Storytelling Compositions


This is my first news article ever submitted for features, so please forgive me if there are any mistakes.

I first heard the term "storytelling composition" from a book. This book, titled "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson [link] is the best how-to photography book I've ever read. I highly recommend this one for anyone who wishes to ditch their automatic settings and go fully manual.

So let's get started. What is storytelling composition?

Unfortunately, I loaned my book to ~pixcee, so I can't write exactly what the author said, so I'll give you my own definition!

A storytelling composition is when a photographer has successfully depicted his or her emotions or an event through the lens.


So let's begin. Here's what made these photos work:



Selective focus

Liquid Confidence by ~TattooTheWorldArt
Treat Please-Summer Project V by ~meiken

By focusing on certain elements of the composition, attention is drawn to one element, before the others.



Eye-to-eye interaction

Mommy by ~serene-gemini
'got a licence for that?' by *y2jabba
All Shook Up by ~spongetoast19
Artist by ~Nocturnatum
How Much-uh for That-uh Fish by *MlleDinkley

In portraits, the eyes are naturally the first point of focus. Hands are second. During candid portraits, photographers can use the eyes to their advantage to tell the story.



The use of hands

Red Riding Hood by ~Prettyscary
No More Dreams by ~DGolden
burn by ~mscully
27.4227 by ~tesener
Dark room by ~Snpri3
Inspire Me by ~lucidreamer20
Rosita Hiding by ~Nocturnatum
For A Pessimist... by =jay-grammer
happiness by ~mscully

As stated earlier, hands are the second focus of interest when seen in a photograph. These photos take advantage the hands, especially when there are no eyes in the picture.



Foreground interest

Sunken by ~explicitly
The 5th of November by ~clashcityrockr666
Picture In Picture by ~photophrensy
Asking for a Direction by *gogirlanime
Vacation by *gogirlanime
Marilyn... by ~Tieran
Last Trekker on Earth by ~Katzilla13

Elements are added to the foreground to complement the overall composition of the photo.



Perspective

Is not that easy by ~heresthebasssolo
Shrine Entrance by *gogirlanime
Pathway to Moon by ~himanshu-kapoor
waiting by ~mscully
We will become silhouettes by =OmahaNebraska
Spooky by ~Fruitonica

Taking advantage of lines and drawing the viewer from one side of the photo to the other.



Positioning

brokedick by ~mscully
Trekking Capitol Reef N.P. by ~Katzilla13
The Lonely Seagull by ~CocoaTheMonkey
Bricklobbing by ~billy-pilgrim

Always the simplest form of an effective storytelling composition is to use thoughtful placement of the elements in the photo.

I hope you enjoyed my article and the features. Sorry not all of you were featured, but thank you all for your contributions.

As a final note, I shall conclude with some of my photos to which I’ve applied some of these principles.