End Piece

If you ask me to provide a formal description of storytelling photography I’d say:

Storytelling photography is a way of portraying your relationship with the world around you – a record of your connections with nature, with a place, a person, an event, a moment, a mood, an emotion, a message, or an issue – in a non-verbal manner that's compact and succinct, but also significant, relevant, meaningful, and far-reaching.

Alternatively, I could use an eclectic range of nouns and phrases:

It’s rich and rewarding, fresh and refreshing, creative and expressive, spontaneous and fun, joyous and liberating, significant and challenging; it’s something which fills my mind with pleasure when I wake in the mornings, and stays with me throughout the day; it provides a 'sense of wholeness’; it’s beautiful and smile‑worthy; it boosts one’s sense of self and wellbeing; it can be a voice for unexpressed, choked-up feelings; it’s totally absorbing – so that I’m ‘in the zone’, in a ‘state of flow’; and it can be a counterpoint to your normal style, or become a way of life.

‘Beauty All Around Us’

Overall, I believe that it’s a matter of personal preference whether or not one likes the philosophy and methodology of storytelling photography. We’re all different, so there’s no right approach, or wrong one. I've simply tried to explain why, and how, this method works for me – and express my belief that it’s helping me to manage and to rebuild my sense of self after the last few difficult years.

And sadly, there may be times in the lives of us all when we need a bit of self‑help, self-care. Times when we need to look after ourselves, be more kind and compassionate, less self-critical. Times when there is value in consciously choosing a style of photography that can explicitly address wellbeing, as I believe storytelling photography does.

Stay safe xxxx