How to Tell Stories In Photos, Expert Interview With Photographer Julia Mae Hunt
Quote by brand photographer Julia Mae Hunt
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Julia Mae Hunt basking in blooms knows how to capture stories in photos.
Julia Mae Hunt takes beautiful photographs. In the past, she worked as a photojournalist and then, more recently, put up her business shingle as a brand photographer and personal coach. She captures people and moments beautifully, and when I need a perk, I go to her feed and enjoy the images she is posting to share.
I work with clients to help them sort through their old photos. Part of the process of identifying keepers from the duds is to consider those that tell stories. By learning how to tell stories while capturing moments in life, the hope is that some of those points will help others take better photos and review old photos with storytelling in mind.
I asked Julia to share some of her expertise about how she captures stories when she makes photographs, and she generously obliged for this post. In the following post, we’ll examine some old family photos to see how we can apply what we’ve learned from Julia.
With your background as a photojournalist, what are some of the tips you suggest to capture stories in photos during a special event?
The easiest way to address this is to be literal about it. Simply being aware of this is the first step. We ALL size each other up and learn something about our stories on a constant basis.
When you are about to make a photo, think about what tells the story you want. What answers the questions Who?, What?, Where?, When?, and Why? Try your best to answer those questions visually.
Birthday parties are a classic example of a photo we take every year. You take a photo of the birthday person with their cake and (at least in the beginning) there's candles on the cake telling you how old that person was. Then you surround them with everyone that was there.
It tells you the story; who's birthday it was, how old they were when, who was there, and the why and what are “it's a birthday party.” Everyone smiling (or not) tells you if they were having fun. If you just take a photo of the person without a festive hat, you don't know much more about the event or what was happening. Just the cake, who's cake was it?
I actually don't have an example of the birthday photo I am describing! The one I attached is a favorite, but I don't remember who's birthday it was. My mother-in-law’s, I think. That's her brother-in-law in the photo. Where is everyone else?
Here's another recent example: I recently did a set of porch portraits. One family got out their toilet paper and other Corona Virus items and posed with it. On their porch. There's no doubt at a glance that this was a Porch Portrait done during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. No one will ever doubt when that was taken without any written information going with it. Had we not had the toilet paper in the photo, then the photo could have been taken any time. Other families did not include their hoard items, so they told OTHER stories like, we ride bikes or we are having fun wearing our Halloween costumes, but otherwise, the photos could have happened any time. So just to summarize, look for the following:
Be aware of the story and take at least one photo that answers the questions: who, what, where, when and why. This is the hero photo and can stand by itself to tell it.
Detail shots are great, too, and support the main story. If you’re able to put them together on one page, they would tell you more information on individual photos. Close-up of the cake, people talking, posed photos of people, close-up or party favors, etc.
I think of cooking instructions that provide step-by-step views of the process as storytelling, too, right?
Sure. So telling a story in stages means you make photos as you go and just put the photos in order. All events are easy to do this way if you keep the steps in mind. This holds true for weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations—there is a beginning, middle, and end to the occasion. Plan out the order of your story ahead of time, then chunk those down into groupings of photos.
You’ve mentioned your porch family photos. These images truly tell us a story about the family, and what they’re dealing with right now. Please share a bit about this experience.
All the photos were fun, and I enjoyed it very much. Each family had a different dynamic. Some were reserved and just wanted a straight photo of themselves on the porch. Some went all out and got out their hoards, set up workstations outside, dressed up in their favorite Halloween costumes (because if everyone can wear PJs all the time, why not costumes!). Another family got out their empty suitcases because they missed a vacation. Dads were missing in a couple photos because they were working.
I generally attract clients who have a sense of humor and authenticity. This is because I choose to tell my story online through the use of funny, friendly, genuine, vibrant photos. Some of myself and my clients. The photos I choose are examples of the work I want to do all the time.
Thanks Julia! You can check out her work and more information here.
Postscript: In this post we’ve delved into what goes into capturing stories in photos. As you review your pictures there are those you consider signature moments worthy of preserving.
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Sherry and Alexandra Borzo together in Lima, Peru
Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
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The shop is a mother and daughter venture for Sherry and Alexandra Borzo of Content In Motion. They both work to help their client's stories sing. The shop is their effort to inspire a focus on healthy minds for everyone through positive thought.
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