The life of a story

Before a story begins

Visual storytelling from my point of view aims to educate the audience as well as the visual storyteller about social inequalities (the realities of marginalised communities, famines, disease, climate change issues, etc.).

Expressed positively, storytelling can be an empowering way of informing the world of difficult situations and this way encouraging people or communities to give their best for the improvement of those situations.

Therefore, the concept of visual narration is not only to trigger (photo) or record (video) but to raise awareness and contribute to solving societal problems.

A visual storyteller is a societal alert, an informant, a reporter, guarantor of collective memory, and voice of the voiceless. It comes with a heavy responsibility to raise social awareness for the resolution of problems.

Taking pictures

The actual image capture only took two days. I think it’s important to bear in mind the relation between preparation and execution when thinking about storytelling. Building up trust and relationship matters a lot, and this takes time. Think about it; how long would it take you to trust someone enough to share your life story with them?

The technique

These achievements were made possible thanks to a growing network of amazing photographers and video journalists. Currently our network of active creators counts 115 local visual storytellers from 61 countries who identify with the Fairpicture mission of creating authentic visual content from their own communities.

As for the technical aspects of the production of a story, I proceed in a very simple way. I take portraits, wide shots, details of people or places linked to the narration. Most importantly, I always try to capture emotions – because emotions speak more than words. They can support the communication of a certain message.

However, storytelling goes way beyond the shooting technique that we have learned over the years and that formally makes us visual creators. My personal narrative approach is rather centered on my subject (human or nature) before thinking about the visual techniques that I will use.

In fact, I take most of my time communicating and observing in order to synchronise with my subject and create a friendship between the two of us.

Let’s go on with the story

The good thing about pictures is that what your mind can’t know, your eyes can’t see. But as I develop different shots, I discover other aspects during post-production that complement or enrich my narration.

In the end, I trust my creative instincts, emerging completely and totally in the story I’m about to tell. I guess that’s what counts. It’s important to not be afraid of not being good enough or not meeting the expectations of your audience. Stay focused and immerse yourself completely in the story. Also always remain authentic, that’s to say, stay yourself during the narration and never lose your communicative line.

People may like or dislike the way you approach the story, but what matters is not what they think but rather your sincerity and authenticity in the storytelling. If you’re sincere and genuine, it’s already a victory, because a sincere and authentic story never goes unnoticed by an attentive audience. It always carries the soul of storytellers and therefore their sincerity and authenticity.