How to tell your story through a photo
“ Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” Dorthea Lange
You see people making money from taking photographs of the things that they love, and you dream of doing the same thing, but fear that it’s going to have remain, just that, a dream. You think that you need to do something practical instead, like study corporate law, became an investment banker ( do you really want to wear a suit and tie everyday?) , or maybe you spring for it and study to be an oncologist. ( PS: these are great paths if that’s what really lights you up)
I”m not going to give you career advice today, I’ll let you battle that one out with your parents. What I am going to do is talk to you about one of the reasons why some people’s photos stand out, while others go by unnoticed.
It’s that some people, the really good ones, they figured out how to have a personal style and voice in their photos. They had something to say, and weren’t afraid to say it.
They’ve uncovered how to make their photos stand out in a world of sameness. They’ve figured out how do what they love, and how to do it their own way, instead of copying what everyone is doing around them.
They’re interesting, they have a story to tell. Their photos make you want to run faster, travel to the end of the world while riding donkey. ( well maybe not quite like that, but you get what I’m saying.) Their photos have feeling.
They aren’t trying to be the next Dorthea Lange, Ansel Adams, or Annie Leibovitz, they’re striving to be the next __________________________ ( fill in name).
Now it’s no easy task to uncover your personal aesthetic ( look/feel, and make it show up in your photos, but when you do, that’s when people start to notice.
Today I”m going to share the first step with you, and if you decide to take the time to take just this one action, you’re already going to start to pull ahead of your peers. Today, as in right now, you’re going to begin to uncover your personal aesthetic.
My tool of choice for this exercise is pinterest, but you could also create a collage, or take a lot of screenshots on your phone.
Let’s get started.
- Collect 25 images related to nature that you like
- Collect 25 images of fashion/ clothes that you like
- Collect 25 images of art that you like
- Collect 25 other images of things that you like ( make sure that you like the actual image and not just the item.)
Check back in next week and we’ll talk about what to do with your collection of images.