In a world oversaturated with images and advice, one principle remains: write stories people want to read. Not trendy topics. Not technical showcases. Stories that come from your passion – stories that invite the reader in because of your passion – are the ones that linger in a reader’s memory. That’s the heart of photo-authorship.

If you research online you will see a lot of different ideas about the how and the when and the why of storytelling and, while a lot of that information is both helpful and valuable, the most important trait by far is writing stories that people want to read.

This doesn’t mean picking the most popular subject or one reflecting whatever the current focus of the photography media is, it means writing your story-- the story of your subject – in a way that piques someone’s curiosity and invites them to keep reading.

And before we go any further, there are a lot of ways to describe “putting the story on paper”. Here we’re calling it “writing” because that is exactly what we are doing – whether putting it on paper or online using the synergy of two languages – text and photography – to tell the subject’s story as completely as possible.

The photographs give us “what” the subject is – down to the finest detail, color shading and texture. The text gives us the “why” and the “how” about the subject.

The synergy of photography and text in three separate examples:

The photograph shows a woman sitting behind a wood desk with a protective glass top and all of the expected details – a telephone, “in and “out” baskets, a desk blotter, a few files, papers arranged in a neat stack, assorted pens and pencils in a small holder, etc. Behind the woman is a credenza with photographs under a large abstract painting hanging on the light-colored wall. While all of this is great and sets the scene, the text fills out the story. “Mayor Melanie Jackson of Hallondale signs the recently passed ordinance authorizing the city to begin construction of the new Fred R. Rebilot Elementary School. Mayor Jackson said the construction of the new school will start immediately and it will hopefully be open in 24 months. The new school will serve grades K-6.”

The preceding is very much a news or current events photograph. Here’s another one for you to consider:

The photograph shows a rocky butte rising well above the ridge of a range of mountains. There is no vegetation showing on either the butte or the mountains. In the foreground is a free-flowing blue-green river. There is some riparian vegetation along the shoreline and, as evidence of development in the area, power lines run along the base of the mountains. The sky is that lighter blue of the desert morning. But we get the rest of the subject’s story from the text. “Cupcake Mountain, a butte named for its distinct shape, is a well known landscape feature in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Located just across Lake Havasu in California’s Whipple Mountains, it rises approximately 2400 feet above the water’s surface. A favorite with climbers, a local climbing group, The Leaping Lizard Tribe, once scaled the butte, lighting the summit with a number of red road flairs arranged to resemble a birthday cake for the city’s annual birthday celebration.”

But let’s say the subject is an 18-year-old high school senior who needs to get her portrait done for the yearbook:

Amanda Snelling can either have her yearbook portrait taken by the school-contracted photographer or can hire a photographer and submit a 4x6 photograph with a short write up. She chooses to go with you as the photographer. Rather than taking the photograph in a sterile studio environment the choice is made to be more “creative” and shoot the portrait “on location”. Amanda is an up-and-coming folk music performer who has already established herself locally and plays in a number of the “coffee houses” around town. The portrait will be taken on the stage of the “coffee house” where she first performed. She will be seated on a 30” stool holding her Martin guitar (her favorite) dressed in an outfit she wears when she performs. Hair and make-up will be done by a local stylist. Lighting will match the stage setup used during her performances. We get the rest of the story from the text. “Amanda Snelling has attended Central High School since freshman year. She is a talented musician and vocalist holding down First Chair Guitar in the Band’s Acoustic Group in both her Junior and Senior years. Amanda will be attending Hallondale Community College, majoring in Music Theory before transferring to the State College Fine Arts Performers program.”

The product that comes from combining photography and text is truly greater than the sum of the parts (which is the definition of synergy) and when spread over a photo series or book creates as complete a telling of the subject’s story as possible.

Here is the big but... it has to be written in a way that gets people to read it.

In order to get to this point we (photographers) have to recognize that the world is – and has been for some time – simply overloaded and oversaturated with images. The single photograph, regardless of how striking it is, will only hold a viewer’s attention for so long.

Here is the however part of the argument...

When the photograph is part of a “final product” that moves folks from simple, passive viewing to engaged, actively reading the work is that much more impactful and therefore memorable.

What this boils down to is holding the subject as the story and not the photograph… the photograph contributes the telling the subject’s story. And in this transition we move into the arena of photo-authorship meaning photographers become storytellers.

In essence, we become the active curators of that subject’s story – and not just passive picture-makers.

The question is where to start.

The opening photograph and caption must grab the reader’s attention and begin answering the reader’s basic question: “What’s this all about?” That question becomes the throughline for the work — each image and caption should deepen the answer, guiding the reader through the subject’s story. Likewise, the introductory essay must do the same – it helps set the tone, spark curiosity, and cement the reader’s engagement with the story.

Everything that follows—text or image—builds on this foundation until the reader arrives at a satisfying conclusion to the subject’s story.

To make sure everything leads the reader to understanding the subject’s story – to make sure the story “works” - after you finish, proof read both the photographs and text. Make any necessary changes. And then put it down for a few days. Come back and read it again to make sure it still “makes sense”.

Finally, put it down for a few more days, come back and read it out loud. This is the true test to see how well the work “works”. If you have someone you trust, ask them to read it and get their comments. If you are truly brave, ask them to read it out loud. If all is good, your story is ready to publish.

Remember, this isn’t a portfolio or a genre showcase. It’s not a scrapbook of loosely connected snapshots. It’s photo-authorship—an intentional, authored narrative that tells the subject’s story with clarity, curiosity, and care. It is authorship about your passion. It could be about doing portraits of community leaders and getting their comments for the sesquicentennial of the town. It could be about antique steam-powered farm equipment or it could be about top end super cars. It could be about the landscape of the local regional park or it could be about the birds inhabiting your area.

Whatever the subject, stick to your passion — you’ll stand a far greater chance of connecting with your intended readers.”

One of the most enduring and best examples of photo-authoring is the 1948 story “Country Doctor” by W. Eugene Smith appearing in the Sept. 20 issue of Life magazine. It is still available at the Life Magazine archive site:
https://www.life.com/history/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-essay-country-doctor/. One of the advantages of going to this site is that we get to see all of the photographs and captions in the story as published but we also get to see several photographs and captions that were edited out of the published story showing the curation applied.

One thought before ending -- We study the work of other photographers to inform our own work, and reading does the same thing—informing both our writing and our photography. We talk a lot about light, composition, and framing, but if there’s one unspoken shortcut to better photography, reading just might be it. It’s not about literary flair — it’s about both expanding and refining our ability to see, to interpret and to tell. The best photographers I’ve taught were often the best writers. And the best writers were always the best readers.