creating a story

"She carries a lot of suitcases but all of them are empty because she's expecting to completely fill them with life by the end of this trip & then she'll come home & sort everything out & do it all again." ~ story people

Have you ever imagined a shot before actually taking it?  An idea born in your mind at first, but then with a little creativity, perhaps a few props, have you ever just gone for it and composed what you imagined?  I am not someone who composes a lot of shots. Somehow I feel silly doing it, or perhaps it just takes too much time for my short attention span brain, but once upon a time I actually did it. If you could have seen me you would have gotten a good laugh.  I had no tripod.  I had no remote.  (those are my feet in that shot, I swear) What I did have was his burning vision in my mind.  I had recently gotten this vintage argus camera, I had found that red suitcase on the side of the road. (I am an admitted sucker for old things, lost things, & found things. I feel they hold stories all their own.) There was this lone abandoned cabin that set back off the road.  That was the place, those were the props, and now all that was left was me gathering up my courage and risking looking a little silly to compose this shot.  I gathered some bricks and rocks to prop up my camera at the height I needed, I turned on my timer, and ran back and forth more than a few times til I got just what I wanted.  Oh, and that cabin?  Yes it sits back off a road alright, off a major road, with a gas station across the street, with people pumping gas... I can only imagine what they must have thought.  I know they saw me, they were staring.  I am sure the conversation might have gone a little like this, "What the heck is that girl doing?!?!"  "She keeps running back and forth to something and jumping up with that suitcase!" "Poor thing, she is has lost her marbles."  Let them think what they will, at the very least I am sure they all had a good laugh at my expense, and a good story to tell when they got home. No matter, I got the shot I envisioned.  I am still proud of this shot and the silly story behind it all these years later. 

Show us a story you composed in your lens.  Have you ever had a vision and just gone for it?  If not, are you inspired to try? Go ahead!  I can't wait to see what you come up with. And who knows, you may just gain a great story as well as a great shot.

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Don't forget to leave a comment here today! With your comment comes the chance to win a very special September gift; a $100 gift certificate courtesy of Paper Coterie in honor of the Everyday Storytellers and our One Word Project this month; story.

Comments

[ugg-uk]

so well

[all-insanity]

good very good

[Marcie]

What a wonderful story....and result. Something to be proud of - yes!
Although my stories are rarely thought out in advance and pre-planned..I do often feel silly wondering what others are thinking I'm doing.For this - I climbed a fence to get onto a golf course that was blanketed in morning fog. The guys in the little golf carts were watching...probably thinking me a little crazy:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/9/27/morning-commute.html

[LeAnne]

Oh yea! I attempted a 365 self portrait project before I had a rmote or a tripod so I giggled at your scene of you setting your timer and running back and forth.

Recently, my boyfriend and I invited some friends to dinner and I offered to make his favorite dish and had the idea that I would compose a still life out of the scenario and post the recipe to my blog. I know our guests must have thought I was a bit weird wanting with the little vignette I set up and shooing them out of the room so I wouldn't be embarrassed as I took my shot. I'm sure they thought I was way too proud of my cooking! LOL

Here's a link: http://photosbyleanne.blogspot.com/2011/09/recipe.html

[Ana Eugenio]

wow! amazing shot :) and the story of how you did it is so sweet. this is a great challenge :)

[JEANNE]

Really enjoyed your post and the picture you posted is wonderful. Very inspiring to think of preplanning a story, and think I am now going to be inspired to try out something a little more risque that what I have done in the past. I wish I could have been one of the people at the gas station and gotten some photos of you doing that. Makes me chuckle.
Am sharing one photo that i took that does not look so wonderful as yours, but was the first photo I ever shot in manual, and was at a photography class that I went to in Arizona. We were in a rock house that was an old Navaho Indian house out in the desert, and I got the idea that I wanted to take a picture of the 4 of us in the window. For a novice, a very difficult shot as there were tremendous differences in lighting between the inside and the outside. Took me an hour to set up and finally get a shot. Involved multiple episodes of me setting my timer on 15 seconds and running as fast as possible to get out of the rock house and get around to the window to see if I finally had the right settings. ( Could not figure out how the remote worked at that time), and it was quite a ways around to the window involving dodging several cactuses. Finally managed to get what I thought was good enough settings, and gather the 3 of us at the window and make one more mad dash after setting the timer. That is me up in the top left. Hope I did not look too out of breath.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44639636@N07/6191883158/in/photostream

[Val @ Mental Chew]

I love that you were the subject in your story shot! Great use of the timer. My shot is the first one on this entry. We have been participating in one of our local CSA's and I have been trying to capture the experience each week. At some point I realized I never had a shot of their whimsical entrance and I wanted to capture their large stand of sunflowers. Tah dah! With kids sitting in the car with grandma, I managed to get out there when the sun wasn't beating down directly overhead. http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/09/csa-week-of-sept-20-no-fail-pest.html

[Val @ Mental Chew]

This is a picture of my share during the first week of our CSA. I up the final two shots for over an hour on our dining room table. Just short of bringing in a ladder to get my shot, I was having a hard time getting all of the wonderful produce in the shot and my lighting wasn't ideal, but I had grandparents present to help so I had to seize the moment! http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/08/csa-heaven.html

[Michelle (Mamadunk)]

This past February I took part in a photo scavenger hunt hosted by Boston.com (in their 'RAW' photography section). There were 28 items to photograph....various items related to February, winter, Boston, etc. I had so much fun with this contest (even though they disappointingly haven't announced the winners!!!) and thinking of ways to creatively photograph the items. One item to photography was 'Rocking Chair'. My daughter is such a trooper. I had an idea in my mind and she helped me execute it. Turned out to be my favorite of the 28 photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29333822@N07/5485670776/

[Roxanne]

I had always imagined a photowalked through a cloudy, almost empty Athens in Greece. Two days after the year turned, I got my wish: http://www.storiesofconflictandlove.com/2011/01/for-last-years-words-belong-to-last.html

[Andrea]

Great post! I think every photographer can identify. This is one of the earliest pictures in my photostream. When the snow storm hit, I could not get this idea out of my head. While it has plenty of technical flaws, it's one of the very few where the end result matched what I had envisioned.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifelovelittlethings/4339250618/in/set-72157627140832406

[Alecia Johnson]

There was this building I passed almost every day that had the neatest door. It was a huge barn like door with pealing white paint. I kept looking at this door for months knowing I wanted to shoot it but wasn't sure how. Then one day it came to me. I had my daughter and her friend put on their prom dresses. I then had them put on biker boots and spiked jewelry and sunglasses. I put them in front of the door and had a great time with it. Got some interesting shots.

[Jillian]

HA! I've been guilty of the very same crazy behavior whilst shooting a self portrait. LOVE this image of yours. The colors really zing. Here's one of mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28057482@N05/6070790152/

[Rebecca Weaver]

Yes!! Here is one of my first created photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trebecca84/5697898496/
And this one, more complex:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trebecca84/5914178762/

[autumn sun]

my daughter and i have done several of these type of concept/ story photos - and i am sure our neighbors think us crazy with all that they see us doing in the backyard.
this was my favorite
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/6192270696/

[Kathy O]

I love the shot! I also have a hard time envisioning a shot. I end up going for in the moment, but it never quite turns out the way I hope.

[sarah]

i can't think of a time of a too crazy set up, lots of times of stories behind the photo however...most recently doing my little 'postcard series' over on my blog & also when in the mode of taking a photo a day....whatever/whenever i felt i could capture the mood of the day or a experience within or thought, i would share that one single photo. to me, each tells a story but i only shared a few words of each publicly. here's one of my favorite from the 365 project (that i never finished) http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-mer-family/5367081241/ i can still go back & feel exactly what i was feeling, the blur & confusion in a daunting decision.

[Amanda]

That happens to me all the time!! And reading this and the lovely fall weather totally got me in the mood to go have a photo shoot with myself =)

[anngeedee]

I've shared it before, but I envisioned this shot in my head for one of the daily prompt's in a Picture series class that Tracey taught. I got the prompt and thought about it all day, left work early and grabbed my camera, scratched words onto little cardstock pieces and quickly changed clothes. I propped my camera up on a few books and started snapping with my remote as I walked away dropping the cards onto the ground. It's the first time that what I had in my head actually ended up as the picture. It is still my favorite shot, ever. http://www.flickr.com/photos/anngeedee/5307610812/in/set-72157625804127634

[Tammy]

I have never planned a story image before I have taken it....but as I come across a scene that intrigues me and makes me wonder the story behind the scene I usually snap a shot...here is one I took a few years ago while at the Grand Canyon. For some reason this lady really caught my eye and made me wonder what she was thinking.

http://imagesbytammy.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/shutter-sisters-creating-a-story/

[Nicky Anderson]

Great shot and such amazing food for thought.

[Debra]

Kristin I love this photo so very much! Every element just speaks to me.

When it comes to self portraits I get really into the role of "art director". I plan scenes and often buy props! This photo was one that I had in my head to take weeks before my actual birthday. The truth is that I made the cake more for the photograph than to eat it (though it did get eaten!).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manifeisty/5854910699/in/set-72157626680477093

This one was taken directly across the street from my home. I look at this warehouse every day and thought that it would be a great backdrop for a photo in pretty dress and with my girly bike. There was an open house in our complex that day and I have no idea what prospective buyers might of thought of the nutty neighbour!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manifeisty/5874674516/in/set-72157626680477093

[Kelly]

I love the photo and admire your bravery!

I have just begun taking baby steps towards composing shots that include me. So mine are beginning pretty simply: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58821554@N06/6163773078/in/photostream

[Denise]

what a beautiful low perspective shot. i love the processing too. My story: http://www.theukmama.com/2011/09/creating-great-child-portraits-when-simpler-is-better/

[Sarah]

Love the bold colors! Creativity at its best.

[Jan]

Love the colors!

[Debra Hawkins]

I often do this with pictures of my little girl, but not really anybody else. I am on the spot with everybody else, but I have lots of time to plan out my daughter's shoots. http://www.flickr.com/photos/housewifeeclectic/6192412087/
This is from our latest shoot.

[leigh love]

Beautiful shot and story! I tend to shoot more from the hip then planned out, because I like the spontaneity of unplanned shots. I capture true emotion and true expression more so that way. And I'm just not very good at coming up with composition ideas when it comes to people.

[camille beckles]

Totally know what you mean about looking silly for the sake of a photo. I feel that way every time I set up my tripod in a public place (though I totally know the feeling of the set-the-timer-then-run-back-and-forth-while-your-camera-is-propped-on-rocks mentality, as I only recently bought a tripod and remote...). But I think the silliness is part of the fun, especially when you feel the gratification of getting exactly the shot you want. (Or, in my case, not getting the shot you want but finding out that the shot that results is actually better than what you had previously envisioned.)

All that to say, yes, I can totally identify.

[Chelsea]

I am the same way. I usually feel to silly to set up a shot. It is something I want to practice though, especially after seeing the shoot of Laurel Hogge here on Shutter Sisters! But here was a self-portrait I did for Madeline Bea's Creativity Bootcamp. The day's assignment was to dance...just let loose and dance. And me being me, I of course took a photo. I wasn't brave enough to do it in public though...this took place in my backyard. :-)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelscham/5735549400/in/photostream

[tara on the wander]

hee, i went for it in this one, and with a red suitcase no less. but then i kinda freaked out because the story told in the photo was just that -- a story, a fiction -- and i didn't want it to be taken as real!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/impossibletask/5823088224/

[Heather]

I love your photo and the story that goes with it.
I don't often compose - my photos are a lot of me snapping things just as they are but recently I had this idea after the shutter sisters prompt on reflections and was able to pull it off in my car with my iphone. It took a few tries before I got an expression that looked right but that's the fun of having a "delete" button.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/htekmo/6166159725/in/photostream

[Lauren P]

Yes, sometimes I dream of photos and try desperately in the morning to create the image just the way I saw it. Sometimes it is successful :)

[Libertad Leal]

I love this shot!

I imagine, very specifically, the vast majority of my shots. I always have with me a list of ideas and I HAVE to carry them out or they won't leave me alone. Perhaps you could say my photography lacks an element of spontaneity but that is just the way I work . So my entire stream can be an example, but I leave here the ones that I had to work hard to get (props, timing, etc)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5549329646 Vintage Spring (a series of photos of one of my vintage cameras inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/6142326305 Vintage Summer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5629713267 UP (inspired in the movie)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5121818653 Happy Halloween
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5006785491 The Only Exception (inspired in the Paramore video)

[Kelly]

I just LOVE this...I learned to set up shots when I did my 365. SOme days the shots didn't go as I envisioned but I was openminded enough to let the photo take it's course...some times it was a hit...sometimes not so much. I worry WAY TOO MUCH what other people think to take pics where people can see me...to bad for me.

[NatsterNat]

I absolutely LOVE your photo! I have yet to stage a photo shoot, but I have an idea in mind for our yearly family Christmas Card that I can't wait to set up!

[Bonnie]

I love your photo and your very interesting account of how you got it. I can relate to that whole idea of not wanting to be seen doing something 'silly' :) Lots of times I don't want to be seen with my camera at all (and especially with my tripod) because I'm afraid people will think 'just who does she think she is' :) I do set up quite a few shot, though, and do things such as use a spray bottle to add water drops to flowers and leaves, and take an interesting leaf or flower that I find to another location for photographing, but I like that because I can take them indoors where no stranger will see me or to the privacy of my back yard.

Here is an example of repositioned dandelion:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjakobsen-martin/5825540635/

[P Gannon]

The colors just brought me right in - first time visit to your site and I have faved it! I am enjoying the wonderful photos.

[starrlife]

My story is watching the ones I love. I am a voyeur behind the lens- unoriginal but true. And when I see the photos later it reminds me of how lucky I am (sometimes I need reminding). http://flic.kr/p/araQL5

[Audrey Davis]

The photos and stories this month are very inspiring. Love your site!

[Christian @ Modobject at Home]

My thoughts on capturing and creating stories...
http://www.modobjectathome.com/2011/09/stories.html

[Kohl Tabori]

I can totally relate! I finally got MY shot last month after I enlisted my friend's daughter. She was the perfect model and I got my shot on railroad tracks. I was sooo scared because the trains were still running and I kept looking over my shoulder to hurry up before the next train came through. We also drew a crowd of on-lookers but it was sooo worth it. I love those pictures!

[Spyros Heniadis]

I have to admit I feel a little like there's no guys posting around here, but I really enjoy these posts, so I'm commenting anyway. :)

I made some large steps in storytelling through a daily portrait project that ran from November of 2009 to November of 2010. (If you're interested they're all here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spyros/sets/72157627473354814/with/6060897630/ )

Every day was a story of some kind as I dug and explored myself. The staging was more often than not nothing more than me in front of the camera in my studio, the story in the lighting and the pose, on occasion a prop.

This is a shot that I remember the most, the day before my wife went in for surgery, a week before we found out she had cancer (she's fine now. They removed the tumor with the surgery)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spyros/6060897630/in/set-72157627473354814

[Tracie West]

It's amazing, you had such a wonderful vision and I'm so glad you had the courage to go through with it! I would be so proud too. -RED

[Pétra]

I love your photo and the story behind it made me laugh! I haven't had that experience with a photograph but have with painting and quilting it's nice to have that kind of inspiration.

[Eloquence]

Definitely! After my first photography class, I got into the habit of composing shots in my mind as I walked around/went places, no matter whether or not I had my camera. Daydreaming would then of course lead to thoughts such as "how awesome would it be if this was here with that background..."

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