Photography and videos as a tool for story telling
_**Have you ever considered the power and effects of pictures and videos?**_ _They say a picture is worth a thousand words. For me, this easily translates to saying a picture would convey a message as much as words will, and even better._ I am a lover of pictures and art, and this has always made me sit by the window whenever I go on a road trip so that I can capture different things. Photography and videos are indeed great tools for storytelling. This is why I was excited when we had photography and videos as a tool for storytelling at the Linking & Learning Event at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu. The session, a wellpacked session, started with an interesting and captivating line, ‘Story is King!’, and I could not agree less. The session highlighted how organizations can use pictures and videos to tell the story of their organization. One of the points highlighted in the coaching session was _‘stories show impact’_. This can be seen in organizations, individuals, and communities who have share their stories of impact and change in society. It also made us realize that an organization can distinguish itself by its ability to use stories to show program success. In telling your organization’s story, you need to have a strategy for delivering a great story. You need to _"think of the goal," "create your story," "develop your shot list," "get busy shooting," "optimize your media," and "plan for dissemination."_ By referring to the pictures from the EndSARS protest, I would like to show an example of how photography tells a story. Without seeing the headlines, one can tell from the pictures that the youths were clamoring for an end to police brutality, better governance and demanding for our basic needs as citizens. Some pictures from the protest will also show defiant youths who are ready to demand for their rights amidst soldiers throwing tear gas, water, and all forms of things to deter them. Our facilitator also mentioned that it is important to have a human-centered approach when telling your stories. In creating your shot list, you have to identify keywords in your story and use them to make a visual representation. Important points to note when shooting both your pictures and videos include: - Deciding the main subject in every frame and frame well. - Optimizing available light or using artificial light. - Investing in good cameras or camera phones. - Captioning, labeling and organizing your media. - Having a backup for your files. - You can also hire a consultant, but before then ensure you have a title and a summary of your project. Now, that you know the power of pictures and videos, steps to creating them, why not start creating one!Reactions
Author
Chidinma Kalu
COGNITO
Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2022
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