How to Tell a Story in Pictures

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Have you ever considered telling a story with your pictures? Creating a series of images that tell a story is perfect for things like vacations, special occasions, or even a fun family routine. You could also do a whole Day in the Life series. Whatever story you choose to tell, I’ve got a few simple ideas to help you create it.

The easiest way to tell a story is to start with the big picture. The beginning of most stories includes the setting and the characters so take a picture of the scene you want to document. For this blog post, I’m going to tell the story of a family welcoming a new baby. In the first few images, I’m showing you the setting and introducing you to the main character.

The middle of the story is where most of the action happens. With these images, I am focusing on the details so that you can become more familiar with the characters and how they interact. Don’t be afraid to get in close when you are taking pictures. Detail shots will help to round out your story. If you’re the one taking the pictures, don’t forget to include yourself in some of the images. Set up a tripod or ask a friend/family member to take a few shots.

And finally, the end of the book is where everything comes together. Throughout the story you should be including images from a variety of angles and perspectives. You’re not trying to create a portrait so it doesn’t matter if your subjects are looking at the camera. In fact, it’s better if they’re not because then that means they are engaged in whatever is going on and that will help to tell the story better.

Once you’ve got all of your images together, it’s important to create a finished product. You can do a simple collage using a free program like PicMonkey or add your images to Dropbox and then upload them to your phone. There are a ton of apps you can use to create fun collages and then share on social media. I use PicCollage.

I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration to start creating stories with your images. I would love to see what you come up with!