Shooting to Tell a Story

by guest contributor Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman

When I first started in this business almost 5 years ago, I wrestled with what to call my style. The term ‘lifestyle’ was just starting to be tossed around but I always felt like what I was producing was more photojournalistic and ‘raw’ if you will. I found myself documenting the ‘moments in between’ during shoots and getting most excited about those shots than some of the more traditional shots I’d capture.

The term lifestyle has become a catch all these days but for me my end result is always the same: telling a family’s story.

So how do you shoot to tell a story? First off we need the proper setting to tell the story. 99 percent of my shoots are what I call ‘indoor/outdoor’ and happen in and around a client’s home. You can’t get more personal than being in someone’s everyday space where lives ‘happen.’ An added bonus of shooting in home is that it makes them super relaxed which is always half the battle when filming.

The indoor portion is always first (because most children don’t want to come in once they are out!) then we head on out for a few outdoor images.

Here are my top 3 tips for shooting to tell a story INDOORS:

1. Never put the camera down.

Not for a second. Not to check your phone real quick while Mom is changing baby (you probably don’t want to be doing this regardless ;)), not zoning out while a child puts on another shirt, or ‘chimping’ (the act of peeking at your screen to see what you captured) when Mom gives baby a bit of food. THIS is where those moments in between present themselves. You have to be quick and ready for them, because they are fleeting.

And not only should you always have your camera ready to go during a shoot, but don’t put your camera away until you are literally out the door. I cannot tell you how many times some of my most favorite shots are taken after the shoot is ‘over.’ Like this one. I was packing up my cameras upstairs when I looked over the railing to see this moment…

2. Think beyond the detail shots. Back up, shoot wide, and get the whole scene.

In the past I may have focused a lot of shooting time on detail shots, and while I still think they are a vital part to the ‘story,’ I pull back a lot more now. Getting the family around the table and even documenting a quick refuel snack or finishing up their breakfast, in the case below, produces some fun moments.

Watch the crops too- whenever I mentor, I stress the importance of cropping with purpose. Most want to ZOOM right in and get a close up of the action. Pull back. Get the entire scene.

Here are two examples of pulling back to tell a story from an indoor/outdoor NYC shoot.

3. Don’t discount places in the home that are not the ‘norm’ to film in.

A child doesn’t always have to be sitting on their bed facing the light. Get the child in the depths of their room. Back up and film them playing through the doorframe shadows and all. Shoot them in a dark hallway and embrace the shadows and light.

{This image was shot in a laundry room because the light was fantastic coming from a skylight above Mom’s head.}

{This little boy’s train set was set up in the hallway. Most would discount it because it lacked light, but I say embrace light AND dark.}

Now it’s time to head outside!

Here are my Top 3 tips for shooting to tell a story OUTDOORS:

1. Toss the blanket.

You don’t need to have everyone sitting on a blanket outdoors all the time. Switch it up. Let the kids lay right in the grass. Roll in the grass. Get tickled in the grass. Look up at the planes. Think about it- when you go outdoors with your family to hang in the backyard you aren’t always toting a blanket.

2. Incorporate fun activities they normally do outside.

Take shots of them on the jungle gym. Let them have a race. There is always some activity each family does when a camera isn’t on them. Ask them what it is and run with it. Again everyone doesn’t need to be looking directly at and smiling at the camera.
Summertime? How about a water hose fight? You cannot help but capture true emotions when people are active.

3. Change up your angles to tell an interesting story.

I’m known for getting down on my belly and shooting up at a child on the swings. Climbing up the ladder to the slide with them, then shooting as they go down from behind. Interesting perspectives tell interesting stories. Make your viewer feel like they are right there in the action viewing it from all sides.

Every family has a story. By telling it, you dig deeper into the ‘personal’ side of shooting and connect in a way far different than you may have before when shooting for more traditional images.

This also works well for introducing a client to a ‘storytime’ album. When you shoot to tell a story, you have a defined purpose.

It’s a very different mindset than you normally would approach a shoot in that you have to let go of ‘perfect’ and embrace the perfect in the imperfect.

Besides, isn’t that what real life is all about after all?

About the Author: Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman, owner of JellyBean Pictures is a die hard, natural light photographer based in NY. Her goal at every shoot is to capture awesome in a documentary style with little posing and props  work has appeared in Professional Photographer Magazine, New York Family Magazine, and on strollertraffic.com.  Her manual {don’t} say cheese was written to address the importance of capturing real smiles along with other tips + tricks she picked up along her journey thus far.

Visit Jennifer at her WEBSITE | BLOG |FACEBOOK pages today!