There are times when words alone don’t suffice in evoking emotion from an audience. Visual storytelling, in all of its forms, is an effective medium for bringing characters to life and inspiring change.
One of the first photo stories that I worked on was about an undocumented immigrant who sought refuge with her two sons in a sanctuary church in Greensboro.
I strongly believe that no amount of words can convey the emotion that a single, well-made photograph can. Nice light can emanate a certain mood while a well-timed facial expression can help illustrate the character’s internal struggles or triumphs.
Some of my most compelling images were made during the quieter moments: hugs, kisses or even glances out of a window.
As a student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel has a mission to train its staffers in different forms of storytelling, whether it is through written word or visual media.
The photo desk receives daily assignments from other desks. Yet, pitching our own stories is rare.
Running photo stories online and in-print would give our desk more agency to pursue stories that have a more compelling visual element. And entitle our staffers to work on stories that mean something to them.
My photojournalism professor, Patrick Davison, stresses how photo stories are the bread and butter of visual storytelling. They allow the photographer to spend more time on a specific story compared to daily assignments.
As any journalist knows, the more time you spend working on a story, the stronger your relationships become with the subject. This directly translates to more access and trust.
