Finding Stories & Interesting Perspectives in Photography

Impatient Crossings at Newborough Beach

Something I’ve begun to explore in my photography recently is storytelling. Whilst this has always been an interest of mine, I never felt like many of my photos told particularly compelling stories. I was often shooting landscapes, and whilst a landscape can encompass many of the elements that make for interesting stories (history, change, seasonality etc) it’s sometimes difficult to present a story in a single photo.

Nowadays, I make a conscious effort to document the places I find interesting and I do this over a series of photos, rather than stand alone images.

When it comes to finding stories, I often ask myself:

‘What is it that I find interesting here?’

The beauty of this question is that there’s no right or wrong answer. But asking this question allows you to create based on your own curiosity. That motivator will naturally result in more compelling photos because it creates intention.

A theme i’ve leant on recently is ‘contrast’. I don’t mean contrast in terms of tonality, here, i’m referring to contrast in a more abstract way. Sometimes the most interesting photos are in contrast to the more obvious photographic opportunities of a particular landscape. Let me give you an example.

Llanddwyn Island off the coast of Newborough Beach on the island of Anglesey is one of North Wales’ most visited beauty spots. Twr Mawr, the old lighthouse that stands proud at the end of the island offers unparalleled views across the water to the mountains of Eryri and the Llyn Peninsula.

It’s a landscape that has so much to offer, and its beauty is unrivalled. I’ve been visiting the island for years, both as a photographer and as someone who just enjoys the outdoors and the awe-inspiring landscapes of North Wales. I’ve photographed the classic compositions countless times, but now, when I visit, i’m always trying to find a new perspective.

Being a North Wales-native myself, I have an intimate knowledge of this location and one of the features that makes the island so interesting is the tidal-nature of its access.

Many visitors fall foul to the ever-changing tide. For around 2 hours either side of high-tide Llanddwyn Island is completely cut off from the mainland at Newborough Beach. This can result in many day-trippers becoming stranded on either side, eagerly awaiting the retreat of the tide.

Sometimes I like to time my visits so I can watch the spectacle unfold in front of me. You really sense the impatience, and the eagerness people have to cross so they can set foot on the island and behold its beauty - I don’t blame them.

Some people tentatively edge closer, others wade through, and the younger, more nimble visitors even try to find other routes across.

Arguably, this spectacle is as interesting as the majesty that lies beyond. Many people want to photograph the lighthouse and the island itself, and whilst they’re beautiful images, they’re not always necessarily interesting images.

I think any photo that demonstrates human experience, or any photo that demonstrates a person’s relationship with a particular landscape and how they interact with it, often allows the viewer to feel more connected to the photo. This is sometimes best achieved through a series of images.

Within the gallery I created for this series, I included establishing photos of the landscape, showcasing its beauty and highlighting the reasons why people would flock to this location. Photos like that really help set the scene.

But then I can cutaway to the story I’m trying to tell. The interesting behaviours and eagerness of the people trying to get across by any means necessary to witness the beauty of the landscape.

Whilst any single photo within the series may not tell the whole story, when viewed collectively, the story naturally reveals itself.

In the current age of social media, we probably all have a tendency to view photos as singularities and that often influences how we take photos. We’re often looking for that one photo that really creates an impact, when in reality, finding those photos is sometimes like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

The takeaway, try to approach your photography with a documentary mindset, don’t fixate on single photos and instead, ask yourself that question; ‘what do I find interesting here?’ and photograph with that as your focus. Every photo should relate back to your answer to that question and by creating a collection of photos, I think you’ll find the story when you look back through the gallery.