LIFE THROUGH THE LENS

By Allison Orthner Photo Fun – Part 2 I LOVE A GOOD STORY. Comedy, romance, suspense, intrigue. I love it all! As humans, we are drawn to stories. It is why we watch TV, read novels, and go to the movies. It is also the foundation of why we scrapbook—to tell our stories. With photography, every photo captures a moment, but not all photos tell a story.

Why are some photos just a picture, while others draw you into a story?

I’ve been analyzing this recently while following a few “photog-crushes” of mine (JeremyCowart.com and BenjaminCole.com), who are master storytellers through their images. This type of photo not only requires skills in composition, lighting, etc., but storytelling images also seem to contain a few other common traits: EMOTION. We are drawn to emotion, especially extremes: happy is nice, but ecstatic is magnetic; sad is moving, but despondent is compelling. In Figure 1, we are immediately drawn to the deep emotion on the face of the man dancing with the bride. It tugs on our heart, and once we know the real story, it intensifi es even more.

BY ALLISON ORTHNER

Photo Scavenger Hunts

Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? Part 2 of our fun photo activities explains three ways to enjoy a photo scavenger hunt perfect for families, friends, or groups from church, school, or any community. Simply grab your people, cameras, or cell phones and come together for a fun way to connect and enjoy the warm outdoor days of summer!

1. Photo Scavenger Hunts

The easiest way to create a photo scavenger hunt is to choose a topic/theme for participants to collect images of in a specific location (time limit optional) and go!

Some examples are: • First group to capture their entire team playing on five different playgrounds. • Capture photos of as many different animals at the zoo in 1 hour. • Build and photograph as many different sand creations in one month. • Best creative selfie taken within the next 5 minutes. Repeat as you change locations. • See how many different flowers (or live critters) you can find and photograph during our walk.

Figure 1. THE REAL STORY: This bride danced with her uncle who lost his wife (her aunt) the week prior to the wedding. Before passing, the aunt requested this dance in her honour. Bethany Bakker bphotography-sd.com

2. The Great Photo Race

This one takes more preparation, but can be a ton of fun for several groups to do together. Choose key places within an area, come up with clues for each, seal in envelopes, and then send groups driving, biking, or walking to solve the clues to find each location. At each spot, they must capture a creative photo of their entire group, then move on to the next envelope and location. Be sure to all finish at a common spot to share photos and give BONUS points for the most creative team photo from each location.

3. Photo Bingo

Combine a photo scavenger hunt with a bingo game! Select a wide variety of topics and themes dependent on age of participants and location, and then fill a Bingo card. The goal is to capture the entire card, have fun, and be extra creative with each image.

Each of these photo scavenger hunts can be adapted for all ages and not only develop your photography skills, but help you enjoy the beautiful weather and have fun exploring different areas around your city.

Scraps of Info

Download this Photo BINGO card for your personal use at CreativeScrapbooker.ca/Free-Projects