Creative Guide: Tell a deeper story through photography with Camila Falquez

With your story decided upon and a bank of research built, it’s time to figure out the visual approach for your series. At this stage, you need to create what Camila calls “the bible”, a concise document that you can refer back to on shoot day which will guide every decision you make. Using Split View again here is really helpful. Draw on discoveries you made in Stage 02 and use these to influence everything from the colour palette to the location; the results will be authentic and multilayered. Below, Camila lays out some aspects to consider when building your “bible”. Importantly, keep your theme front of mind and consider how every decision needs to go towards you telling that story.

Building your Keynote is easier on a bigger screen, so using an iPad or Mac is a great option here. If you want to add to it at any point while out and about, using Hand-off, you can pick up where you left off on your iPhone.

CF: It’s very important to decide what will be your approach to the story. This visual language is what will make the story be told from your point of view, so it is crucial to the final outcome because every single element of the photograph helps tell the story. Where you shoot can say so much about what you are saying: Are you shooting the subjects in their own space? Are you shooting them in a studio? Are you shooting the subjects with no added elements, or will you create an environment for the photos? For example, adding backdrops, objects, etc. Will you be using natural light? If so, at what time of the day? Or maybe you shoot at night? Or are you shooting with artificial lighting? If you are, how are you designing this light? Is it harsh? Or soft and diffused?

Your “bible” is a guide that helps all teams be aligned when creating a project. This document is what you present to each person you want to have involved, because, if done right, it’s what makes other people believe in what you want to do. I have realised that “less is more”. You want to create something that is very visual and that explains your vision in an open way; you want to inspire and get people excited, so I recommend this “bible” is filled with beautiful references, imagery and information about what you want to do.

While you might be raring to start clicking the shutter now, it’s important to take some time to get the lighting and framing of your image correct. These elements can make or break your shot, and they’re key to bringing all of that research and work you’ve done so far to life. This may mean observing how the light hits your location throughout the day, in different weather conditions or trying out different combinations of light sources at home to achieve the look you want – you can use Camera to once again snap test shots and record this. If you have an iPad, experiment with different colour light by holding an iPad near to your subject (find an image or fill your screen with a block colour using an app like Keynote).

You’ll find space on slide nine of your Keynote to make a record of these tests which will prove invaluable on shoot day, allowing you to respond to whatever lighting conditions come your way.

CF: Light is how an actual photo happens, so using it to your advantage can help shape your project in whatever direction you wish. There is a tendency to think lighting is very complicated, but one has to learn how to be creative and resourceful, since we don’t always have access to lighting gear. I am very good friends with the sun. It’s always there, it’s free, and I believe there is no lighting equipment that can simulate its power. The trick with it is you have to be open to all the possibilities and play with them to your advantage: direct sun, sunrise or sunset, cloudy days, shooting in the shadow, etc. I recommend testing (with your phone) and understanding the light in your location; learning how the sun hits at different times of the day. Where it comes from, how strong it is, what shadows it creates and where they come from.

If you understand light in a free and open way, the possibilities are endless! In a photo, light is the paint one needs to draw the image one wants to create. There is no wrong choice, you just want to be in control and use it to your advantage. [At home] I recommend observing the ways the sun comes through the windows in the space at different hours of the day and then placing the subject around that.

Framing is another super important aspect of a photo. I use my phone a lot and observe the different possibilities and angles before placing my camera where the frame looks best. I don’t like to crop an image after I shoot it, because I believe in Cartier-Bresson’s technique of framing in the spot. Everything that makes it in the frame is there for a reason: to best tell your story.

If you’re proud of what you’ve made (and we really hope you are!), we want to see what you’ve created by completing this Guide. Let us know what story your photo(s) tells and how it embodies your hopes for the New World. Make sure you share your photograph (or several) on social media. Use #CreativeNewWorld and #TodayAtApple, and tag @camilafalquez.