Meeting with a client to sit down to learn about them, their personalities, their interests, and how they see their family is where all great Creative Portraits begin.
Here’s how 59 photos brought Danny and Amber’s story to life.
If you want your Creative Portrait, your Composite, or your work of Art to Stand Out and Get Noticed, then it’s gotta resonate with your audience, which is why the story you’re telling in your work is so important.
Now, pop the cork, sit back, and enjoy the cool story of “Really?”
Once Upon a Time
How much time are you spending on the story of your Creative Portraits?
I’ve been talking a lot about Standing Out and Getting Noticed, and that’s great, and we all want that, right?
But, it’s not enough.
Every day we all scroll through hundreds, if not thousands of images, and out of them, a small percentage may catch our attention. Probably because you noticed it was technically well done, it looked kinda cool, or it had a hot chick in it.
I love hot girls, but DAMN! Does every other photo posted have to be of a girl in a bikini?
Anyway, getting noticed is easy, but unfortunately, it’s only temporary because it won’t be long before the next cool photo pops up and POOF…
You have been forgotten.
The way you Stand Out and Get Noticed, and more importantly, Be Remembered, is by creating images that emotionally resonate with people, and one of the most powerful ways of doing that is through STORY.
Our brains are wired to notice new and novel things, like a cool looking photo, which never makes it past our short-term memory. That is unless it means something to us and resonates with us on an emotional level.
This is why STORY is so powerful and important.
A Story in 59 Photos
Composite Photography, unlike any other kind of photography, has given the Creative Portrait Photographer the ability to literally tell any story imaginable.
I frequently tell my clients, “If you can think it, I can create it.”
Now, one might think the story is happening with the family and their dogs, and there is a story there, but with all the little details throughout Danny and Amber’s portrait, many stories are being told within one moment in time.
As you go through this breakdown, pay attention to all the small details.
1. Amber
2. Danny
3. Danny’s Bag
4. Winston
5. Wrigley
6. Wrigley’s Ear
7. Hershel
8. Kitchen Scene #1
9. Kitchen Scene #2
10. Kitchen Scene #3
11. Kitchen Scene #4
12. Kitchen Scene #5
13. Kitchen Scene #6
14. Kitchen Scene #7
15. Kitchen Scene #8
16. Kitchen Scene #9
17. Kitchen Scene #10
18. Kitchen Scene #11
19. Kitchen Scene #12
20. Kitchen Island
21. Chair
22. Water in Sink
23. Splashes
24. Rose
25. Golf Logo
26. Large Pot
27. Large Pot Fire
28. Skillet
29. Skillet Fire
30. Virgin Airline
31. The Clint
32. TV
33. TV Graphic
34. Red Ball
35. Wine Glasses
36. Cheese and Crackers
37. Bowl of Tomatoes
38. Bowl of Pasta
39. Bowl
40. Flour Jar
41. Flour
42. Spice Bottle
43. Spice
44. Wedding Date
45. Oklahoma Logo
46. Texas Logo
47. Napkins
48. Wonder Woman Apron
49. Wonder Woman Action Figure
50. Golf Club #1
51. Golf Club #2
52. Golf Club #3
53. Golf Club #4
54. Golf Club #5
55. Golf Ball #1
56. Golf Ball #2
57. Golf Ball #3
58. Flying Salami
59. Flying Cheese
Lifting the Curtain
Ok, a story is super important here, but it’s awesome to look behind the camera to compare the original photos with the art-worked photos.
Here’s a quick before and after of the first image taken compared to the delivered portrait.
That’s a Wrap
As you can see from the photos above, you’ve gotta Master your Compositing skills to be able to truly bring your client’s stories to life in a believable way.
Remember this, a cool picture without a story may get noticed, but a cool picture that tells a story will be remembered.
I started doing Creative Portraits the way I do them because I love helping people tell their story in a fun and different way, and uncovering unique stories is the most fun part of the portrait making process.
