In 2017, a doctoral student from Griffith University discovered a cave painting on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Using uranium-series dating, his team estimated the piece to be at least 43,900 years old. The discovery is believed to be the oldest record of visual storytelling. It’s clear proof that humans have been using visual elements to tell stories for over 40,000 years. 

Today, our ability to tell stories through visual narratives has developed far beyond those early cave paintings. We have intricate animations, hyperreal CGI, and of course, photography.

When it comes to visual storytelling through photography, the details matter. Whether it’s the composition or the lighting, every element within the photograph will shape the larger story you’re trying to share. So, we spoke with GUAP photographer Terna Jogo to give you important pointers for turning your images into a clear and compelling story.

Terna Jogo is a 25-year-old fashion editor and photographer from Surrey. She is the lead photographer for GUAP Magazine. Terna has been taking photographs since she was little, but it was never something she’d imagined would turn into a profession. 

Her career developed naturally - and a little unexpectedly - as the result of her just taking photographs for fun in her spare time. Since then, she’s dedicated her full creative force to advancing her craft. In an online workshop with Contact, Terna spoke about the art of storytelling through images, a skill that she’s learned through her time working at GUAP. 

Before starting the shoot, think about the why of the project. Why are you taking the photo? 

Thinking about these questions will help you plan your images in advance and get a clear idea of the story you’re trying to share. Once you know the story, you can start figuring out how to tell it - from both the creative and technical sides. 

Terna used this method when planning GUAP’s feature editorial with Jay-Ann Lopez, CEO and Founder of Black Girl Gamers. BGG is a thriving collective of over 8,000 Black women worldwide who all share a passion for gaming. Partnering with major brands in the gaming and entertainment space, like Google, Meta, and Netflix, BGG seeks to improve the representation, experience, and influence of black women in gaming. 

For Lopez’s feature editorial, the focus was on the under-representation of Black women in gaming. Understanding this theme, alongside Lopez’s background, experiences, and motivations, was crucial to creating images that accurately portrayed both Lopez and her work with BGG. 

As the American philosopher Susan Sontag wrote in On Photography, “photographs are a way of imprisoning reality”, capturing and reflecting the world in front of the lens. Thinking about the historical, social, cultural, and political contexts of the images you take can help you see the bigger picture and situate your image into a broader narrative. When thinking about the bigger picture, ask yourself the following questions:

In just one photograph, you’ll have several elements coming together - the subject, the lighting, the background, the clothing, etc. Each of these elements will influence the story you’re trying to share, so it’s important to know what they mean. As Terna Jogo states, “it’s [these] small steps that build up to the bigger picture.”

If you’re shooting a model for a brand, what does their pose say? Do they look comfortable or energetic? Do they fit with the brand image?

The same thought goes into photographing an individual. Think about how the photograph reflects on them. Is it an accurate representation of who they are? How does the image make them come across? 

For Jay-Ann Lopez’s feature editorial, Terna shot three unique looks. Each indicated something about her personality. 

As Terna states, for each image, “the lighting was the most difficult element to get right.” For example, in two of the three photographs published, there’s a visual warmth created by the orange hues, which give the photographs that unique sunset vibe. But this warm orange lighting is contrasted by a strip of white light that falls across Lopez’s eyes. The idea behind the white light was to represent the visor or VR headset often associated with gaming.

In the second image, blue lighting mimics the ambience of a TV screen, with a sofa added into the background to complete the setting. 

The gaming theme continues with the specific avatar-esque styling and poses, specifically selected to emulate the gaming experience. For example, Lopez’s hair is styled by Carla León to create an X/O shape, mimicking the buttons on gaming controllers.

Clothing wise, Lopez wears a tropical print two-piece by London-based designer Rose Danford-Phillips. Terna chose the design to represent Jay-Ann’s heritage as a Cuban-Jamaican woman. 

Photography may be a fixed medium, but that’s not to say that it can’t show movement.  When planning a photo, you can opt for a static or dynamic composition. These compositions produce different effects, but both are storytelling techniques capable of sharing powerful narratives when used correctly.

A static composition emphasises stillness, creating a sense of calm and orderliness that invokes feelings of stability and greater empathy. Static compositions can be especially emotive for portrait photography. By drawing attention to the subject’s expression, the stillness of the image encourages a sense of intimacy between the viewer and the subject.

Dynamic compositions, on the other hand, emphasise movement. These photographs are full of energy and often exciting to look at. They also tend to feature a broader range of motion. This aids the storytelling by giving the photograph a sense of action and placement. For example, take a look at this photo of a young Palestinian protestor by Mustafa Hassouna, which went viral in 2018. 

There’s a powerful sense of dynamism to this image, which comes from the striking pose of the subject. That movement brings a sense of energy, urgency, and power. Together, the subject’s pose and photograph’s composition effectively communicate the passion and emotion of the protestor. 

And there you have it, just a few ways you can turn your photographs into compelling narratives. To recap: 

We can’t wait to see what exciting stories you’ll tell with your photographs.