“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.”

Most of us interpret the meaning to be capturing a memory. The event that created the memory last just and instant but through a photograph we can capture the memory and relive it anytime we look at the photo. The photo becomes a way of telling the story of the event to ourselves. We don’t remember they event perfectly, but we do feel the story behind the photo. So what makes a good snapshot, perfect lighting, correct exposure, or the emotive story behind it? I dare say the latter.

Eudora Welty gave us the quote. She was a winner of a Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, several O. Henry Awards and the Medal of Freedom. However, before she ever published a word, she was an accomplished photographer. After, leaving graduate school early, Ms. Welty served as a Junior Publicity Agent for the Works Progress Administration in her native Mississippi.

Based on Eudora Welty’s talent with the written word, one can only image that she also had a strong sense of story when it came to her photography as well.

I strive to bring a strong story to all my photos, even product or advertising shots. Take this photo from a shoot at Art Gallery in the Short North Arts District of my hometown of Columbus, OH. Is it a snapshot of a random person enjoying a joke of a friend standing off camera? Or is it a highly orchestrated photo to create the impression that the Art Gallery is a wonderful and joyful place? I leave that to the viewer to decide. But in either case, there is story present.