SIX ESSENTIAL TIPS

The key skills you need to learn if you wish to succeed at storytelling with portraits

1

KNOW YOUR SUBJECT You can’t tell a story that you yourself don’t fully understand. Do some thorough research and preparation, and get a good grasp on what it is that you wish to say about your subject.

2

CONSIDER POTENTIAL PROBLEMS If you want to produce a series of images that hold together well, you need to know what potential challenges you might face and how these can be overcome.

3

ENSURE COOPERATION You will get much better results with the full cooperation of the subject or subjects you are photographing. It’s very important that they want their story to be told.

4YOUR

TAKE YOUR TIME Don’t rush, and keep eyes open for details, expressions and poses that will enable you to tell the story better. Be sure to plan, but don’t allow this plan to blind you to more potential shots that might be available.

5

LOOK BEYOND THE MODEL The best stories are told through more than just the model – the props and the environment all have an important role to play. The placement of the subject within the scene and their interaction with it is key.

6

FIND A STYLE YOU CAN REPEAT If you are taking your photos across several different shoots, you need to ensure you have a lighting style that can be easily repeated. Your style of editing in post also needs to remain consistent, to bring your work together as a whole.