I’m a big fan of visual storytelling. If you’re like me, you probably get more excited about stories than anything else. There are many reasons for this, but one stands out – stories are one of our most powerful tools for learning and communicating our life experiences.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- The Human Brain is Hardwired For Storytelling
- Great Storytelling Engages The Emotions, Intellect And Spirit
- Conclusion
There is evidence that our brains may even be hardwired for storytelling. The human brain has evolved over millions of years so that we can easily understand each other through stories, including visual storytelling.
Developing ideas and thoughts in your head and then turning them into a written or spoken word, song, dance, drawing, painting, or, in our case (you and me), a photograph is the process of storytelling. That definition is fundamental. I say that because developing a universally accepted definition of narrative is challenging.
Because it feels restrictive, storytellers themselves oppose the notion of defining the craft of storytelling. Everyone has a different perspective on the world, and storytelling is also flexible.
Stories are everywhere. They are the only communication that has remained relevant across time and cultural boundaries. Defining what constitutes acceptable storytelling is difficult. But generally speaking, a story will have an audience, a central idea, a conflict, a protagonist, an enemy, and a resolution.
The Human Brain is Hardwired For Storytelling
Stories are one of the most important ways that humans learn and communicate. They can tell us about our world or help us understand ourselves. Stories have been around for thousands of years.
The human brain is hardwired for storytelling through a phenomenon known as the “Theory of Mind” (ToM). Theory of mind (ToM) and storytelling are closely related, and each has a complex impact on the other. ToM is the capacity to assign mental states to oneself and others, including beliefs, desires, and intentions. As a cognitive process, storytelling mostly depends on ToM to engage listeners, elicit empathy, and transmit meaning.
Our brains are wired for stories because they have to be—without storytelling, we would never have been able to pass on knowledge from generation to generation, learn new things, or teach each other anything.
- The most crucial element of storytelling is emotions. You want to ensure that your audience feels something when they watch or read your story, whether it’s excitement, sadness, or anger.
- The second most crucial part of storytelling is information: what you say in the story should be accurate and factual. This can be boring sometimes (and even downright impossible), but it must be done right if you want people to pay attention and learn something about your story.
- The third aspect of storytelling is accuracy – if you want someone else’s life experiences reflected in what they see on screen, this needs to happen organically through good communication skills and directing choices rather than simply stating facts as though they’re facts without any context behind them.
Great Storytelling Engages The Emotions, Intellect And Spirit
Great storytelling engages us emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
- Emotional engagement occurs when we feel something in response to a story. It can be sadness or happiness, but it always makes us feel.
- Intellectual engagement occurs when the storyteller presents ideas or information in a way that makes sense to you.
- Spiritual engagement happens when something emotionally connects with one’s experiences or beliefs about life; this connection often inspires personal change or encourages others to change.
Our emotions shape our thoughts, influence our thinking, and are necessary for learning. Because stories facilitate emotion, they are the perfect medium for delivering pictures. Incorporating the tale element of emotion into your images creates an emotional structure that helps the viewer remember your image.
An excellent narrative sticks in people’s minds because of how our brains are wired. For the same reason, people recall a picture with the narrative element. Use photographs so people can visually see what you’re talking about rather than just reading about it.
The photography narrative frequently contains unresolved questions. The picture is still. For example, a written novel or film usually keeps the plot secret. Capturing just enough of the narrative to encourage the audience to fill in the blanks with their ideas is crucial.
The photo above shows a striking picture of a Seagul in beautiful scenery, but the narrative is incomplete. Where did the Seagul come from/ where is it going? What is its activity related to the image? What is Seagull’s narrative?
These are the unresolved questions that photographic stories can imply, especially if only one photo is taken to portray the narrative. Hence, why a photographer needs to really consider every image and how that image will best tell as much of the story as possible in a single, still image.
Photographic visual storytelling gives people back their power over the story they want to tell about themselves. The key takeaway is that our stories shape our lives, so tell a good one.
Conclusion
Photographic Visual Storytelling gives people back their power over the story they want to know about themselves. It is a powerful tool that empowers individuals to shape the narrative of their lives. Our stories, whether told through words or images, have the potential to influence our lives and the world around us.
The world is brimming with incredible stories waiting to be discovered and shared. The beauty of storytelling is that it’s not reserved for a select few. With the right tools and mindset, anyone can uncover and tell a compelling story, regardless of their experience with photography.
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