Why Photography is like Creative Writing

I was 8 years old when I knew, that when I grew up, I wanted to be a storyteller. 
I always enjoyed Creative Writing, and I always enjoyed Art.
  
In my first year of college, I was one of a small group of students who were chosen attend a special 'Creative Writing' day, and the next year I was really excited to be chosen to attend a week long 'Art' course.  That was the same year I joined the school camera club.

Instead of doing a photography degree at University, I did a Batchelors in Business Studies, majoring in Business Development.  This was all about being an entrepreneur and thinking innovatively.  I also did a Certificate in the Arts, and did papers about 'Creativity' including, Creative Writing and Story Telling. 

So did I grow up to be a Storyteller?   I believe I did.  There is so many similarities between Creative Writing and Photography.

• You do tell stories through pictures.  
• You need creativity and imagination to visualise and implement photo shoots and the finished edited result.
• I've used 'Brainstorming' to create stories in writing and photography shoots.
• The same goes for 'Stor boards'.
• In Creative Writing, you're encouraged to write something everyday, even if you don't use it, even if you don't feel like it.  It improves your skill level, keeps your brain ticking over with new ideas and plots.  I find that's also true in photography.  I encourage my students to do a photo a day, as it really improves your skill level, how you view your surrounds, and how you compose and take your photos.  Plus it's a great visual diary. 
• In Creative Writing, you're encouraged to always carry a notebook, to write down ideas as they come to you, because later you will forget them.  I carry a notebook to jot down photography ideas also.
• When writing a story, sometimes the characters or the plot take off in a direction, different to what you had originally planned and you just go with it to see how it plays out.  A photo shoot always throws in the unexpected at some stage, and sometimes it produces something better.
• In Creative Writing, when you think you have finished a piece, you leave it for a time, (sometimes days), and then you go back and look at it again with fresh eyes.  After I have downloaded my photos from a shoot or wedding, no matter how much I'm tempted, I don't started editing them until the next day at the earliest.  This is so I can view them objectively with fresh eyes and fresh zeal.  If time allows, I do this again after I have finished photo editing them all.   There is usually one or two I like to tweak or cull the next time I look.
• In Creative Writing, editing is vital!!  Your first draft is always rubbish.  In photography when I hand over my finished product, I always feel I'm judged by my worst photo.  Don't be afraid to cull!  I think as an artist, a smaller amount of beautiful pictures is much better than a whole lot of mediocre.
• In a story, sometimes it's the unexpected twist or different writing style that makes it memorable.  With the billions of photos taken, it's that something different, that unique style, that catches the eye and makes a photo memorable.

Calico Jo
A wannabe photography storyteller ;)