‘If we consider storytelling as an art then, as Leo Tolstoy said, it should be utterly infectious, where it infects the viewer with the feelings he or she has lived through, so that other people are infected in turn by these experiences. The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ itself justifies the art of visual storytelling, however this doesn’t mean all photographs narrate a story.’
Order- The order of a photo-story is genreally set in two ways.
- Chronologically: When a series is presented in chronological it stays true to a time frame that it was shot in. This works particularly well when shooting a story that progresses or changes over time. For example aq story that is shot over a long period of time would most likely benefit from being in chronological orderso we can see how the subject or story changes from the first to last image.
- As a series: When shooting a photo-story at different locations and with different subjects the order doesn’t nesasarily have to be presented chronologically. The first image should be an eye catching shot that grabs viewers attention and makes them want to look at the series. The order of the series should still make sense, despite being shot at different times. The ending picture should sum up the series and make sense to be a closing image, either to show the subject after or to end leaving the viewer with a rhetorical question.
‘A series of images emphasises several ideas, whereas a single image usually emphasises just one idea These are called ‘goal images’ – the type of images that open and close the series to grab a viewer’s attention. It’s no different from judging a book by its cover – a strong opening shot will stop people and hold them in the story from start to finish.’
Jodie Tovey PJD blog 