A Photograph Should Tell A Story

Posted by frankb on Jan 22, 2011 in Creative Photography Blog | 0 comments

Every photograph you take should tell a story. Whether it is a story of the family, or a place you have been, or a photograph of friends having a good time. I try to do this with every photograph and explain it in the galleries, but I have not kept up with this project.

The photograph in this blog was taken in the Mexican Market in San Antonio, TX in January of 2011. I liked the pattern of all the hats on the rack. I knew it would be striking in black and white. What I did not know was there was another story here, too. The salesman in the shop came up to me explained that  all the hats may look alike, but they are not and are worn by different people in other areas and other countries. He pointed out the different hats and where they would be worn, but of course I could not remember any of this. But I always thought a hat was a hat, but not so. The ranchers in South America wear different hats than the people in Mexico..and people in different parts of Texas wear different hats. Take a close look at the hats and you can see the differences in them. So much for today’s lesson on hats.

I have included a photograph of the salesman wearing a different hat than what I had seen hanging in the shop.

One other thing, with so many photos being taken with Iphones /cellphones and sent instantly to your friends,  I always ask a question. How many of these cell phone photographs do you have actual prints made for your enjoyment in later years and for the enjoyment of other generations? Unfortunately not many.

When you do have a photo made, then comes the difficult job. Write on the back of each print  where and when it was taken. Future generations will thank you for that. Tell your own story of life.

A lady who purchased a photograph for her father as a last minute Christmas gift sent me an email and said, “I love how your pictures tell a story.” I smiled as I read her email.