Storytellers: A Photographer's Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures (Voices That Matter) [Paperback]

Jerod Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0321803566 | ISBN-13: 978-0321803566 | Edition: 1

It's amazing how many images the world's photographers produce! Professional or not, images surround us in our everyday lives. What makes successful photographers stand out? What drives us to revisit the same images over and over?

All images tell a story. Whether they're produced as works of art, on assignment for National Geographic, or as part of a family vacation, images say more than just a shutter speed, ISO, or aperture setting. We make images for a reason.

Storytellers, by photographer/teacher Jerod Foster, focuses on visual storytelling and how a deep knowledge of your process and your personal vision can create stronger images. Storytelling often requires the use of certain lenses, apertures, or light modifiers, but the story is what holds everything together. To become a better storyteller you will explore:

• Composition, light, depth of field, and motion and how to properly use your camera technically to dig deeper.
• Visual themes and how they provide stories with interest and depth
• Types of shots and shooting styles and what they convey in your images
• Research and ways to conceptualize your story before shooting
• Strategies for developing your own effective storytelling workflow during and after the shoot.

This beautifully written and illustrated guide will help you connect the how-tos of digital photography with the who, what, when, where and why of storytelling to bring your vision and your images to life!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerod Foster is a Texas-based editorial and travel photographer with a focus on environmental portraiture and natural history for magazines, books, and commercial clients. He also leads photography workshops and is a photography instructor at Texas Tech University. Jerod is a partner in Badlands Design and Production, a specialty book design/publishing company that also produces HD video on cultural history and conservation projects in Mexico and Texas. Visit his website and read his popular photography “Field Lighting” tips and blog at jerodfoster.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (December 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321803566
• ISBN-13: 978-0321803566
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jerod is an editorial and natural history photographer based in Lubbock, Texas. Starting out as a student of celebrated Texas photographer, Wyman Meinzer, Jerod quickly developed a passion for visual storytelling and educating future generations of shooters. His work ranges from environmental portraiture and travel imagery to conservation photography and photojournalism, and it can be seen in a variety of regional and national magazines and book publications.

In 2006, Jerod began teaching photography courses at Texas Tech University, and since then he has led students in a variety of course topics, including domestic and international field courses. Storytellers: A Photographer's Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures is his first book that focuses on photographic storytelling. Jerod is also a regular contributor to the Manfrotto School of Xcellence. In addition, he is a partner in Badlands Design and Production, a publishing house for high-end coffee table photography books, including Inspiration Texas Style, Working Dogs of Texas, and Southern Plains Bison: Resurrection of the Lost Texas Herd.

Visit Jerod's site for more information and to view his work and additional writing: www.jerodfoster.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Going beyond pretty pictures December 13, 2011

By Michael McKee TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a developing photographer, I've gone through a progression of books. First were the ones that taught me about the camera. Then I worried about composition and the advantages of controlling shutter speed and aperture. Then I focused on specialized subjects like macro photography and night/low light.

Now I want to have my photos better reflect my personal vision. I want my photos to express moods and stories. Enter Storytellers. This title fits nicely with the recent releases that give observations on our unique voice as photographers, like The Passionate Photographer: Ten Steps Toward Becoming Great (Voices That Matter) and Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images (Voices That Matter).

The book's subtitle tells it well: A photographer's guide to developing themes and creating stories with pictures. It's not prescriptive. Rather, Storytellers offers some looks into the minds and eyes of people who have developed their unique photographic visions. Storytelling isn't just about collecting bunches of images that tell linear stories. I was initially surprised that many one photo example photos were included. Some of these pictures are stunning. Some look technically challenged and won't win any beauty awards, but they do convey the essence of what was going in during the photo taking period. Sure, we'd all like to take National Geographic quality documentary photos. Often that isn't necessary. Less than perfect exposures or focus often convey what was happening as well or better than technically "better" ones would have. That's discussed, too.

If you want to move beyond simple technical mastery, if you would like to create photos with more impact, this book offers good advice, examples and inspiration. There's no formula here, but a series of essays that ask questions and offer insights that might just help you develop your own photographic vision. Practice and self-reflection required.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Storytelling is the most important part January 11, 2012

By LSchilbergPhotography

Format:Paperback

This book does a great job covering all the different aspects of telling a great story with our images. Jerod Foster gets to the root of how storytelling can be powerful and how it can make for a great image. Foster even states in the book that this isn't a how-to manual but a discussion of all the different components that we use in our daily life to tell a great story. There isn't any other book out there that take you "behind-the-sense" of how photographers get the their images, THIS book does. I believe this is a must have book for any photographer. I mean after all, we are all storytellers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essance of making photographs July 13, 2012

By Pecos

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a must have. Its one of the few books that cuts through the technical aspects of photography that really gets down to the essence of why people make photographs.After all, when we make a photograph, our camera is our pen, the paper is our film (digital file), the image is our story, and the theme of our story is about our thoughts and feelings. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a passion about making photographs.