They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and any jaunt through a series of photographs will affirm that trite aphorism. The best photographs take you to another place. They transport you somewhere you’ve never been. They make you feel things you’ve never felt. Photographs can leave quite a powerful impact on their viewer. Photographer David Alan Harvey once said, “Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” The best photos do more than simply depict. Rather, they make you feel something specific, something memorable, something that’s difficult to shake. Photography is an excellent medium with which to tell a story. Here are some tips on using photography to tell an effective story in your presentation.
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The most obvious advantage to using photography to tell a story in your presentation is that photographs align ideally with the most important principle of presentation design: Use large visuals with minimal text. Photographs are most memorable when they fill the entire slide and they are most powerful when they are left to make an impression on their own. The inclusion of lots of text is simply not necessary if you’ve chosen the most appropriate photo. Let the photograph speak for itself. Let it express the emotions and the mood you want to convey in your story.
Of course, it’s up to you as the presenter to speak to the photo, and ensure that the audience is making the necessary connection between image and story. But choose photographs that obviously convey what you’re attempting to get across in your story. Nuance large, powerful images with your words rather than with a mess of text.
Seeing is Believing
Another benefit of using photography to tell a story is that photographs offer a concrete, realistic view of the world at large. We’ve discussed the importance of portraying concepts and ideas in the most concrete, tangible way possible, and photographs do just that. They’re stills from everyday life, from genuine happenings, from real things.
If you’re telling a story about Chris who works at a law firm and has this or that problem, using photographs to depict that story is a good way to ensure that it will resonate with the audience. Photographs reflect the world the audience lives in right back to them. People are interested in themselves; they like to see themselves and their lives mirrored back to them. They can connect with concepts, stories and ideas much easier that way.
Choose with Care
The most common complaint about photography used in presentations is that the images look too stocky, too staged and too fake. This can be a problem, especially when stock photography is your only option. It’s important to stay away from cliché, formulaic photographs. Obviously, some stock photography is worse than other stock photography, but don’t rule out the possibility of finding a gem amongst a multitude of banal images. It’s possible to avoid the cheesiness of stock photography– you just might have to rummage for a while.
Also, be aware of the range of diversity that is on display in your photographs. Whether you are conscious of it or not, the amount of diversity present in your photographs is an important reflection of your presentation. Choose appropriate photographs for the level of diversity you want to show. Don’t alienate your audience by your choice of photographs. Remember that the audience’s needs are the most important thing. What photographs can you choose that will resonate most strongly with them?
