5 simple ways to tell a powerful visual solutions story
Reporting a solutions-focused story requires time, resources, and often, a lot of patience. But a good story doesn’t always need words. Images can supplement and strengthen good reportage. The Solutions Journalism Network hosted a twitter chat to ask two experts — Yusuf Omar, co-founder, Hashtag Our Stories, and Marcio Pimenta, a freelance photographer, how to tell a powerful visual solutions story and here’s what they had to say.
Be willing to learn (and un-learn)
Photography offers journalists immense potential to learn — and challenge— what they know about the world. Marcio Pimenta says that it’s important to remember that communities often face limited choices, and tend to find solutions to problems with the information they have at their disposal. Shed your inhibitions and ask questions. It might open your eyes to aspects of the problem that you didn’t know existed.
Plan a storyboard before you report the story
Storyboarding your ideas helps writers report the story successfully. Yusuf Omar says that although there’s no social video formula for viral success, focusing on delivering a clear message in the first three seconds of your social video helps capture a reader or viewers attention. The trick is to remember the ‘five Ws and H’: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Be empathetic to your subjects
Good journalism is built on trust. Without it, the story suffers. Marcio Pimenta says that journalists should spend most of their time talking to their subjects and establishing trust with the communities they are covering. The story, he says, belongs to them. Photography is an extraordinarily intimate practice and he advises amaetur photographers to focus on the person — not just the technique.
Keep it real
Don’t be afraid to shoot live. It’s ‘immediate, real, and raw’ says Yusuf Omar. Live videos and photos help capture moments as they happen. Most photographers lose the opportunity to get good footage because they worry about getting the perfect shot.
Use new tools to creatively document your stories
Tools. Tools. Tools. There are hundreds of apps and online web tools that help photographers creatively document and tell their stories. Yusuf Omar recommends Facebook Spaces, an online tool that allows people to go live in VR and helps people connect with others who are interested in similar subjects. He also recommends using editing apps such as PowerDirector and Quik to customize story with text, voiceover, and music.
Want to check out highlights from the chat? Here are quick highlights on Wakelet. Follow Solutions Journalism on Twitter to participate in our monthly chats!
