is the story of the details. From the wispiest hairs to the tiniest insects, macro photography immerses the viewer into another world by bringing things into view that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

When it comes to storytelling with macro photography, the actual object itself becomes less of the subject so the challenge is to capture the details while still giving the viewer some idea of what they are looking at.  (That is unless you are going for more of an abstract image which would be another blog post for another time.)

There are many ways to tell the story in a photo and this is by no means a comprehensive list.  But for me, these are tried and true techniques for helping me capture the heart and magic in my photos. These are my favorite angles for helping me to tell the story of my life.

Before I sign off, I would love to hear what some of your favorite angels in photography are.  Also, we would love for you to join us as we explore ‘leading lines’ as our monthly theme!

Until next time,

Kelly

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