To learn more about story telling

using photography, enroll in Finn’s

workshop.

WWW.FINNXSTROHL.COM

How to make
intimate
photographs of
family & friends.

INTRODUCTION.
If there’s one thing I love about
photography over other mediums it’s
the fact that something can be left to
the viewer’s imagination. It’s similar to
a movie versus a book, I love both, but
am sometimes disappointed if I watch
a movie after I’ve read the same tale.
That’s because a book allows me to
Finn is an award-winning travel, lifestyle
and commercial photographer based in
the United Kingdom where he lives with
his wife and two children. Attracted by
his cinematic style and the narrative he
weaves throughout his work, Finn shoots
for the likes of Apple, Land Rover, Omega,
Cartier and a variety of other global
brands.
An early adopter of Instagram, he is well
known on the platform where he has over
half a million followers and often works
with brands using his social network to
extend the reach and amplify messaging in
a credible, relatable and engaging manner.
In May 2017 Finn was granted an O-1B Visa
by the United States having demonstrated
a record of “extraordinary ability within the
field of the arts”.
bring my own imagination to the table.
The story feels richer because my
mind is working on a deeper level.
Photographs that leave gaps in the
narrative allow a viewer to fill it with
their own imagination, but how do you
go about making pictures along these
lines?
01 POSE A QUESTION TO
YOUR AUDIENCE.

There is a pleasure in not knowing.

It activates the mind. Frame in a way
that poses a question of your audience
and engage them in your creative.

Consider the following images:

There is a story here but it isn’t evident.

What is my son looking at? Why is he
standing on so much driftwood? Is he in
danger?

Again with this image of my kids read-

ing/laughing. What are they reading?
Why are they laughing?

The questions posed aren’t explicit,

but they do register with your
audience and trigger their own
emotions.
02 A REASON TO PRESS THE
SHUTTER.
When you make a photograph you
are essentially preserving a memory.
Use your own memories as a trigger
to press the shutter. Think about your
own childhood: fun times, sad times,
exciting times etc.
Another image of H here. Learning
to ride a bike is a strong memory for
most people… the freedom, speed and
the thrill of exploring on two wheels.
When I saw H’s t-shirt sprayed with
mud from his BMX, it brought back
a flood of memories from my own
childhood. I wanted to preserve this
memory. I had a reason to press the
shutter.
03 REDEFINE YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF
EMOTION.
Emotion doesn’t just mean laughing
or crying. It is an instinctive feeling
related to the human condition. Think
about this as much as the environment
you are working in and motivate your
The second image in this set is my
favourite. I have a lovely portrait of her
standing with the basket which I could
have included, but I love this one more.
Bending down, basket over her arm to
subjects to do something that your
audience can relate to. See example
below of my daughter collecting
hazelnuts.
pick a nut from the forest floor. This is
a picture about the human condition
and not just a girl in the forest. It has
more emotion.
04 SHOOT LIKE A
PHOTOGRAPHER, EDIT
LIKE A PAINTER.

Colour can convey feelings just as
effectively as subject matter. Blue will
feel cold and sad but can also present
a feeling of calm. Green represents
growth and new beginning. Orange
is energetic, happy and represents a
feeling of vitality.
Use the split toning panel within your
editing programme to change the
emotion of your images depending
on the feelings you want to convey to
your audience.

View the pictures below. The image on the left ‘feels’ happier (orange more
saturated) than the one on the right even though it’s simply a picture of trees.
05 SHOOT FROM
THE HEART.

Only you know what makes you

curious, what sparks your interest,
what gets you out of the chair to
shoot. I can teach you techniques to
improve your storytelling capabilities
but I can’t make you somebody you’re
not. I can’t stress this enough.

George Tice said:

“As I progressed further with my project,

it became obvious that it was really
unimportant where I chose to photograph.
The particular place simply provided an
excuse to produce work… you can only see
what you are ready to see–what mirrors
your mind at that particular time.”

We are all individuals so trust your

instincts, and follow your gut. Make
work that interests you and see how
it fits once it’s made. If work is made
for the right reasons it will more than
likely prevail.
06 PRACTICAL
TIPS.

Shoot with a 50mm focal length for

natural looking portraits. A 50mm is a
fairly intimate lens and will bring your
audience closer to your subjects but
most importantly it won’t distort your
image. This is especially important
when shooting faces!
Shoot at f3.5 and an appropriate
shutter speed depending on how fast
your family moves :) Adjust the ISO
accordingly. I tend to shoot at around
ISO400 and ISO800 most of the time.

Want to master visual storytelling?

Enroll in the Ultimate Photo Storytelling
Workshop with Finn Beales (@finn)

WWW.FINNXSTROHL.COM