Why Storytelling Is So Important for Fashion Photographers

Storytelling has been a part of human history since literally the dawn of time. The way that history is shared between us is through stories. Just think about every time you meet someone, or see anyone that you want to share something with - you feel like you want to tell them a story. 

Think of children and how they learn best - generally, it is through stories.

Everything in our life revolves around stories. 

 Stories make things memorable, and photographs are no exception to that.

If a photo you see makes you imagine something, feel something, or experience any kind of emotion, you are far more likely to remember that image. If you look at an image or series of images and feel almost nothing, do you think you'll remember those images? Certainly not.

So why is it so important that we, as fashion photographers, learn how to tell stories with our images? 

We're in the business of selling. Our clients (be them brands or magazines) want to sell their clothing. And in order to sell their clothing, they need their customers to FEEL something when they look at those clothes. 

I know personally that when I see an item of clothing photographed in a beautiful way that makes me either desire to be like that person, or in that environment, I'm definitely more likely to want to purchase that item. 

In a world where clothing is being sold online more than ever before (hello COVID pandemic!), photos make it so much easier for customers to imagine themselves in an item of clothing - even more so if that photo tells a story.