Tips To Using Photography To Record Memories

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes.

As a photographer, I've used that quote thousands of times.

When you glance at a picture of a newborn infant, it can make a young mom cry, remembering that exact moment she first saw her child.

Or when you see an image of a happy couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, the memories are etched on their content faces.

That's really the power of a photograph. It can transport you back to a particular moment in time instantly, remembering exactly how you were feeling at that moment.

But the power of photography comes not in one photograph, but in a series of photographs. One picture may be worth a thousand words, but a series of photographs can tell a story.

When building scrapbooks or photo albums, don't just put your favorite image onto a page. Create the story of all that was happening on that special day.

Start by photographing a special moment from a lot of angles. Don't just capture your daughter playing on the playground. Capture her sliding down the slide. Capture her swinging on the swing. Capture a close up of her smile. Capture a close up of her hand holding on to the chain.

When you're out for a day of fun, think beyond your child. What is she seeing? For me, an ideal page layout is showing all the action. What's in front of you? What's behind you? How does it look from another angle?

Don't just focus on faces - focus on details. Spending an afternoon baking cookies is fun to capture. Start with the smiling faces. Then move to the bowl of cookie dough. And the pile of cookie cutters. And the tray of cookies.

Show action with your still images. Don't just take one image on the beach. Take a whole series. Show the action as she runs down the beach to collect seashells. Show the sandcastle as it takes shape from beginning to end. Take several images as she rides on a carousel. Think action, and you'll see things in a whole new way.

Surround your photographs naturally. Photographs tell more of a story when they have depth. Shooting through a tree gives the viewer the impression they are peeking in on what's happening.

And with today's digital technology, use words and photographs.

To tell the story, you have to feel like you are there all over again. If you can feel the sand between your toes, hear the oceans crashing sounds, and smell the salty air - all by looking at your photographs - then your job is accomplished.