Cups, Photography and Storytelling - and Episode 73 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

Most people tend to think of photography as a representational medium:

• here's a cup.
• we photograph the cup.
• the photo represents the cup.

And yet, depending on how we position and light the cup, on whether it is full or empty or has a residue, on whether it is sitting next to a crossword or a pair of glasses, or whether a hand is holding it (young hand, old hand, male, female) – all these things can fundamentally change how we view that cup.

It's not really just about the shape and look of the cup – it's about the story of the cup in that moment.

And once we understand that photography is storytelling medium rather than a representational one, then a whole new world of observing and creating opens up to us with a camera.

I have talked about this on countless occasions, and a cup or mug is nearly always the example I use. And this is because I'm nearly always explaining this with a friend, client, or interested person while sitting in a café or kitchen over a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

In rare moments with no cup to hand, I will use my glasses as an example instead, but a cup almost always works better as a gateway into the concept.

A couple of weeks ago I set the Hands Challenge for the podcast viewers but was surprised by the fact fewer people than usual took part.

Hands are a wonderful storytelling subject for photography and I spoke with energy and enthusiasm and gave out lots of ideas, and yet it received the least number of entries of any Challenge I've set so far.

Ultimately I think it wasn't about a lack of interest in the subject, but more about the difficulties involved. Either the participants would have to photograph their own hands (which requires a certain problem solving as you can't hold the camera at the same time), or they would have to ask someone else to be photographed  - and there's a whole set of emotional baggage to deal with there for most photographers.

However, I'm determined to try and drill into the viewers minds the importance of storytelling in photography, so I thought for this next Challenge I would choose cups or mugs as the theme as that's something pretty much everyone has access to.

It can be anything from fine china to a favourite coffee mug to a child's beaker.

It can be full or empty, with other items in shot, and/or being interacted with by hands, lips or even a biscuit (that's a cookie for those on the other side of the ocean).

Once you know what you want to photograph, then start thinking about how to enhance the story  with light and composition, and camera settings.

See how you get on – I'm really looking forward to seeing what people are going to produce! But if you find you're struggling, then you can still submit a photo you're having difficulty with - just explain the problem and I can include suggestions and ideas in the podcast too.

Place your photo (just the one please) either into this event page in the Discussion section: https://www.facebook.com/events/272715407995199

or into the Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/

or email it to me if you don't do Facebook

Try and get it in before the end of the weekend, or by Monday (30th August) at the latest. Anything that arrives on Tuesday runs the risk of not being included in the podcast.

You can use a phone, tablet, point-and-shoot or DSLR (or mirrorless).

And then, make sure you tune in to YouTube on Tuesday 31st August at 7.30pm (UK time) where I'll go through the photos, and give comments and feedback, and hopefully we will all become inspired by some of the submissions to go and try out new things with our photography.

Meanwhile enjoy Episode 73, where I try to get to grips with live streaming on YouTube instead of Facebook, and explore these ideas of storytelling with cups and mugs.

And if you decide to click through and watch it directly on YouTube (rather than here on the blog), then you can watch the Live Chat Replay and see the comments people are writing in real time as the podcast progresses.

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2:15 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
09:29 - Exploring the idea of using cups as a way to improve your storytelling in photography
27:12 - Introduction to the Critique section of the podcast
29:30 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
29:45 - explaining the advantages and disadvantages of a bridge camera over a DSLR
32:30 - Viji - photographing the moon
46:06 - Nurije - photographing a water lily
56:55 - Looking for feedback on which parts of the podcasts work better or not so well
1:01:30 - Vandana - portrait - colour vs black and white
1:10:45 - Robert - cinematic portrait
1:26:17 - Coming up next week - the Photographing Cups Challenge
1:28:45 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to be notified of new podcasts and behind-the-scenes videos.

And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/