I had an interesting email today from an attendee to one of my workshops. She remembered me talking about how telling stories with your images can be very powerful and instrumental in connecting with your clients, adding deeper value to the images, and ultimately giving them good reason to add them to their personal collections! She admitted that she didn't think she could do that and the thought of it made her a little uncomfortable. Recently, however, she had a client come and sit with her and after looking through the work she told her how she "loved how she told stories in her images." She realized she had been telling stories, but didn't even look at it that way!

For her, it is now a simple matter of learning to express, in words, what she saw and captured. I think our words can bring deeper meaning to our images and it really helps solidify the story for those who maybe "don't get it" right up front. Often there are hidden stories behind the images that really need to be told - then the image makes so much more sense or has more intimate value.

Think about this: when you look at an image in a magazine or book, aren't you compelled to look at the caption to find out more? I have actually played a game with myself, trying to look through photo books and not read the captions. It's hard! I really feel like I'm missing out on something and once I do read the caption I like the image even more!

How are you captioning your images? Do you have captions and stories on your website, blog? Do you tell the stories behind the images when you show them in albums and slide shows in your studio?

This image was taken in Italy, just outside the grand gates surrounding the Boboli Gardens in Florence . I was sitting on the steps, enjoying the setting sun and I noticed this elder man, distinguishably dressed, yet obviously alone and worn through the years. He shuffled his feet through the pigeons, and stopped facing the wall - seeming to reflect on the fact the he was "Once A King". The crowned lion behind him sent the message to me immediately and it has become one of my personal favorites.

I hope that you will join me on one of my Italy workshops in the future too! It is a life-changing experience.

Click the map to enlarge. The Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy