Summer Fun & Storytelling
Summer is finally here in Montana! At least in the valley I live in! Believe it or not, three feet of snow graced the mountains in Glacier National Park and Big Sky just the other day. :) When I lived in Illinois, we could expect a lot of humidity and warm temps as early as May and those warm temps and humidity often stuck around until September. Here in Montana, we are fortunate to see the start of the summer season in mid June with summer lasting until August. It is short!
So, the summer season is packed with many festivals and events all squished into a few months. Rodeos, fairs, triathlons and so much more are just waiting for everyone to enjoy. In addition to the pure enjoyment of these fun events, comes the opportunity to break out my camera and bring the story to you. My heart has always been in storytelling; whether that was through my writing, or through photographing people and/or events!
I believe that every family has a story to tell, and by photographing you and your family, you are able to see that beautiful love story unfold. Event photography is similar. There are MANY stories that are just waiting to be told-the story of the event itself or the story of the pure excitement seen on a young child's face.
Have you ever just looked at a picture with no words and created a story to go with it? When my children were young, I would place pictures without words cut from magazines on a piece of paper. Each of them would then begin to create their own story based on what they saw. Using questions that started with why, when, how and what would usually jumpstart their creativity and get their creative juices flowing. You would not believe some of the stories we wrote just from that one picture!
Take a look at the above photo. What story can you create from it? Every person will have a different story that will most likely NOT be the real story behind the image. That is ok! The reason I had my children create a story from a picture was to get their imagination and creativity more active. To tell a story. To learn how to create.
My passion is helping people see the love and connection they have through photography, and to tell stories. So, I have assigned myself a project this summer-to visit events, find the stories, and let them be seen through my images.
Take a look at a few images I captured when I covered an event in the town I used to live in in Illinois. What stories do YOU see? Look deep-past what looks obvious and start creating something unique!
If you are looking for things to do with your kiddos this year, cut out some pictures without words from a magazine, or use one of your phone photos and print it out. Paste that photo or picture to a large piece of paper. ( you will using this paper to write down what your child tells you about the picture, so be sure to leave plenty of room) Start asking your kiddos questions like, "What is this person thinking about?" "Why do you think that person is sad"? "When do you think they will be happy again and why?" The questions you ask will always be dependent on what the picture looks like, but if you start with when, what, why and how, you will spark a conversation and the imagination will start to flow. As soon as your child begins talking, start writing what he or she says on that piece of paper! (or you can always use a recorder and record the conversation, then write it down later). But, be sure to write/print it on that same piece of paper with the picture. Later on, your child can go back, read what he or she wrote, see the picture and be proud of the story he or she wrote. Children as young as 3 can do this and you will be surprised at what they can say!
Going forward, check back every month or so to see more of the great stories here in beautiful Montana right here on the blog, and help your kiddos create and develop their imagination even more with our storytelling idea using plain pictures without words! Let their words tell the story!
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