1. How can movement or the lack of it help to tell a story?
2. How can symbolism help to tell a story?
3. How can the subject of a photo help to tell a story?
4. How can lighting and color be used to help tell a story?
5. How can perspective of a photo be used to help tell a story?
Starting my AP photo portfolio I struggled to come up with a good focus to improve my photos as I already have a good base in photography and have been taking and editing photos for multiple years. After looking at my photos I realized that one of the things that I'm missing is storytelling. For this reason I am going to try to improve the storytelling in my photos through the use of the focus questions listed above along with some other specific elements of art that I can improve on in my photos.
I wanted to demonstrate the stillness of the heron while still telling a story. I felt that a long exposure would add this feeling of time passing in the photo. I also tried to tell time in the photo by using colors, the summer colors near the top of the photo and fall colors near the bottom. I also framed the heron between the two sets of rocks so the viewers eye moves through the photo.
For this project I attempted to use movement a subject, and space to help tell a story. To do this I used a double exposure and light painting in order to help highlight the subject of the photo, along with making sure that parts of the photo weren't very overexposed and were in focus. Using these techniques I tried to tell the story of light's ability to come from darkness whether it be a natural light or a symbolic light created by someone.
In this photo I used color to help tell the story of the changing of seasons. Within this photo the transition from the green trees of summer, to the red's, orange's, and yellow's of fall from above. This transition across the landscape from above helps to show the scale of this transition and the forest itself.
In this photo I wanted to tell a story through the use of perspective. By using a bird's eye view, looking straight down on the photo, it gives the viewer a unique look into the bridge crossing the dam, with trees and aqua blue water framing the main subject of the photo. All of this comes together to help tell a story of height and the natural world.
In this photo I wanted to tell a story through the use of a freeze frame. By using this technique of a fast shutter speed I was able to capture the goalie jumping to save the opposing shot. This leaves the viewer wondering what the outcome of this shot was, helping to tell a multitude of stories all created by the viewer's imagination.
In this photo I wanted to tell a story through the use of movement. I chose to use the movement of water to help create a story within the waterfall, helping to draw the viewers eye to the waterfall and then throughout the photo. Use of contrast, minimalism, and fallen leaves also help the reader understand the time of year and the importance of the waterfall in the photo.
In this photo I told a story through the use of subject and color. I tried to tell the story of unity and disunity with nature as two people walk through the woods adorning the color green tucked away under jackets, with only a bit peeking through. The color green is synonymous with nature, thus its appearance in the photo to tell the story of two people trying to find a sense of unity with nature.
In this photo I used silhouettes, or a type of tonal contrast along with symbolism to tell a story. Birds and planes are often seen as symbolic for freedom for their ability to fly. When going through my camera roll, with my original idea being solely about symbolism of birds, the presence of the outline of a plane in this photo became apparent. Thus, symbolism and contrast work together in multiple ways to tell the story of freedom.
In this photo I used subject, emotion, and color to help tell a story. The subject of a blue jay was purposeful as it adorns the color blue, seen as a sad and solemn color. I also used Christmas lights to help convey the timeframe of Christmas. These combined with the muted blue colors throughout the photo help to tell a story of wintertime depression.
In this photo I used contrast to help tell a story. I decided to use a wider color range going from very dark in the center to lighter on the outside of the photo. This helps to draw the viewers eye to the center of the photo. The path winding into darkness also helps to add an ominous mood to the photo helping to create a story.
In this photo I used color to help tell a story. I edited multiple versions of this photo each with varying coloring to help convey different emotions. This led to one photo being able to tell multiple different stories such as providing a sense of warmth with the yellow and red color grading, and a lonely cold feeling from the blue color grading.
In this photo I used color and symbolism to help tell a story. The photo on the left has a town in the distance with a purple sky, meant to show a contrast with the degrading house and the almost luxurious town in the background. The photo on the right has very dark windows and dark thicket in the foreground contrasted by the light blue sky. Thus, I told a similar story but in a different way with different coloring.
In this photo I used lighting to help tell a story. I captured a photo of a dark building with lights on only in a few windows. This addition of lighting surrounded by darkness helps tell the story of the people in the building, making the viewer compare this to a late stressful night they potentially had.
In this photo I used lighting and symbolism to help tell a story. I took a photo in a wider format of a neon sign of a movie theater. I decided to try to convey a different time period in the photo, trying to make the viewer think of the photo being from another time hence conveying a sense of history to create a story.
In this photo I learned about using the subject of the photo to my advantage to tell a story. I researched and looked at examples of other nature and wildlife photographers to get a feeling on how to photograph an animal and then applied it to my photo.
In this project I learned about using minimalism, and color to create an emotion to tell a story. I researched how other artists use pop art, and minimalism in their pieces, and applied it to my own photo.