My book is now available to order. Here’s the link to place an order or request an inspection copy if you’re a teacher.
List price is $42.95, though it’s reduced by 20% on an end-of-year sale.
Creating Visual Narratives Through Photography, A fresh approach to making a living as a photographer is a whopper of a title that evolved as much as the book did as I wrote it. People have suggested I write a book for years but only after working in the profession and then teaching full time did I feel like I understood what kind of text would best suit those entering and working in the visual professions today and going forward.
We just finalized the cover design, with a photo I made of early morning chores at Afton Field Farm near Corvallis, Oregon.
Six sections of the book bring together my understanding of how best to succeed, based on having worked in a variety of editorial, newspaper, magazine, communications, lifestyle and commercial settings as a visual editor, design director, director of photography, photographer, writer, independent consultant, grant director and educator.
Sections speak to elevating your understanding of why we make photos, with the goal of saying more in the pursuit of a unique career; how to use the camera as a tool of expression; what you can do as a person to expand what your photos say; how to select and sequence a set of photos; creating visual narratives as the driving force of your professional life; and what it takes to make a living.
More than 90 photos I’ve made accompany the text to illustrate specific aspects. And every section includes a Try This set of exercises to flex that section’s learning.
This is not a set of rules to follow but rather a comprehensive beginning-to-end set of principles, approaches and advice – with direct application at every phase.
My goal was to speak to you directly and help you advance along a professional path that you define uniquely to you.
I wrote the book to give students an informed understanding of how to enter the profession. And for professionals who are struggling against the tide of change and/or want to elevate their imagery and storytelling in the pursuit of engaging with more clients. My hope is that your understanding grows regardless of your stage of life.
Here is an outline of the six sections and the three appendixes and the table of contents. Each of the sections concludes with a Try This sub-section that offers exercises to realize that section’s intent.
Section One: Why Do We Make Pictures?
Section One lays the foundation for all other sections by offering a rethinking of how to make photographs by expanding your understanding of why we make them. Making a living as a photographer requires image makers to generate multiple income streams. That is more likely to happen If the work you produce is more dimensional and can appeal to a variety of paying clients, from photojournalism, editorial, commercial, advertising and art. Every section of the book concludes with a Try This section that presents ideas of how to apply what was addressed. Photographs throughout also illustrate points being made.
Section Two: Photography’s Means of Expression
This section flips the traditional way of realizing photographs by applying the learnings from section one to photography’s means of expression, which are light, color, distance from what’s photographed and composition. Each of these can be seen in a way that goes beyond simply representing what is there, to instead create images that convey qualities, ideas and concepts. Make unique photographs to be in demand as a visual storyteller.
Section Three: You Make Photographs Engaging
Anyone can make a serviceable photograph now. It is those who bring more to the game, have more to say, that are making a living. This chapter walks you through ways to broaden your capabilities, first by helping you define your path in the profession and then presenting key components to producing more evocative imagery, uniquely, for you. A final sub-section introduces ethics as they apply to visual professions.
Section Four: How To Select and Sequence Your Photos
Making more dimensional photographs is but one phase of realizing your potential. This section presents a comprehensive approach to selecting and sequencing your photographs. Photographers often don’t choose more compelling photographs they’ve made because they don’t meet the need at hand or the experience of making them wasn’t notable. Learn how to bring forward your strongest work so you can use it to accomplish many professional goals.
Section Five: Creating Visual Narratives
Few settings now expect single images of what is photographed. Creating visual narratives is the new standard practice. Being a visual storyteller is now a common descriptor. Increasingly, narratives must utilize multiple mediums and be able to live in multiple settings. This section speaks to different narrative forms, how to set them in motion, how to know whether your idea is worth doing and then addresses how to create the work successfully. Equally important is a sub-section about how to pitch your projects.
Section Six: What It Takes To Make A Living
This section presents concrete, actionable steps to making a living. It’s for students just starting out and for those who want to reinvent themselves in the profession. Once you’re creating work, creating an outward-facing presence is critical. This section includes considerations for your web site, how to define and craft your social media presence, determining which promotional materials would be most effective and whether to make a photo book. It also explains whether to enter competitions and grants and how best to do that. Sub-sections about working with businesses/brands and how to go about getting a job close the section.
Three Appendixes
Bonus sections offer a tried-and-true set of assignments based on the book’s principles; a considered collection of words and phrases that are important to understand on the path to developing a strong visual vocabulary; a resource guide that presents agencies and collectives, reviews and festivals, competitions and grants, organizations, publishing entities and other useful books.
Table of Contents
Preface
Section One: Why Do We Make Pictures?
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Spectrum of Why: Understand Why You Make Photographs
1.2 How Do We Experience Photographs?
1.3 The Milking Stool – Three Legs of Creativity
1.4 Simple vs. Simplistic
1.5 This Is Not About Style
1.6 So Many Ways to Express The Why
Try This – Why
Section Two: Photography’s Means of Expression
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Achieving High-Moment Value
2.2 The Technical
2.3 Seeing and Expressing With Light
2.4 Color – See, Feel, Respond
2.5 Distance As Voice
2.6 Composition – Order From Chaos
2.7 Ditch Rules, Rise Above Clichés
Try This – With Camera In Hand
Section Three: You Make Photographs Engaging
3.0 Introduction
3.1 You Are Your Photographs
3.2 Know What Precedes You
3.3 Step Away From Your Comfort Zone
3.4 Achieve Substantive Work
3.5 Enmesh Yourself
3.6 Earn Trust
3.7 Incorporate The Universal
3.8 Anticipate Or Miss It
3.9 Hello Serendipity
3.10 Express Time Like A Wizard
3.11 See The Music
3.12 What About Ethics?
Try This
Section Four: How To Select And Sequence Your Photos
4.0 Introduction
4.1 How To Select Your Best Photos
4.2 How To Sequence Photos
4.3 Variables For Different Uses
Try This
Section Five: Creating Visual Narratives
5.0 Introduction
5.1 What To Create, What To Call Them?
5.2 Setting An Effort In Motion
5.3 How To Know If It’s Worth Doing
5.4 Considerations of How To Approach Creation
5.5 Creating The Work
5.6 Realizing The Work, Start To Finish
5.7 How To Pitch Your Effort
Try This
Section 6: What It Takes to Make A Living
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Defining Your Path
6.2 The Mother Ship – Your Web Site
6.3 To Social Media Or Not
6.4 Promotional Materials A Must, Maybe
6.5 Make A Photo Book
6.6 Enter Competitions?
6.7 Apply For Grants, Residencies?
6.8 Work With A Business?
6.9 Get A Job?
Try This
Conclusion: The Inability to Not
Acknowledgments
Appendix A: Self-Assignments
Appendix B: Visual Vocabulary
Appendix C: Resource Guide
Index