June Program: Storytelling for Photographers by J. P. Stones
We are privileged to have JP Stones to present to the Huntsville Photographic Society. JP will be coming to us from Mexico so this presentation will naturally be presented on Zoom only.
Great storytelling can help your audience connect emotionally with your images, but understanding how to weave a narrative into your photography can be confusing. How can one photo tell a whole story, with a beginning, middle, and end?JP has spent the last 5 years photographing the same group of Mexica, or Aztec, dancers. In that time he learned how connected the Mexica are to their mythology and to stories passed down across generations. That’s when he decided that, as these stories were so vital to Mexica culture, they needed to play a bigger role in his portraits.
This is a talk about what happened next. About how a desire to tell stories visually, ended up changing his entire creative process, and the way people react to his photos. Using examples from his cultural photography work in Mexico, JP Stones explores different ways to improve that emotional connection. Including how myths and character archetypes can be harnessed for better storytelling.
Working with narratives won’t just change the way people engage with your photos, it will fundamentally change the way you create them. Because that narrative can also be used to guide decisions on posing, composition, lighting, and color. Focusing your creative decisions and ensuring you create cohesive work.
JP has presented for professional organizations and camera clubs across the US, Mexico, and the UK. His work has been featured on the cover of multiple publications, including Good Light Magazine. He’s also been teaching his Photo Workshops for close to 10 years.
TOPICS DISCUSSED IN JP’S TALK
• How much of a story can one photo really tell?
• How being more intentional can change your approach to photography.
• How photography can be about making an emotional connection as well as
creating beautiful work.
• How thinking in stories can help guide your entire creative decision-making
process.
You can watch JP present on his YouTube channel:
⁃ https://www.youtube.com/c/jpstones
If you would rather just link to talk details:
⁃ https://jpstonesphotography.com/online-photography-talk-storytelling-for-
photographers-by-jp-stones-hire-jp-stones/