Project 52: Telling Stories | Week 42

It’s Week 42 of professional pet photography blog circle Project 52 and the topic of “telling stories.” As we’ve been doing all year, we’re following lessons from “The Visual Toolbox: 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographers” by David DuChemin. According to DuChemin (and contrary to Rod Stewart), not every picture tells a story, nor does it have to. However, story is a powerful tool and pictures can tell a story or hint at story based on the elements involved in our frame. Stories can be told through relationships or contrasts or even mystery. We can use a single image to tell a story or a series of images.

“The best storytellers supply just enough detail to allow your imagination to fill in the gaps.” David DuChemin, The Visual Toolbox

I recently did my first photo session with a horse, I’d been wanting to photograph a horse for some time, so was very excited for the opportunity. The photo shoot also included the client’s dog and I was able to capture an image that tells a relationship story, but with a little air of mystery. I knew I had to use this image for this week’s blog topic. And, since this is a sneak preview of the session, I didn’t want to share more of the images before the client sees them, nor do I have to in order to tell a story.