My Photo Editor Mind - Photo Story/Projects Part 2

So now you have decided on a topic for your story. Let the research begin! Doing research will help you get a better understanding of your topic, and this will give you ideas about how to tell your story and find out whether the story has been done before. It will also help you focus and clarify the direction and give you an idea of where to find subjects.

I think that finding a subject for a story can be one of the most difficult parts of a photo story. Many, many years ago I wanted to do a story on college women and binge drinking. I needed to find a subject who went with the story I had been researching; I knew I wanted someone of legal drinking age, so I went to bars to find a subject .… and got turned down repeatedly until I found a woman who agreed to be photographed. Rejection is part of the process, and there can be a lot of it; you need patience and perseverance, but the payoff will be worth it. A great subject can make a story.

Finding subjects can be difficult. I’ve recently been asked where to find subjects for a story. Well, if you have done your research, you might have heard of an organization that serves your topic, but consider support groups and social media too. Find out where the people you want to focus on gather. Let’s suppose I couldn’t find my college student at a bar. Well, I could go to the college campus, find out when parties were being held, talk to students, or find out where the women’s dorms are. This is a lot of footwork and knocking on doors; again, this is probably one of the hardest parts of doing a story.

After you have found the subject for your story, you have to ask yourself, “Now, do I have a story or a situation.” “What?” you might ask. “What’s the difference?” Let’s say, for example, you are working on a story about the recession. You have a family where the parents have lost their jobs (it already happened). That’s a situation. But then you find out they are losing their house too, and they are moving out of their house because they can’t afford it. Now you have a story. Now you have a story arc. There will be results from them moving out of their house and those results will be your photos. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that dramatic; it can be more subtle, but you need an arc.  

Just wanted to say again, finding subjects can be the hardest part of your story, so if you do your research well, find a great subject and make sure you have an arc, you will be setting yourself up for success. 

Next week, starting to shoot your story.

If you missed part 1, it’s on my blog at maryvignoles.com.

My Photo Editor Mind - Photo Story/Projects Part 1

I’ve been talking to a lot of photographers lately about photo projects, so I thought I would do a multi-part series blog post on the subject. By no means will I cover every aspect, but here are a few things to consider.

There are so many aspects to doing a photo story, but let’s start out with why do you want to shoot one? What do you want to say? Is it a trend story? Does it have a news angle? Or is it something you want to shine a light on? If you don’t have a story in mind, I always think the more personal the more universal. Pick a topic that you care about. You will probably be more invested in the story.

I’m not trying to be funny, but ask this of yourself honestly. Are you doing a story because really successful photographers do stories and you think you should too? As I’ve said before, there is a place for all types of photography in this world, so be true to yourself.

How long should you spend on a story? I know people who spend years, and I know people who spend a week. Think about the way you shoot, and ask yourself if you’re the kind of person who gets bored after a week. There’s nothing wrong with that, but maybe a really long-term project isn’t right for you. If you don’t spend 2 years on a massive and complex story, are you a bad photographer? Goodness no. Depending on the topic, a well-shot and well-planned one-week story can be just as hard-hitting as a year-long story.

As both a photographer and photo editor, I’ve always been drawn to longer term projects. I like getting completely immersed in a story, the same reason I choose novels over short stories. I never read short stories. They lack the intimacy I require to be immersed in a topic, but that’s just me.  

Set yourself up for success! You don’t want to start a story, and then after a month, you are no longer interested and quit. You might feel like a failure, so be mindful of who you are and what you can accomplish. With the success of completing a task comes confidence in yourself.  

Next week, finding a story subject.

My Photo Editor Mind - How I Edit Photos

Thought I’d pass this along to anyone who has struggles with editing their work. You have to break down an image and look at each separate part and how it adds to the whole. A good image talks to me; it’s telling me a story, so I look at the elements that either support the message or detract from it; and so it begins. For me, it’s a process. I first will look through all the photos to get a sense of what I have to work with. Next, I go through and tag the ones I feel in my heart, the emotional connection. Next, I start ripping them apart, looking for the faults in a photo. Composition – is it composed well, are limbs cut off, is there an awkward space in the image? Lighting – after all, what is photography but painting with light? Is the lighting so bad it takes away from the moment, or does it pull me into the moment? The background – is it distracting or enhancing the photo? Are the subjects in the photos drawing me in or drawing me away from the story of the image? Next I compare similar images. Which is better? Is the problem in the photo able to be cropped out? Was the lens choice appropriate for this picture? I then go through all the images I have not chosen because it’s always good to take a second look. 

I go over the images quite a few times, deleting images with each pass. If this doesn’t help you, I can.

My Photo Editor Mind - The Way I Edit

I was talking to a client recently and sensed that he was somewhat hesitant as we were talking about his work. After a few more minutes, he finally said that he was afraid that my honest approach was going to turn into me ripping him (and his work) apart, breaking him down and building him back up. This is not the way I edit and coach. I remember as a photographer having that happen to me. It put me in a funk for days, and the recovery period was so long. Days would be lost in me thinking about my future. Eventually, I’d pick myself up and go and improve, but the editors that were really helpful didn’t crush my dreams and spirit. Nor did I lose days on self-loathing. Maybe that’s why I edit like I do now. I am honest but feel that by building on what a photographer does well not only strengthens the photography, it builds confidence, and with confidence comes positive thinking and success and general improvement in all aspects of photography.  

Let’s face it. For the most part, photography is not the best paying job out there. You are in this profession because you love it and bring a lot of passion and dedication to it. Different photographers have a different take on the world. You bring your experiences to the table. In the world of photography, there is a place for everyone. So go get ‘em!

My Photo Editor Mind - Toast Crumbles

Why is it that the best blog ideas come at the most inconvenient times? Most of my ideas come to me right before I go to sleep or when I’m in the shower. Not the best places to take notes. I’m not one of those people who can sit in front of a computer and write either. As soon as I sit down, writer’s block sets in, I get a headache, start sweating, and … nothing. Not a single thing comes to mind. Is it the intimidation of having enough words? Can a sentence be a blog post? I’m better bouncing my ideas off someone, talking specifics, talking about a photo project, a way to improve a story, a direction, a style. So I’ve resigned myself to the fact that all my blog ideas will come mid-shampoo or that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, reach for the notepad on my night table, groggily scribbling, only to find the next morning that I’ve written something that looks like “toast crumbles.” What are toast crumbles? Is that my handwriting? Oh well, I guess I need to step away from my computer for a while. 

My Photo Editor Mind - Feed your soul

When it comes to doing freelance work, let’s face it, there is a lot of work, that, well let’s just say pays the bills. It can be mind-numbing, but you do it because you need the work. I do this type of work too. It’s not warming my heart or filling my soul, but it’s paying the bills. Freelance work is an interesting business: one minute you’re so busy you can’t see any end in sight, the next it’s so dead. So when these dead times roll around, instead of wondering and fretting when your next job will come, find some time to feed your soul. For me, in comes in a variety of ways; I love to cook. My latest fascination is sous vide, the art of cooking in water. I never thought this would be interesting until I went to a restaurant in Portland and had sous vide halibut. OH…MY….GOD…..yes I meant to say it with pauses; it was the best fish I ever had. Maybe for you it’s that photo story you’ve been meaning to get to, the one calling your name. A story where you can use your mind and creativity, and answer the question why you are taking photos to begin with. You know if you need to narrow down an idea, I can help you with that. Whatever it is, just remember, you have to feed your soul.

My Photo Editor Mind - Getting to know you

I get asked all the time where should people submit stories to? My answer is always the same, “Who do you know? Who do you work with?” When I was at the Los Angeles Times, photographers sent me photo stories all the time. They might have been very good, but I don’t know you and it’s a matter of trust. Recently, scrolling through Facebook I came across a story that seemed rather odd and quite sensational. I checked the sources and was unfamiliar with them. Reading further about the subject, I found the article was wrong. So how does that affect you? I don’t know you, I have to trust you. I have to know you are showing me the truth. Cultivate relationships, and if you don’t know someone where you want to be published, find a way to get to know them. I was recently looking at the New York Times portfolio review and the list of reviewers was an incredible who’s who list of photography. Did you apply? Workshops, conferences, you know that old saying about networking and that you need to do it. Network.

One other thing to consider; know who you are selling to. Don’t send a story that is a year old when you know the publisher is only interested in current news. Cultivate relationships, and if you don’t know someone where you want to be published find a way to get to know them.

My Photo Editor Mind – Your website can make or break you

I’ve been editing a lot of websites lately, and the thing I’ve noticed is many photographers are not showing the best of themselves. When I worked at the Los Angeles Times, I often hired freelance photographers from all around the country. I needed to find someone quick, in a place where I didn’t know a photographer, and it was always a last minute request.  

Looking at a photographer’s website, I am forming a decision, good or bad within the first three images I view. I might get to 5 or 10 images if you’re lucky, and I’m either calling you or moving on. It’s brutal, but it was my reality. Those first few images should make me want to see the next one, want to make me want to explore your projects, so it’s your job to make me want to look.

How do you do that? The best of the best of the best should be the first photos I see and at the top of your site. Is your strength sports, or projects, or videos? Whatever it is, move that to the top spot. There are no rules on how a website should list your images, so move them to suit your strengths. A tighter edit is always best. You know the saying “less is more.” Make it so I move on to the next set of images.  

If your photos are good, I move onto the “About You” section. I want to know how long you’ve been working and for who, and that you can deliver what I need. So I don’t want to read about your hopes and dreams; I want to know how long you’ve been working, where you’ve been working, and for who. Keeping it simple is best. If you feel the need to tell me more, bring that into the second paragraph. 

One last thing, your phone number and email should be easy to locate and in multiple spots.

My Photo Editor Mind – Story Basics, Part II

Last week I talked about sequencing a picture story, so I want to build on that a bit. In order to sequence a story correctly, you need the right images. While teaching at the Missouri Photo Workshop last year, students were required to pitch story ideas. What was apparent and taught at the workshop, was that they were pitching situations, not stories. They had a situation; they needed a story. What does this mean?

Let’s say that the drought in California is preventing farmers from planting crops. That’s a situation. Likewise, flooding in Texas causes home damage, a situation, a homeless man living on the streets, a situation. So what makes a story? Let’s say the farmer has to sell his land to cover his debt; something is happening. Or with the home flooded in Texas, the family that lives there has to move out. Where will they live? The homeless man living on the street is moving into an apartment for homeless people. There is movement, or cause and effect, if you will. Something will change. So now we have our story, but let’s look again at the farmer. The land becomes a secondary character; what does that dry land look like and feel like? Does the farmer have a family? How are they reacting or dealing with selling land? Are they helping our farmer cope? Are they angry? Action, reaction. Who is the farmer? What makes the farmer tick? Who is he as a person, his essence, his being. We need to see this.

Before you begin shooting a story, you must figure out the story, the focus of the story, and then think about how you are going to show the points of this story. Good planning will help you focus on the points that are needed for your story and save you a lot of grief. Good luck. As always, I’m here to help if you need me.

My Photo Editor Mind – Photo Stories – Visual Novels

One of the biggest mistakes I see on photo stories is a lack of sequencing that makes sense. Remember, you are telling a story, and it has to have a beginning photo that sets the tone about what the story is about or who it’s about. It should also be one of your strongest photos. Then, you have to have a middle and an end. Next, take me along the journey of this story, whether it’s a person or town or an event. Make the sequencing make sense; subjects can’t be inside, then outside, then inside; you need to consider photos that are transitional. Help me understand where they are going and why. It’s always easiest to sequence like a day in the life; start in the morning, then go to night. Or start at an event and then take me through the process of how that event is dealt with. Consider the arc of the story; where is this positioned in the sequence? Good single images are great, but to make a photo story really sing, you need a solid storyline just like a great author does in a novel. If this doesn’t make sense, or you are having trouble, you can always contact me for help.