0:00

Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome

0:02

back to another episode of the Travel and Adventure

0:04

Photography School Podcast. I'm your host

0:06

Robert Massey. And today we've got a fabulous

0:09

topic for you inspired by the

0:11

Banff Centre's mountain film and book festival,

0:13

which is going on right now in the town

0:15

of Banff. We are diving

0:17

deep into the wonderful world of storytelling

0:20

in adventure photography. Over

0:22

the past 10 days or so, I've had the opportunity

0:25

to watch a plethora of spectacular

0:27

films, all about being out

0:30

in the great outdoors, doing amazing adventures

0:32

and pieces. They've told incredible stories

0:34

and I've had the chance to speak to a few adventure

0:36

photographers and adventure cinematographers, and

0:39

the work that they do in the way that they tell stories

0:41

has really inspired me to create this episode

0:43

today. So. We

0:46

are going to talk all about how

0:48

you can have storytelling in

0:50

your adventure photography. Now,

0:53

before we unravel the secrets

0:55

to go into it, let's dive a little deeper into storytelling.

0:58

And why it is actually a really important

1:00

part of photography, especially as we start

1:02

seeing more and more people capturing images,

1:04

every single day of their adventures. Storytelling

1:07

is one of those things that is going to set apart,

1:10

the work that you create. It's one of

1:12

the things that not everyone

1:14

can see and not everyone puts the time effort

1:16

and thought into when they are capturing

1:18

images, especially in brilliant

1:20

locations. Sometimes it's good enough

1:22

just to take a beautiful photo of a landscape,

1:25

but when you can incorporate elements of storytelling

1:28

into your photography, that's really.

1:31

When your photos are going to take another jump

1:33

and another step, and they're going to set themselves apart

1:36

from just another snapshot that somebody takes.

1:38

Storytelling and photography bridges the gap between

1:40

yourself, the photographer and your viewer.

1:43

It transcends language barriers

1:45

and it creates a shared narrative, inviting others

1:47

to join you on your expeditions. Feel

1:49

the adrenaline rush as you conquer a towering peak

1:52

or go on a beautiful hike. More than

1:54

that though, storytelling adds depth

1:56

and context to your photographs and transforms

1:59

them from just another pretty photo that

2:01

somebody can put on Instagram into powerful

2:03

dynamic expressions. It

2:05

allows you to capture what the scene looks like and

2:07

the emotions and relationships unfolding

2:09

within that moment. And you can do this

2:11

in all types. Photography,

2:15

but adventure photography in particular offers

2:17

a really unique opportunity to weave really

2:19

compelling stories. If

2:21

adventure photographers are constantly putting ourselves

2:23

into situations where

2:26

it's ourselves and our own strength and our own mental

2:28

strengths against. Mother nature.

2:30

It's incorporating ourselves into nature. It's

2:32

driving the human body to endurance levels

2:35

and strength levels and everything else through

2:37

things that other people could never even imagine

2:39

themselves doing. And there's just

2:41

a plethora of stories that you

2:43

can tell they're of overcoming adversity

2:45

and showing the grit and determination.

2:47

It takes to be somebody who loves the outdoors.

2:51

And the way it allows people to truly

2:53

discover themselves. And

2:55

those are the kinds of things you can really tell when you start incorporating

2:57

elements of storytelling into

2:59

your photography. Now

3:01

remember storytelling, isn't just a technique

3:04

for you to put into your photographs.

3:07

It becomes the full

3:09

heart and soul of your visuals. It's

3:11

what transforms that photograph into

3:13

a captivating tale that lingers in the minds

3:15

of your viewers long after they've seen

3:17

it. We're going to talk about five elements. That

3:20

you can include and that you can think about, and that you

3:22

need to start incorporating

3:24

into your images. When you want storytelling

3:26

to start taking a bigger role,

3:29

a more front and center role in the images that you create.

3:32

Now, sometimes these can be thought about, well

3:34

in advance and sometimes they have to be thought about

3:36

in the moment as you were there, as you were creating

3:39

based on the scene and the light and everything else

3:41

that's happening around you. And the great

3:43

thing about incorporating pieces

3:45

of storytelling into your photography is. It's

3:48

not gonna be all that different from pieces that you're already thinking

3:50

about when you are creating your images anyway.

3:53

It's not learning something new. It's just shifting

3:55

your perspective on how you use these pieces.

3:59

All right. So let's get into that first element. And

4:01

it's in my mind. The most

4:03

critical element to including

4:05

storytelling into your photography. And

4:08

that's emotion. It lies at the core

4:11

of a compelling storytelling in adventure

4:13

photography. Just imagine

4:15

a photograph where the sheer exhaustion of

4:17

reaching a summit is palpable. There's

4:19

that sparkle in the climbers eyes, the

4:21

wind tossling their hair and the triumphant

4:24

smile that breaks across their face. Those raw

4:26

unfiltered emotions. Make a photograph

4:28

come alive. I

4:30

got the chance to listen to a wonderful adventure

4:32

photographer yesterday. Who was

4:34

shooting for a trail running brand. And

4:37

he was saying that they did all the typical

4:39

trail running photos. Here's a beautiful mountain range. Here's

4:41

a beautiful blue sky. And. Here's

4:43

some trail runners in that location and that's

4:46

fine. And those photos

4:48

are beautiful. His work is amazing. But

4:50

he was saying that for him, what was

4:52

missing was emotion. There was

4:54

no pull line. There was no through-line

4:57

for him to really feel connected to

4:59

those trail runners. And yes, you need to show

5:01

those shoes in specific locations. You need

5:03

to show them off doing the beautiful things

5:05

that trail runners want to do. But

5:07

you also need to connect. Emotionally

5:10

with those images and you really want to connect emotionally to.

5:13

What people are going through when they're out trail running.

5:15

So what he did. Was he went

5:17

to his models and his athletes and said, Hey.

5:20

I want you to run 15 minutes down

5:22

this hill. And then I want you to run. Back

5:25

up this hill as fast as you possibly can,

5:27

right back at me. And when you get to the top,

5:29

I want you to be. Exhausted and

5:31

drained and just done. And

5:33

those are the images that the trail running brand chose

5:36

for their ad campaign. They didn't use

5:38

the typical, beautiful landscape shots. They

5:40

use the ones that showed what a trail

5:42

runner goes through. They use the ones that

5:44

showed the emotion behind why you're doing it

5:46

in the exhaustion. And the joy

5:49

because. When you hit the

5:51

top of a summit when you've been running for

5:53

like half an hour straight up hill, and

5:55

you finally get to that point where you're like,

5:58

oh my God, look at this. Look what I've done. Yeah,

6:00

you're exhausted. But you also have a twinkle

6:02

and a smile in your eye. And that

6:04

is. Incredible to be able

6:06

to capture when you're photographing people.

6:09

So. Think about how you can tie

6:11

in emotion. Because

6:13

when your audience connects with the genuine

6:15

emotions that you've captured in your photo, they're transported

6:18

into the heart of that adventure. And

6:20

really emotion is what is going to bind.

6:22

Your images together, whether it's one photo with

6:25

a deep, impactful amount of. Emotion

6:27

in it. Or the whole photo series where you're

6:29

supposed to. Feel the highs

6:31

and the lows and the triumphs and the

6:34

sheer exhaustion across an expedition. It

6:36

doesn't really matter. Those emotions can

6:38

convey resilience and strength and inspire

6:40

viewers with. That indomitable

6:42

spirit of human endeavor. You

6:45

also kind of invite your audience to

6:47

become active participants in that story

6:49

that you're telling. And I really find

6:51

this to be true at places like the Banff

6:54

film Fest, where. Yes,

6:56

you're watching people do these spectacular

6:59

things. But beyond that you're seeing.

7:02

That because they've done it. You're starting to see

7:04

what you can do too. And you're starting to envision the things

7:06

that you can do as well. And that

7:08

to me is what's so fascinating and

7:10

so interesting about including emotion

7:12

in a photograph. Because when you capture

7:15

these genuine emotions, You really are.

7:18

Getting people to immerse themselves in

7:20

the experience. And inspiring

7:23

them to do something like this for themselves,

7:25

or even go in and capture images like this for themselves.

7:28

So the next time that you're out. Think

7:30

about how you can show your own emotions in an image,

7:32

whether that's in a self portrait. A selfie.

7:36

Or any sort of other form, if you're

7:38

with friends, capture their feelings of emotion

7:40

and it doesn't have to just be. You know,

7:42

the broken down bits of outdoor adventure. There's also

7:44

a ton of joy and jubilation and amazing

7:47

other pieces. I think back to this photo of Jimmy Chinn

7:49

and Alex Honnold at the top of.

7:51

El cap after. Alex Honnold has finished

7:54

his free climb. And. Alex

7:57

Honnold looks exhausted, but thrilled. And

7:59

Jimmy Chinn is hugging him from around the side and

8:01

you can see that he was bouncing up and down and hugging

8:03

his friend because his friend was alive

8:06

and he'd finished this amazing feat. And he was just

8:08

so. Thrilled.

8:11

To see his friend again, to see

8:13

that we was up there and that photo just sits.

8:15

In a little part of my heart and I will always

8:18

think about it when I think about things in the outdoors and

8:20

that moment of pure sheer

8:23

joy that was up there. I think.

8:25

Of all the amazing photos that came out of that expedition

8:28

and out of that. Spectacular thing that Alex

8:30

Honnold did. That one at the top

8:32

is one of the ones that sits with me. Because

8:35

of that emotion that's in it. So. That

8:38

is your magic ingredient in adventure photography.

8:41

That is what's going to transform. Something

8:44

from a pretty photograph. Into

8:46

an unforgettable tale.

8:49

So next on our list is composition.

8:52

Now we all know what composition means

8:54

in terms of a aesthetically

8:56

pleasing photograph, you have the rule

8:58

of thirds, framing, leading

9:01

lines, the golden ratio,

9:03

all those sorts of fabulous things. And

9:06

you need those in. Any

9:08

sort of really good photograph, you need some sort of

9:10

really compelling competition. But

9:13

in storytelling terms, composition

9:15

goes beyond just those typical

9:18

terms. We're thinking of, we want to have strategic

9:20

placement of elements. That can lead

9:22

your eye to your subject, to the most important

9:24

pieces. You want to be able to have

9:26

your subject be noticeable in.

9:29

A very chaotic environment that can be the mountains

9:32

or a forest, or a lot of places where adventure takes

9:34

place. It can actually be really

9:37

difficult to have your subject pop out. So

9:39

you need to be really certain about your composition

9:42

to help tell that story. Let's

9:44

think about taking a photo of somebody who's rock

9:47

climbing. A lot of the rock climbing photos

9:49

you'll see from people are actually shot from

9:51

below shows the climbers, butt, and they're going

9:53

up the wall and here's this big wall. And if

9:55

it's a pretty sunset or another peaks around or something,

9:57

it can look really cool. But that

9:59

doesn't really get into the story

10:02

of telling that image. Really

10:04

impactful climbing photography typically

10:07

comes from above. Or from the side,

10:09

or even from another mountain top, depending how you want to tell

10:11

the story. So let's say instead

10:13

of being below the climber, you get

10:15

above them. And what this gives you

10:17

a chance to do is to show the scale

10:20

of the wall that they're on because all of a sudden, you're

10:22

not looking up at it. You're looking back down

10:24

at the ground and how far that climber has come

10:26

up. And you can really show the

10:28

distance that they are up in the air. You

10:31

can also show the intensity on their face and you

10:33

can show like the veins and their muscles and everything

10:35

popping and pulling as they're working their way up

10:37

that wall. And you can show even when they try

10:39

to clip into something or if they have to jam a piece of

10:41

gear into the wall themselves, that's going to hold on. And

10:44

you can get their eyes and you can get them looking

10:47

towards that next bit of your objective, or you

10:49

can get their hand jumping towards the camera. There's all sorts

10:51

of other compositional pieces

10:53

you can add. Just by going from being

10:55

below that climber. To being above

10:57

them. That's because a well composed photograph

10:59

has the power to captivate and really linger

11:02

with your viewer. So take

11:04

into account those typical compositional elements

11:06

that we all really want to see the foreground

11:08

elements in the background elements and the pretty peaks and, and

11:11

all those kinds of things. And then. What's

11:13

going to really make a difference is. Picturing

11:15

where your subject is going to be in that

11:17

composition. So one

11:20

of the really powerful piece of advice I was told by an adventure

11:22

photographer, she was a mountain biking photographer.

11:25

Was that she would envision. A

11:27

beautiful landscape shot. And

11:29

then she would put a cyclist

11:32

into that landscape shot and her shots

11:34

are. Epic. Ran into

11:36

a briefly. Honestly don't remember her name,

11:38

but it was a beautiful piece of advice. And.

11:42

That comes back to me every time I'm out. Looking

11:45

for a place to put a subject into an image. So

11:47

when you're building out that composition, Don't

11:50

just think, oh, look how beautiful that is. And forget

11:52

about the main subject in that photograph in that main

11:54

subject. Should be your climber

11:57

should be your hiker. It should be. Your person is in there.

11:59

Maybe it's the main peak. You also have

12:01

pizzas. The landscape is the main peak, but don't

12:03

get distracted by all the other elements in that

12:05

scene. Really show off that subject

12:08

in the best light that you possibly can.

12:10

Which is a pretty good pun, because one of the best ways you can compose

12:13

a scene is using light

12:15

to show off your subject. Compositionally

12:17

when you're looking for where to place your subject in

12:19

a scene, including them. In a light

12:21

beam, including them at the end of a bit of light, including

12:23

them in the bright spot, in an image is

12:26

going to be the most impactful. We

12:28

are naturally drawn towards

12:30

the bright spots of images. And so

12:32

if you have a light beam popping

12:34

over a mountain and it lands directly

12:36

on your subject, that is a beautiful

12:39

place to place them. Or if you're in a forest and

12:41

you're walking down a path and there's a spot where there's

12:43

a Sunbeam. Place them into that

12:45

Sunbeam. It's going to be where people are going

12:47

to look for them. It's going to be where it's going to allow you to

12:49

have them pop out the best. Obviously.

12:53

You might need to light their faces. You might need to have some reflectors.

12:55

There's some other work that might have to go in depending on the quality

12:58

that light that's coming in there at that point. But

13:00

that's going to really help. Elevate

13:02

your composition once again. One of the ways you

13:04

can change your composition is with

13:06

color. So we've talked a lot about

13:08

color being really important on this podcast. I think we

13:10

did this a couple episodes ago, so I'm not going to really get into

13:12

it, but especially in the adventure world, color

13:14

plays a crucial role

13:17

in your storytelling. Vibrant, bold

13:19

colors, really convey energy and excitement.

13:21

And they really help. Have

13:24

your subject pop off against what is typically

13:26

a very cool expanse, especially

13:28

in mountain landscapes and forests and other places

13:30

like that, where reds and yellows and oranges are

13:32

really going to help highlight where

13:34

your subject is in that scene. And. Kind

13:37

of bring a sense of energy and vibrancy to that scene

13:39

as well. They're also highly contracted,

13:41

so you can see them pop out against the shadows.

13:43

So. It looks really, really

13:46

good when you pop people off in the right colors.

13:49

Having somebody in a dark green

13:51

might look really good in person. But

13:53

honestly, in a forest, you're going to lose them. It's

13:56

not going to work really well. So really

13:58

when you're working with people, if they're models

14:00

or if they're just your friends or anything like that, or if

14:02

you're just going out for yourself and you're gonna be taking a lot of self

14:05

portraits, Getting a bright colored

14:07

coat can making massive difference. I

14:09

went intentionally bought a yellow coat because

14:11

it makes me stand out in the photographs when I include

14:13

myself in them. And I can throw it onto

14:15

a model and be like, here, we're going to help you pop a little and

14:17

if they fit it and it looks good on them, that

14:19

can really help bring your composition

14:22

together because it's another element. That

14:24

you can add into the scene. So. Start

14:27

with your typical. Rules

14:29

of composition. Rule of thirds

14:32

framing, all that kind of good stuff. Don't

14:34

forget about simplifying an

14:36

image as well. And this can be really

14:38

difficult to do in the outdoors. But

14:41

the more complicated an images, the

14:43

more likely you are that you're going to lose

14:45

your subject somewhere. So

14:47

if there are layers upon layers upon layers

14:49

upon layers, upon layers of mountainous

14:52

regions, and there's a valley and a lake

14:54

and all these other pieces that in-person like, oh

14:56

my goodness, this is amazing and beautiful.

14:59

And your climber, your hiker, your Mountaineer,

15:01

whoever it is is. It's you know,

15:03

maybe a centimeter big on that frame. That's

15:06

not helpful. You can't see your subject

15:08

in that you can't see the story

15:10

that is going on in that moment. So

15:12

instead you want to eliminate some of those pieces

15:14

and really simplify that composition, and

15:17

you can still show off some of them. But

15:19

it's also important that you see that human

15:21

struggle that's in there, that you see that subject

15:23

that's telling that story. So

15:26

composition. It's a very

15:28

critical piece of the storytelling. And honestly,

15:30

in my eyes, I feel like a lot of adventure

15:32

photographers that I talk to, especially myself.

15:35

We can do a lot more to simplify

15:37

our images, to help tell stronger stories.

15:40

I find it really difficult to want to

15:42

cut out even a small bit of one

15:44

of these turquoise lakes out here, or to

15:46

maybe not include that one more. Mountain

15:48

peak just off to the side, but by simplifying

15:50

down and by cropping

15:52

in a little tighter or by zooming in a little tighter, when

15:54

you shoot. Or just changing up

15:57

the background. That's behind somebody a little bit. That

16:00

can dramatically enhance your story. Alrighty

16:02

the third element we're going to talk about today. Timing.

16:06

Adventure photography is so often

16:09

about just seizing the right moment.

16:11

Now timing in adventure photography is about

16:13

capturing that definitive moment that kind of defines

16:16

the essence of an adventure. It can freeze

16:18

raw emotions. That triumph at the summit

16:21

that we've talked about or focus as you're in the middle

16:23

of a really beautiful climb or just

16:25

moments of laughter that Jimmy chin and Alex Honnold

16:27

image, we've talked about. And it's these

16:29

kind of fleeting. Authentic

16:31

moments that can really bring together your

16:34

story. And it could be a split second

16:36

of action too. Mountain biker in the perfect moment

16:38

of midair. The horseback

16:41

rider flying past you, anything like that, that

16:43

can invite a viewer into your image, but it's

16:45

not just about having a high shutter

16:48

speed when you're thinking about timing, because that's

16:50

all the examples that we've talked about there, and that is critical.

16:53

You need that right moment to capture

16:55

something, but. Your timing

16:57

also needs to be focused on. Telling

17:00

the right part of that story at the right time. And this

17:02

is where a little bit of pre-planning

17:04

can be huge to be able to tell this story

17:07

properly. And so it's critical for

17:09

you to be prepared. So looking at advanced

17:11

to where the sun is going to be looking at advance

17:13

to. What you're going to want

17:15

to shoot and the storyboard that you want to tell

17:17

and building that storyboard out in advance that you're ready

17:19

for these kinds of moments to happen. So when you're

17:22

planning out that shoot. Think

17:24

about those essential moments

17:26

that you're going to have to hit and you might have to time

17:28

it perfectly. Let's say that

17:30

you're capturing a race and you

17:32

are one of just a few photographers on that scene

17:34

and you have. Four or five shots

17:37

he need to get, which means that you

17:39

have to know exactly your times

17:41

to be able to get from location, to location, to

17:43

location with all your gear. With

17:45

the ability to capture everything by the time you get

17:47

there. And. Not

17:50

spending too much time and not getting too lost

17:52

and just shooting the one thing that's right in front

17:54

of you. So you need to work out your times properly to be

17:56

able to get to each one of these locations or.

17:59

You need to have your timing right so that you know that when you're

18:01

leaving and you want to capture the

18:03

sun, just cresting over top

18:05

of a mountain, or just about to sink behind it.

18:08

That's a matter of. Not

18:10

even minutes, like maybe a minute, some

18:12

days where that sun is perfectly positioned

18:14

on the edge of that mountain to cause that sun flare. You

18:17

miss that you're done. You miss that shot. So

18:19

your timing has to be. Perfect.

18:22

You have to know exactly how long it's going to

18:24

take you to get up that mountain or to

18:26

ski there, to do whatever it is that you're going to do to

18:28

get that shot. But your timing has to be

18:30

dead on. So you need to get that down

18:32

to a T and it's not just about timing

18:35

in your photographs. Obviously we need that. You need the right shutter

18:37

speed. You need to click the shutter at

18:39

the right time or have the right high drive mode on or

18:41

whatever it's going to be. Because that moment

18:43

of, you know, the mountain biker flying through the

18:45

air off a jump is critical. But

18:47

your ability to get there on time is

18:49

critical as well. And then beyond

18:52

that. Timing. Isn't actually just

18:54

about the length of the shutter speed.

18:56

It's about telling the right part of that

18:58

story. So there are.

19:01

Amazing moments on pretty much every expedition,

19:03

but not every amazing moment helps

19:05

tell the story. This

19:08

is one of the things I really realized watching

19:10

a bunch of these films at the film Fest this week. Was

19:12

that. Epic landscapes

19:14

don't necessarily make the, be

19:16

all end. All of a story. It's that

19:19

human connection and it's that achievement

19:21

of an objective. And so if

19:24

you miss your timing on that

19:26

critical shot, where this person has worked for

19:29

years to get to this location,

19:31

you hiked for 16 days just to ski

19:33

down one specific mountain. And there was

19:35

lots of other beautiful scenery shots and lots

19:37

of other beautiful moments, and all these other

19:39

pieces that were worked in there. And. You

19:41

get to this critical moment and you miss

19:43

your shot. You're not there. Your timing

19:46

is off. Anything goes wrong with your

19:48

timing in this critical moment. You've

19:50

kind of missed the core element of your

19:53

story. And timing's not just about

19:55

the shutter speed in this case, you need to decide.

19:57

How your time is going to

20:00

impact the way you want to tell that story because

20:02

we can choose. And the safe way to go about in most

20:04

situations is just a freeze. The action.

20:07

Don't risk. Anything else. Just freeze

20:09

that person in mid air, freeze them as they slide down the mountain,

20:12

whatever it is that they're doing. But

20:14

work with that high shutter speed and then play

20:16

with everything else that you need to in there. But

20:18

you can also choose to maybe

20:20

encapsulate that moment by having a little

20:23

bit of shutter speed blur, having a little bit of blur

20:25

in your subject as they take off running. Or

20:27

a little bit more movement in the snow so that

20:29

you can see the depth of the powder

20:32

that they're in. There are all sorts

20:34

of different ways that your timing can

20:36

be used. To enhance

20:38

that storytelling method now. Don't

20:40

just choose to do this. If

20:43

you are working with an athlete who is expecting

20:45

you to tell a story for them. Talk to

20:47

them first, show them examples of what you're planning

20:49

on doing. Show them how your shutter

20:51

speed is going to affect these various pieces. And

20:54

you'll work to capture a photo that feels like this, especially

20:56

if it's a one-shot. If it's not, if

20:58

you can get them to do it again, and they can do it a few times over,

21:00

you could play with top styles and timing

21:02

and all those sorts of pieces. But if you have

21:04

one shot at this. Really

21:07

work that out with them in advance because your timing

21:09

in that sense is so perfect

21:11

and so critical to the story. All right. And

21:13

the fourth element we're going to talk about today is

21:16

your subject. This can be your athlete.

21:18

This can be your model. This can be a mountain

21:21

range, whatever your subject is.

21:23

Honestly, your subject needs to tell a compelling story.

21:27

And that is up to you as the photographer. There is also

21:29

a bit on the model and the athlete to have

21:31

a compelling story to tell, but it has also

21:33

really up to you as the photographer to

21:35

find that compelling story, to tell with your subject.

21:38

They are the central character, the anchor that guides

21:40

your viewer through their narrative. Whether that's

21:42

your hiker against a rugged mountain backdrop, the Explorer

21:44

forging through dense jungle. Lone

21:47

surfer, riding a wave, anything like that.

21:49

Your defined subject is.

21:52

Probably the most critical thing in

21:55

telling a good story. Because

21:57

even in a single image, your

21:59

viewers should connect. With

22:01

that subject. They should feel

22:04

drawn into them. They should feel

22:06

an emotional connection to that subject.

22:09

And really your subject

22:11

is whatever you make that subject to be.

22:13

It could be a beetle. It could

22:15

be your dog. It could be a blade of grass

22:17

for that matter. You just have to find a way to

22:19

make that subject your central character.

22:22

And that's where all of your other elements of

22:24

this come into being, that's where

22:27

your timing. Your composition. Your

22:30

emotional connection. All of those come into

22:32

being with your subject they'll are

22:34

centered around your subject.

22:38

So for me. Especially when working with human

22:40

subjects, I really like to talk to them. And

22:42

if it's their story to tell, obviously you need to

22:44

find out how they want to tell that story. What they're looking to

22:46

say, how they're looking to present themselves.

22:49

But if it's your story that you're building into,

22:51

if it's your story that you're working

22:54

on and you're bringing people into it, talk

22:56

to them about how you want to show that story off,

22:58

talk to them, how you want your subject to act and what

23:00

you want them to do. And. How you want them to be, you are

23:02

the guide in this situation. You shouldn't

23:04

be sitting back and just being like, oh, that's great. Do it.

23:06

You want. No. That's

23:09

not going to tell your story, that's not going to successfully

23:12

show off a fabulous subject. What you need

23:14

to do is guide this situation.

23:17

Now, obviously. If they are an

23:19

athlete or if they are doing something dangerous, safety

23:22

is first priority. Never

23:24

put people in unsafe situations unless

23:26

they are fully up for it. And they are fully prepared

23:28

and you are fully backed in. You know, you know how

23:30

to get to a hospital and get rescued and all those other sorts of

23:32

things. Safety is priority. Number one. That

23:34

will never change for me. But

23:37

when you can get out there with that subject and they are in

23:39

agreement with what you're doing and you can work through

23:41

them and you can guide them through this piece. You

23:43

can tell an amazing. Story.

23:47

And one of the things I really find about working with people

23:49

or animals. Is that eyes

23:51

really are the first real

23:53

connection point to telling a really powerful

23:56

story. So if you can include the person's face

23:59

and you can see their eyes. That's

24:01

going to help draw people into your subject

24:03

a lot more. We are drawn into

24:05

the eyes of animals and into the eyes of other people. And

24:08

we're going to feel connected to them because of them.

24:11

So use your subject's eyes to draw your

24:13

people in, use your subject in powerful

24:15

situations and in the right stances and

24:17

everything else, and guide them through that situation

24:20

to really help your viewer understand and connect

24:23

with your story. Now the other

24:25

couple of key things about your subject is

24:27

that it is well-defined and it's clear.

24:30

So often the outdoors is. It's really easy

24:32

to lose your subject. To

24:34

all the other amazing things that are going on.

24:37

And so your subject needs to be very,

24:39

very clear. You don't want your view of that

24:41

photograph. Guessing about what the subject

24:44

is in that image. If there is even somewhat

24:46

of a doubt. About what the subject is.

24:49

You've either got to get rid of that image, or you've got to strengthen

24:51

that composition. You've got to change something

24:53

up there because your subject should be very,

24:56

very well-defined. All right. The fifth and final

24:58

element that we're going to talk about is

25:00

the setting. Now, this is a pretty

25:02

standard storytelling element.

25:04

Your setting makes a huge difference, but especially

25:07

when you're out doing some adventure photography. Because

25:09

if you're, you know, taking photos of

25:11

a raincoat and it's a bright blue

25:13

sunny day. That's not going to really

25:16

show off that rain coat. That's not going to make any sense

25:18

whatsoever. If you're

25:21

taking photographs of climbers

25:23

and they're. Hiking the entire

25:25

time and they don't once climb. That's

25:28

not the right setting. You

25:30

need to put people in the right settings, in the right

25:32

locations, to be able to tell the story

25:34

that you want to tell. It

25:36

doesn't mean that your adventure stories have to take

25:38

place in the mountains or on the ocean or in the

25:40

desert or anywhere like that. I have seen

25:42

a couple of fantastic adventure stories

25:45

that are told. Inside of cities.

25:48

There was a great one at Reel rock a few

25:50

years ago that showed off how

25:52

climbing has exploded

25:55

in urban centers and people who have

25:57

never seen rock before. And the story was,

25:59

was about showing these rock climbers real

26:02

rock for the very first time, but

26:05

they grew up climbing in gyms. They

26:07

grew up climbing on the sides of buildings and in

26:09

playgrounds and anywhere they could get their hands on

26:11

to climb, they did. And

26:13

so this story was about taking some of the world's best

26:15

gym climbers who had never, ever

26:18

seen or touched a mountain in their entire

26:21

lives and putting them in those settings.

26:24

That's a beautiful story. And that

26:26

is a perfect use of two. Very, very

26:29

different. Settings. So

26:31

putting your story in the right setting. Is

26:34

critical to having people understand your story.

26:37

And this goes into the little details in your settings

26:39

as well. Because if you're trying

26:41

to talk about like, This

26:43

amazing back country adventure, where

26:46

you're all out there and you're surviving against the elements

26:48

and all these other kinds of pieces. And then.

26:51

You know, we can see a Starbucks sign

26:53

up above the trees or something. That.

26:56

Destroys your story. Obviously,

26:59

that's not true with what you were doing. So

27:02

think about your setting, think about how

27:04

you want your subject interacting with set

27:06

setting and what you really need to show

27:09

to help tell your story and how the setting can

27:11

help do that. And this includes,

27:13

if you're doing something like a documentary. And

27:15

you need headshots of your subject. I

27:18

have seen a few where they've been

27:20

out and they've been doing these epic adventures and doing all these

27:22

other kinds of things. And then they did like a corporate

27:25

headshot for them. And

27:27

it just was so incongruent

27:29

with the story that they told

27:31

that it really threw off the whole photo essay. Or

27:34

if your videographer it, you know, get

27:36

some elements in the background of like rock climbing

27:38

helmets or whatever adventure that these people

27:40

are on. Don't just throw

27:42

them into, you know, a blank office sitting

27:45

on a couch or something, which I have seen. And it, it

27:47

actually does ruin the story. You're

27:49

trying to tell. So think

27:51

about that setting. Even when it comes

27:53

to the basic images and the basic photos

27:56

about how that setting is going

27:58

to help tell your story. That's in there.

28:01

All right. And that's it. That's our five

28:03

elements of storytelling and how you can use them to

28:05

help with your adventure photography. And.

28:08

What I would fully suggest is that. Take

28:11

a listen to this, write some of these down, come

28:14

up with your own ideas here. And then. The

28:16

Banff film Fest has an online portion

28:18

to it. Maybe go get a ticket to that, to watch

28:20

some of these amazing ones. Go on Netflix

28:23

or prime or any one of the other streaming services

28:25

that you use and go find a few outdoor documentaries.

28:27

And watch how they use. All

28:30

of these pieces that we just talked about in here. To

28:33

tell masterful stories or

28:36

how they missed pieces and you noticed it

28:38

and it really didn't help you enhance the storytelling

28:40

piece. Because in the end, especially

28:42

if you're an adventure photographer. You're

28:45

a storyteller. That's really

28:47

what you are, even if your art form. It's

28:49

just beautiful landscapes. All

28:51

of this still applies. You still need that emotional

28:53

connection for people to feel it. You still need to feel them drawn

28:55

and you still need a subject in the right setting.

28:58

And fantastic composition. All

29:01

of this still applies, even if you just want to create

29:04

landscape art. Let's go.

29:06

Play with some of these ideas, write some

29:08

things down for yourself, and you'll find that the more you

29:10

think about this and the more that you think about this while you're creating

29:13

images. The easier it's going to become to see

29:15

stories in the world. Thank you

29:17

so much for coming along on this journey. I'd

29:19

love to hear your feedback, but the episode or anything else that

29:21

you'd love to learn about. Reach out to me on Instagram

29:23

at Robert Massey photography. Find stuff on my website

29:26

at robertmasseyphotography.ca and get

29:28

out there and explore this big.

29:31

Beautiful world of ours. All

29:33

right. Bye for now.