Aug 1, 20217 min read

Storytelling with Amanda McClellan

Hey guys! I’m Amanda. I’m a social-worker turned stay-at-home-mama living in a small town in Michigan with my handsome husband, our two energetic + perpetually coveredin-mud boys, and our rescue pup Oreo. I take on a small amount of clients each year (mainly lifestyle newborns + families), but I am most passionate about documenting the daily adventures of my boys as they navigate childhood + beyond. You can see more of our adventures here: www.instagram.com/amandamcclellan_

Gear: Nikon D810 + most often Sigma 35mm Art lens, also occasionally Sigma 24mm Art lens + Nikkor 85mm for freelensing.

FINDING INSPIRATION

I got my first camera shortly after my oldest son was born because like so many fellow mom togs, I became obsessed with documenting the story of his childhood. In my early days of doing so, I would often attempt to pose him on command to try and create what I thought the “perfect” image should look like. I’ll let you in on a little secret: that rarely worked out. Furthermore, I wasn't happy with the images - and he began to dread whenever my camera came out.

So I finally stopped chasing perfection and I started to see the beauty in the everyday. In the messes and the chaos and the routines and the moments that may have meant nothing to anybody other than me - but they meant something to me and that was good enough.

95+ degrees outside + broken AC, but still living his best life.

Don't get me wrong, though. As much as I love to document authentic moments in our story, I will still push my overflowing laundry baskets and other crap/clutter out of the frame (unless they play a part in the story I'm telling through my image, like the story of SOS PLEASE SEND A MAID. SO. MUCH. JUNK.) And I'm totally guilty of encouraging my kids to play in the pretty light. Sometimes my boys will do something but I don't have my camera so I run to grab it and ask them to do it again (and again). Sometimes I have an idea in my head for an image and I'll ask them to help me make it come to life. That's all okay, too.

There are times that I take a documentary approach to telling our story and other times where I play a bigger role behind the scenes because playing with light and shadows and unique perspectives makes my creative soul happy. As long as you are taking pictures that you love and you're not making your kids miserable in the process, you're doin' alright mama.

Huey: 2 years; Hudson: 4 years.

Now it's your turn. What story do you want to tell? Here's some ideas to help get you started. Think about:

CHERISHED DETAILS

What are some details about this season of life that you want to remember? The way your child cuddles his/her favorite toy? What about their current smile? Their sweet little profile? A favorite game? What about a birthday tradition? Or how you’re convinced their face is like a magnet to literally any clean window.

ROUTINES

Nursing was a huge part of our r o u t i n e f o r 2 + years. I wish I would've taken more images like these, but I'm so grateful I have the images I do from H u e y ' s t i m e nursing because they instantly take me back to that season in our lives that at one point, I n e v e r t h o u g h t would end. But it did, and that's what documenting these moments is important. One day, it will all just be a memory…

Breakfast routine with a toddler. No wonder we go through so much cereal in this house.

MILESTONES

CONNECTION/RELATIONSHIPS

THE PLACES YOU GO

PLAYTIME

Document them doing what kids do best: playing! The good part about this approach is that they are generally so engrossed in what they're doing that they won't even be paying attention to you/the camera. This gives you a chance to move around and play with light and composition without having to deal with all of the "are you done yet??"'s.

TELLING YOUR STORY ARTISTICALLY

Like I mentioned above, I learned early on with my oldest that trying to pose him while I tried to get the “perfect” shot wasn’t gonna fly. That doesn’t mean that I am totally hands-off when it comes to documenting our adventures, though. Sure, sometimes I try to just be a fly-on-the-wall and capture a moment as it is unfolding, but sometimes I will plan an adventure around the pretty light, or I’ll ask the boys if they’ll do whatever they were just doing, again, so I can shoot it from another perspective, or I’ll shove crap out of the frame that I feel is distracting from the story I’m trying to tell through my image. #shameless

I see the value in both documentary and lifestyle storytelling which is why I shoot both styles, but for me personally, creative compositions and chasing the light just speak to my soul, which is why I won’t hesitate to encourage my youngest to play in our park’s sand table at golden hour or ask my oldest if he wants to go practice with his basketball where the cool shadows are falling on our shed door. It makes my creative soul happy to experiment with light and shadows and unique perspectives and they get to play/explore in the process - so in my book, it’s a win win.

Whatever end of the the storytelling spectrum you fall on, whether you take a purely documentary approach or you’re cool with a little creative directing on your part, playing with light and composition are two wonderful ways to enhance your storytelling (obviously you’re not manipulating the light if you’re shooting documentary, but you can get creative with your compositions to help better tell the story you see unfolding in front of you.) Some things to think about to help enhance your storytelling images:

COMPOSITION

In a nutshell, composition refers to the placement of your subject within the frame to best tell the story you want your image to tell.

There are SO many compositional techniques you can employ to create a stellar storytelling image, but here are some of my faves include:

CHANGING MY PERSPECTIVE

Different perspectives of the same scene can tell vastly different stories and unique perspectives help make your images more visually interesting. Instead of just shooting your subject from eye-level, get down on their level; shoot from above; shoot from below. Back up. Get close.

A good way to practice this is to take a stationary object (since I’ve found that my kids are generally impatient and are already over a task like this before it starts) and photograph it from as many different perspectives as you can think of. I love taking a scene and seeing how many unique images I can pull from it.

FRAMING

Natural framing is a great way to direct your viewer's eye to the focus of your image, by highlighting or isolating the subject. This can be done using essentially anything - a doorway, a window, curtains, trees, buildings, light, shadows, and even the weather! Natural framing can add depth to your images and pending what framing elements you use, it can also add information and storytelling to your image.

In this image, Hudson is framed by the garage door, which is also framed by the shadows of the trees. It's a frame in a frame. Frame-ception!

LAYERING

Using layers in your image is another great way to add depth and dimension. Layering refers to using elements in the foreground and/or background to create balance or add visual interest to your image, and helps draw your viewer's eye throughout the scene in an image.

Example of how layering adds depth to your image and keeps your eye moving throughout the frame. In the first image, the door frame in the foreground creates dimension and visual interest. Your eye is then drawn to Hudson putting his socks on and then flows through the frame to Huey jumping on the bed. It's a pretty ordinary scene but the layering of the different components helps it *appear* more interesting. In the image on the right, your eye travels the frame to the boy throwing the ball, to the ball, to the boy catching the ball. Again, there's nothing extraordinary occurring here, but the layering of objects in the scenes make it visually interesting. If I would've shot this from a different perspective, e.g., shot the boys throwing the ball to each other straight on, the the image would've felt flat. Layering can help your image tell a comprehensive story in a visually compelling way.

There a few compositional elements at play here. I crouched down and shot this in between the gap between his easel and the tray area where the paint sits (perspective). Doing so resulted in some natural framing + also created a layered effect in the foreground. And don't worry, that's paint, not poop, I promise.

LIGHT

I could go on about light for days, but I’ll try to keep it brief here. While I’m a selfprofessed lover of golden hour and natural light, the reality is that life still happens even after the sun goes down. I don't believe sunset should be the be all, end all of your ability to document your family's story.

Light can come from anywhere: a night light, an opened refrigerator door, a Christmas tree, even car headlights! There are so many other sources of light available to you; you just have to starting seeing them.

One tip for using artificial light is to try to only use one artificial light source in an image. Multiple light sources can throw off the exposure and white balance of your overall image, so I personally try my best to limit it to just one light source.