Start
Do I have time to think about the story in this shot?
- No — take the picture, then try a second frame with a story in it.
- Yes — examine the scene and decide, as specifically as you can, what story this image tells.
1 · Camera position
Which position best conveys the story? Explore before you settle:
- Raise the camera position
- Lower the camera position
- Examine the scene from every side and angle
- Then pick the position
2 · Lens
Can you change lenses? If yes, consider: compressing the scene (telephoto) · expanding it (wide) · normal field of view · depth of field · including or excluding background elements. If no, re-evaluate the camera position instead.
3 · Settings, in story terms
- ISO — is the story better told crisp and clean, or with some noise?
- Shutter speed — better with some blur, or tack sharp?
- Aperture — you've already decided depth of field; how does that choice push shutter and ISO?
- White Balance — would a colour shift strengthen the story?
4 · Composition
- Have you directed the viewer's eye to the subject?
- Is the subject's placement in the frame the best it can be?
- Can leading lines, frames or contrast highlight it further?
- Is the story around the subject clear and concise?
- Is it simple enough that most viewers will read it?
5 · Storytelling content
- Does the shot include a dramatic element?
- Is it addressing one of the storytelling needs — entertainment · explaining the physical world · belief in something greater · communicating an experience · beauty, regularity and self-expression · recording history?
6 · Post-production
- Localised selective focus?
- Does raising or lowering saturation reveal the story?
- Would a crop place the subject better?
- Does the contrast support subject, composition and story?
- Would advanced treatment (texture, compositing) add story value — or just noise?
Final check
Have all those decisions produced the simplest possible story? If not, start again.
Source: Photzy, Effective Storytelling Photography Checklist (Kent DuFault).