Capturing Images That Tell Stories

I have two boys, ages 2 and 5, and photographing them is part of my every day life. Ever since I began scrapbooking, I've really honed in on capturing images that tell stories about them and their lives. In my new class, Captured: Boys, I expand on several ways I capture storytelling images of boys. Today I'm sharing a tip I often use to create a better story in an image. More specifically, how I used it during a recent vacation with my boys.

During the first day of our trip, we visited the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Both of my boys were a little out of it, being our first stop after the craziness of getting on and off a plane, finding our rental car, and driving through the city. They thought the bridge was cool, but they weren’t very interested in allowing me to get a photo of them in front of it.

Due to their poor moods, my initial photos weren’t all that great as you can see. Confused faces. Ignoring me when I asked them to look at me. I’m sure my kids aren’t the only ones who sometimes completely ignore their moms!

In order to get them engaged in their surroundings, I (& my husband) started asking them questions.

What do you think about that bridge? How do you think they built it? Is it big? How big is it?!

That's when I captured a fun image of my youngest showing me just how large he thought that bridge was. He may not be smiling at the camera, but this is one of my favorite images from our pit stop because it shows his personality and his method of describing to me and my husband just how large the bridge was.

Next time you’re struggling to capture interesting photos of your children, try asking them questions to get them to engage with you or their surroundings. Ask them what they see or hear. Ask them what they’re thinking about.

I hope you’ll join me for more tips for photographing boys in my new class!