If you run a personal brand business, you know how important is being visible online. The very first impression your audience , especially cold audience have about you, would likely be an image or photo you post on social media platforms. A good quality image can catch people attention in a split of a second. It determines whether your message/copy is being read or not.
We all heard of the power of storytelling when it comes to creating that know, like and trust factor. But do you how you can tell stories without words?
A good story had some if not all of elements such as tension, entertainment, inspiration, emotions etc. It’s similar in telling stories visually. An image that gets the viewer thinking, sparks imagination, creates mystery and stirs emotions is an image with a story to tell. It is the emotional response when viewing the image that creates the connection between you and your viewer, making them likely to respond to your call to action.
If you want to have a go to create your own storytelling images, here are 3 things you can try:
Playing with Focus
A very common way to tell story visually is to create that mysterious factor leaving the viewer wondering what the image is all about. It invites the viewer to bridge the gap or search for the missing piece of the puzzles with their own imagination. There are different way to achieve this. For example focus on detailed. You can move closer and fill the frame with only part not all of the subject/scene. Another way is to shift the focus to something other than the main subject. For example, blurr out the main subject to an extent where the audience can just about to figure out what the blurred out subject is but not enough to be 100% sure what’s going on. The use of reflection and shadows in photos can also add mystery and create curiosity.
Capture a Scene
Less is more?! An image with a plain/uncluttered background brings viewer's attention and focus to a subject is undoubtly striking. But equally, an image containing a scene with lot’s of things happening although busy visually, if carefully planned and framed can really speak a thousand words. The background, location or any subjects/objects/props appear in a photo tells a lot about what’s happening at that very moment when the shutter was pressed. A scene gives the viewer the context of where, when, who and how. But because it’s a still image, it still left plenty of room for viewers to fill the gap as to what happened right before and right after the image was taken.
Incorporate Emotions
Don’t be afraid to show emotions.
Emotions create empathy and connect you with your audience.
You don’t always need to show emotions with facial expressions though. It can be conveyed by ways of body language, gestures, lightings, colours and the scene/setting of your photo. I’ll be sharing with you more about how you can use body language and colours in the coming post. Subscribed to our news and updates to get notified when our next blog post is up.