Hi, I'm Ulla Lohmann. I'm a travel and an adventure photographer
and this is my office.
Well, not at the moment. I just realised, since I left school, I never spent
this much time at home.
But, I think it's a great chance.
Why?
Because I can finally tell stories that are really close to my heart.
How you can tell your own story
and what my story is, I'm going to show you.
Ready?
First, you have to find your story.
I'm really passionate about my family.
My husband, Basti, was not only my expedition partner but also the love of my life,
and our baby son, Manuk, who is named after an active volcano.
So they will be my story. When I'm travelling, I follow foreign people around
an entire day, sometimes a week sometimes a month and sometimes also years.
I photograph every little detail.
How they eat, how they sleep, how they behave,
but with my family, I never do that.
Eventually, I take portraitures of them, snaps, but a real story, I've never done.
So, it's the time now.
When you tell a story, think about everything.
You need to know where it is,
you need to know who the main characters are
and you need to know why it's important.
Speaking of images, this would mean that you need to know, in my case where my home
is, where my story is laid out. For example, a landscape shot of the house
and its surroundings. Then you need the stablishing shot. You need the entire story in one picture.
This one is the hardest to get. It has to be emotionally capturing. It has to show
the entire scene but also it has to be visually strong with a nice light and a nice composure.
You need to know who your main characters are.
The who, would be a typical medium shot, for example Basti and Manuk interacting
with each other with daily things in the house.
The what, for me, it's best answered in details.
For example, little feet,
sometimes they tell so much more than the big picture. Now, I followed my family for an entire day.
I answered the questions about the where, what, why and who. It's time to the pictures together.
But, do I really start in a chronological order? No. My shot in the morning is not the strongest.
I start with the establishing shot, which answers the question, why the story is important to me.
My strongest shot. I start with one establishing shot, maybe a second one as well, maybe
a third one, and then I go into the details.
I don't have to do the chronological order because
nobody knows if this shot was taken
in the afternoon or in the morning.
So I mix them up, but in general, it still
gives you an idea of the day.
The end is also really important,
it should end with a nice, strong image.
And in-between, just mix them up according to the
colours, they should match a little bit.
Think about having medium shot till maybe an
overall shot. Just play around a little bit
and make sure it flows nicely and tells the story
also without the words.
Ready?
Now it's your turn to do your own story.
And please also make sure that you share it somehow with others.
Photography is so much about sharing creativity,
positive energy and ideas,
so I want to see your story.
Please enjoy making it. Have fun and see you soon.
Don't dream it, do it.