What makes a good photo story?

Good photographs are a must for me. Good dialogue is important. I think also though the most important thing is an interesting and unusal plot. There are so many photostories that have really similar sorts of plot lines, so if you come up with something really different then people will enjoy it more. Suspense has an impact if it's a multiple part one. If the ending is suspensedul it makes me want to make sure I read the next part.

 

photo's are very important, but not more important than the writing. If they're just really pretty pictures with a boring story, then it might as well be a photoshoot..to me, good photo's are photo's that don't distract me from the story and that makes it easy to read the story, photo's that are made for that story. and in that case, I don't care if they're not completely perfectly 'I can see every hair' sharp..

I think one of the most important things in a story is: don't tell us what to feel. Don't let your doll say 'oh, I'm so sad, my life sucks' but make him go through stuff and let him face it so we think 'that's sad, his life really sucks' or 'what a cute couple' or whatever you want us to think. Don't tell us what to feel, let us feel it.

I don't think dialogue is very important..then again, my photostories rarely have dialogue XD they're mostly atmosphere photo's with lyrics written on them, because I think image and words should work together, and emotions and atmosphere in a story are stronger than words..but then again, that is just me, I'm sure there are many people who think dialogue is more important..

 

To me the dialogue gotta be natural... you know, sound like it wasn't planned or written by somone, I gotta feel like the characters are really the ones saying that, and the picture must show to me, being accurate to the lines.

I like stories that I read and feel like that really happened. I don't like to read and feel that somone wrote lines and took some pictures and that's it.

they don't have to be a storie with a deeeeeeeep content or too long...

I specially like AM stories 'cause I feel like everything is true there...

 

I think dialogue and story are very important, but so are good pictures that show the feelings of the dolls, and what's going on. I tihnk maybe some of the best stories are ones where you could guess what was generally going on because of the pictures. If the doll has an interesting or fun personality, it can help too

 

I think the best advice I could give is "don't force it." I've taken photos that were never meant to be photostories, but dialogue came easily to me. And others were supposed to have dialogue, but never sounded right, so I left them as photos only. I think a series of photos without words can have as much impact as those with dialogue.

And I prefer the ones that keep description to a minimum. I don't need to read "he reaches out with his left hand" if I can see that's what the doll is doing. Little things like *nods* or *sighs* are fine, because I can't see those and it adds to the mood.

 

Well, good photos are important, but you really need more than just face shots and pictures of the doll in the same pose from multiple angles to make a good photostory. (Just sharing two of my photo story pet peeves there.)
Also- don't do long talking scenes where it is essentially the same photo of the doll, only with different captions underneath. It is much better to have a long paragraph under a single photo than it is to have five of nearly the same photograph each with a single sentence.

Since it's a photo-story, both parts are equally important. Do your photos reflect what's happening in the text? Does the text make sense with the photos? Is the photo interesting? Is the photo interesting to someone who is not interested in the doll's face mold? (I actually see this a lot in photostories. Consider that you are trying to tell a story, not show off how a particular doll's mold looks from multiple angles. That is what regular gallery photoshoots are for.)

Take a lot of photos and choose only your best. I regularily take 200 pictures a shoot, only about 20 of which actually make it on to my webpage. Have an idea of where the dialogue is going before you start: storyboard a bit.

If you must do a long conversation between two dolls, use their posing ability to give them different "body language" in each shot. Do not include more than two shots of a single pose, no matter what the angle. If the doll is saying something frustrating, maybe their hands are outstretched in an "I can't believe you" pose. With the magic of clear twist ties, you can get them to cross their arms in anger. If they've just been told they're in trouble, change the angle of their head to indicate that they're shamed. Take advantage of framing and perspective- not every shot has to have the doll dead center.

Perhaps the best thing I can tell you is this: Pretend you're making screenshots from a movie. People in movies rarely stand in one position, unmoving, and talk to one another as the camera spins around them. That would be boring really quickly.

 

DeadLegato hit a lot of my pet peeves on the head. I don't think my photo stories are the greatest, but what I always try to do is have an idea of what will happen (mental storyboard) and then take pictures to fit that idea.

I usually take at least 4 shots of every single photo I want in the story. Close up, mid-distance, far away showing the whole body and at least one from a totally different angle just to be sure. Then I pick the ONE that works best visually and for that part of the story. And then things can still get shifted around when I'm writing the text.

Specific text comes after I have the pictures sorted out. Sometimes the whole flow of the story changes as I pose the dolls and take my shots. Sometimes it changes as I write the text.

Basically, have a story first, then choose poses like you're filming a movie, and add text last. That's what works for me. Good luck!

 

Like others have touched on a bit, action in photos is really important. To me, the best photo stories are ones where dialogue can be ignored and you can understand the meaning just from the sequence of events in photos. Also, of course with normal gallery shots, making them not look like dolls is a big plus..it just destroys a mood when you notice the doll isn't even standing on its own and is instead leaning against a very obviously human-sized object.

Something else also mentioned, the very similar series of photos along with one or two sentences is very irritating. Changing an angle of a photo with the doll in the same position is likely not very appealing and is not showing progression of a story. It is much more preferable to have maybe 3 photos and paragraphs of text. Some stories are just a doll talking, and those are fine, just don't throw in so many random pictures.

 

I do a wide range of photostories to allow insight on how my character act and think. Most of the time it is from the character's PoV. I am guilty of having some of the same poses and many different angles, but when it is an interior monologue, I believe that is okay. It's the character's thoughts, and people don't always move when thinking to themselves. For photostories where there is action, I think correlation between the photos and talking is very important. I'm very picky about text at times, and I like the stories to flow easily so you barely realize you're reading a photostory.

Another thing I personally advise against is 15+ chapters of photostory. Yes, it may be continuous plot, but I would break it into smaller chunks, such as only 6 or so, and have them be able to stand alone if necessary. If I see a photostory that's past chapter 10, I really don't care enough to read all the backlog of it. I like to keep my own to 6 or so, if I'm doing a long series. ^_^

 

I think your stories are good. You had a couple really good photos on your story introducing Armand and Avril. My pictures are horrible, dialogue is weak and not much supsepense. LOL! I do them for fun, and love it when people read them and leave comments. But I think that good photos make the differnce, I rather look at photos with good quality, and not so great dialogue. Most of the time if pick which ones to read by what dolls are in them or if I know that they involve one of my girls in some way. But I have a few people on here that I love to read.

~Alyson

 

Enjoy doing it, is the most important thing. Other comments I'll PM to you...

 

Amen, amen. I swear, some people think they're the next Hemingway and want to write a novel to show us all. I love funny, sweet and sexy photostories - honestly, what makes the best ones, to me, are when you can really see that the doll's owner loves them and has a distinct idea of their personality. Personally, I don't like most overly dramatic, overwrought, soap opera-ish stories, but that's just me. I like my photostories to be little slices of a bigger story that the reader doesn't get to see - a section of the dolls' life that was interesting and fun to share but doesn't get too serious and full of itself.

I have all kinds of pet peeves about photostories, but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Like Steph said, you have to enjoy it. It all comes through and works if it's something you like doing and you do it technically well (the all-important decent pictures and spelling).

 

Everything already mentioned is very important. You can have the greatest writing and photography in the world, but if your dolls look stiff and expressionless, it kills it. It's almost as if some people are afraid to move and bend thier dolls... That's why they have joints! lol.... You may need to over-emphasize movement and expressions in some cases as well. If the doll is frustrated, make them be frustrated... If they are sad, have thier body language reflect that. Many times I'm all ready to enjoy a photostory, the writing is great, but the dolls just "stand there"... I can't keep reading after that...

 

I agree with all of the above, but photo quality really does it for me. Even if the plot is bad, I can ignore it and look at the photos, hopefully learn something or come up with ideas of my own based on those.

 

For me, it's all about the humor. Sure, I may put out photostories with really bad humor... but it's my really bad humor, and I loveses it.

I also think photography is a key factor. You really have to pay attention to lighting, focus, angles, everything.

Also, I think not "settling" on a doll pose is really important. Yeah, maybe they're being really difficult and won't hold the pose you want, but you've got to keep battling with them until they do. Plenty of times I've looked at my doll and thought "Perfect!" then looked through the camera lense to see something else entirely. I don't settle on what the camera lense offers up, I work with it until it shows me the same view I saw, lighting and all, just looking at the doll with my imagination.

I think suspense is fun and key, although not always necessary... and photography is only more important than interesting dialogue if you can tell the story without dialogue... if the words are actually important and I have to read them, it's key that they be good.

Finally, personally, I like to have a conclusion, or a point to the story... some sort of closure, even if it's a silly one... I like my stories to have a beginning, middle and end where something is accomplished (even if it's just Spade holding a threatening sign)

 

Good photographs (not a succession of 10 photos from different angles of the same setup) and smart dialogue (short, sweet, funny and to the point) are a must for me. Photostories should not be developing novels in disguise and long, meandering conversations are tedious to read. But they are photo stories and not merely stories, so the photos should be something to wow about.

*points as Hitasura's excellent photo stories as an example of what works*

=D

 

Basically everything everybody says i agree with. Photos and words just have to fit and the whole same pose different angles thing is definately annoying.
Just look around hte photostory part and start reading peoples stories also to make sure your doing something new and to give you inspiration .

 

For me, good photostories consist of clear, well-lit photography, natural dialogue, and a plot with a purpose.

Photography-wise, my pet peeve really is bad lighting. I see SO many photos that are blurry and grainy simply because the poster didn't bother to grab a lamp, and it bugs me because it's not a hard thing to do. Any lightbulb will work, and most cameras have what's called a "Tungsten" light setting to remove the orangey color cast of indoor lighting. Adequate light = better photos. Period.

In terms of dialogue. . . well, I'm a writing snob, I fully admit that. But I have a really hard time believing a story when the characters don't speak naturally. Frankly, real people don't use formal language. When I get together with my friends, I don't exclaim, "Annie! Rosemary! I am so happy to see you! How have you been?" I say, "Hey, guys! What's up?" And to me, it's more natural when dolls are scripted to speak the way I would speak.

Plot? Enh, lets just say this: If a new guy or girl moved into my house, I wouldn't immediately strip off my clothes and pose for an erotic photoshoot. I also wouldn't automatically plunge into deep angst if I had previously been a cheerful, happy-go-lucky scamp. If your doll is going to do those things, come up with a REASON for them. (Preferably something more original than "He was my old boyfriend," or "She reminds me of a girl I shot when I was 17 and in a big-city gang of elves and vampires.")

Yay! Those are my snark-points.

 

I'm going to go against the grain and say that if your doll is just sitting around talking to himself or thinking, several long paragraphs of text with just a few photos is really irritating. It's a PHOTO STORY, not an illustrated story. And because I don't naturally move every time a new thought strikes me when I'm sitting around thinking, I tend to shoot my dolls that way. Yes, they move, but I generally let them progress naturally from position to position, instead of trying to pose them differently for each shot. And I'm definitely guilty of the 'lots of angles of one pose' thing. I use photos to break up my dialogue and emphasize points I want to make. I don't care how many times you use the same pose, if your storyline is interesting I'm going to keep reading.

Great topic, btw.

 

Thanks for summing up what I couldn't figure out how to say myself. =^^=;;

 

Hee! My pleasure. Glad you could relate.

 

My pet peeve, If it says photostory, I want there to be one. I hate clicking and there being just photos with a few comments, ie: going to the park, garden ect., new clothes, ect. I still support people who do this, I'm just disappointed. There are a few musts for me to absolutely love a story:
1) Humor
2) Love or Denied Love (Yaoi and other)
3) Angst
4) Making us feel sympathy for a character
5) Complex character interactions
6) Revenge (The Die Hard kind)
I really don't care if there is a lot of writing or dialogue, or if the pictures are perfect, or if the story goes on and on (although I have a hard time finding the next issue sometimes ) The story has to be good. I will remember names of authors whose stories I have loved and look at everything they post. It helps to have a catchy title to lure us in too. I look for them, good stories.... The search continues!
P.S. Just another pet peeve, I hate when I look at a story and no one has posted a response! A lot of people have looked and no one has responded! We need to support eachother! I feel awful that no one posted a response to this person who took the time to make a story for us, good, bad, or otherwise. Even if it's just to say your doll has the cutest nose! I don't know.... at least say something!

 

A theme. I dont mean 'Its about brotherly love...its about growing up' I mean is it: Comedy? Romance? Something totally off-the-wall?

Short and sweet is also good, unless the story is really gripping-most servers cant handle ten posts' worth of images. If its longer divide it into chapters.
Repetition of photography is annoying in long posts too-specifically different shots of the same pose, and unimaginative poses. Bad lighting, messy backgrounds and unadjusted wigs/clothing tend to grate on me as well, but that might just be me.

 

For monologues, I'd recommend thinking about how theatrical monologues or stand up comedy are done. Usually, the performer does some moves about the stage. They may not burst into a tap-dance, but they do reposition their hands, move between sitting and standing, cross the stage to address different parts of the audience...

A good starting point is to look at your photostories as if you were writing the storyboard for a movie. Think about how it would look if, by some magic, your dolls actually were able to act it out.

Another key thing for me that differentiates photostories from photoshoots: is is interesting beyond the mold of the doll? Just showcasing and interesting or pretty mold is fine for a photoshoot, but in general, not for a photostory (of course there are exceptions, like if you did a photostory of a doll with a new dress singing "I'm so pretty" to itself)

 

I think everyone's just about mentioned what it takes, so I'll add one other little thing -- I love special props and just little details in the scene that could easily be missed. They really show effort and thought to the photostory. I especially love dollseye's photos, I find something new that I've missed every time I go back to her photos.

 

One pictures worth a thousand words. A picture can tell a story without words if it is composed well and thought out.

If you have something that inspires you..go for it. A prop, a costume, a setting..a landscape..scenery...new dolls ...whatever.

 

I agree with everyone's comments thus far.....

^_^
unfotunately I'm am not a good writer...so I'm unsure of how well my photostory /video/game would do....

so far it has a bunch of elements i've been working on/been inspired by...I only hope ppl like it.

*sigh* wish me luck!!

 

I think pics are very important, it is a photo story - lol. But I also like humor, suspense and (I must admit it) sex.

My advice
- keep in mind that some of us are not familair with your dolls. I try to show a closeup of each doll at the beginning of the story, so the reader knows who's talking.
- in group shots, always change everyone's pose, no one sits still for long. If the doll's haven't moved positions - try shooting from different angles. You can have 2 dolls sitting on a sofa and get some really interesting shots just moving around the room with your camera - this is always more interesting than just shooting the dolls, head on.

I guess that's it. Now I'm goping to go back and read all the other advice/suggestions/opinions given.

Great thread!
-Am

 

Oh thank you so much - you are so sweet!
Cacau, you just made my day, really.
-Am

 

just to add one thing... I tried to read thru the whole thread, so forgive me if this was said before --

one thing I'm not a big fan of is when there are too many inside jokes, or references to stories that happened a LONG time ago. Cuz then I read and felt left out, or dumb, since I didn't "get it."

I also like it when a story is just ONE story, not endlessly continued until kingdom come. I can't keep track of all that, and after all, for me at least - a photostory is just supposed to be fun. I usually read the funny ones anyway.

If they don't have a plot - but they are funny - then they don't need much of a plot.

 

I have to agree with everything said here, and then say that setting is a really important part for me. If the background is messy or dark or just... out of place, it tends to ruin what I'm trying to see in the story. This is why I've never done a photostory - my dolls don't live in this world, they aren't guests in my house, and my back garden really isn't a good setting for a forest kingdom -.- It upsets me that I can't share their story with people, but hey, that was my choice ^^

 

a good story doesn't matter if the dolls look strange -- off my head...

 

I think photo's are important. They tell the story just as much as words do.

As for dialog:
people don't usually say what's on their mind. Let me give an example... a bit clichéd example...
Lily is sitting at home just knówing that her husband ran off to that woman next door again. They're having an affair and Lily just found out, by reading love-letters from her husband to that woman.

The moment husband-love comes home and enters the room, she doesn't run towards him, slamming him in the face, screaming 'How could you dó that, sleeping with another woman and knowing it will hurt me. Don't you know that you have ruined my life!!'

Instead, she will probably sit at the table pouring coffee in his cup, giving him a cookie and ask with a 'pleasant' smile on her face: 'so.. how was your day? Had any fun?'

Her intention is the same, she wants him to know that he's an ***** and it's over. But, she also wants hím to admit what he's done, she just won't ask for it... not directly.
This can go on for a long time, with the situation growing more tense every second.

 

Am follows her own advice nicely on this--look at little Lithium, the i-elf Lucky; he's a baby and he Always is moving, every shot, as babies do.

I like details like that, where the little things are just right.

Fleshes out a photostory for me.


Ann in CT

 

My three yen on the topic.

After looking at storyboards for animation and movies, they actually use alot of the same shots. I think if you vary angles in interesting ways, you are ok. I think three is ok, more than that is excessive. Especially if you have a dialog going, there are only so many ways you can tilt a head and move a hand in a dialog. Think a rotation of the same pose is fine, especially if you also move in closer and move back. You can use that for yelling/instifying your mood (closeups for anger or that "duh-duh-duh" moment).

A lot of people tend to stick with the same place when they take pictures as well. They set their "stage" and then when they fire off their camera, they stay right in the same spot. I would strongly recommend people rotating around their subjects and trying weird angles. With digital, you don't have the same costs anymore as film. I think this really perks up photostories when you have a variety of angles and not just poses.

Establishing shot, like showing the viewer the environment, even if you have no props, is fine. In fact, I find it that much more amazing when people use their invironment, and make the dolls seem natural in them. What bothers me is when people just haphazardly take pictures and not care about what is in the background and you see the dirty landry, open closets, trashcans...and it has nothing to do with the sceen and it is a distraction. It goes back to what someone else mentioned: taking due care of the shots.

In general the total look of the photoshoot: focus, lighting (and well lit a matter of taste), well-staged, posed and the angles is all part of the total package.

I think it depends on what you want, as the artist/photographer out of the photostories. Why do you think your photostories aren't up to par? You may want to watch some favorite movies or look at some comic books, and check out their blocking, because what we do is pretty much what they do. Sketch out what you think would be more dynamic and try to mimic that in your next photoshoot.

My personal likes on photostories are short dialog connected to interesting pictures. A little humor would be nice, but it isn't always needed. Depends on the subject matter and my mood. I hate LONG blah-blah-blah dialog stuff, because if I wanted that, I would read a novel. Refer back to comic books...I like comic books, so action is good, romance is good...angst is fun. And I LOVE a little sexy stuff (ok a lot). Whatever.

I think the most important part, however is that you have fun and do stuff because you want to do it. Because if you are doing this for kudos or because you think everyone will pat ya' on the back...you are really mistaken. I've found the strongest photostories I've done (the ones I've spent HOURS and HOURS on) that people sort of go... "Oh that's nice" and the ones I spend like two seconds on, people love. ::shrugg:: You can't win them all.

At least that's my (long windered) take on it.

 

I like different things in different photostories. Some are more powerful without any text at ALL, and some work best if approached like a short story (properly written, not RP form) with illustrations. The most common approach seems to be the RP-format route for the text, with pictures that show the flow of the story, or even just give the viewer and idea of what the doll looks like or is near. Probably because most of us here are so familiar with the RP format -

Person A: So, what do you think? **scratches head**
Person B: I think you have lice. **makes a face and moves away**

- and so it's easy for most people to use and read. It's what most of us think of when we think 'photostory.'

Personally, I think the BEST ones are the ones that convey a fairly clear idea without text, or with text in a non-RP format and occasional 'illustration' photos. But they aren't used as often.

 

If you want you can critique my first photostory.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=822841#post822841

After reading a few of these posts here I see what you mean about RP (what does that stand for?)
But how would you make the view know which one was speaking if you are using two dolls?
Tell me what I did wrong or could have done better? I can take it!

 

We have a critique section just for that!

also, RP stands for role play.

 

Decent photos are a must, but I'm going to ditto everybody else and say that the story is the most important. I have to say,though that one of my favorite photostories doesn't technically have actual dialogue, but you still know what's going on.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71958

 

I haven't put my photostories up yet although i've certainly scripted a lot of em.
I'm just going to point out what i keep in mind when i'm scripting.

- a Point - make sure there's a point to it. anything from introduce a new character to reveal something about a character we didn't know. however if the point is to show off the new outfit you bought.. save it for a photoshoot and not a photostory. make the photostory about the characters not the clothes they're wearing.

- while we're on the topic of clothing. make sure the clothing is appropriate for the character and situation. too many times i see Daddy or Mummy in bondage gear talking to young child. Mummy and Daddy might like the bondage but would they really wear it in the presence of a child?

- read your dialogue outloud, like a real script. does it flow properly? (do this with a friend if you can)

- back to the point. make sure each photo has a point. you can say i'm showing this photo to show him moving from this part of the room to another or to show he's taking this character's hand. etc etc. don't have purposeless photos.
if your story has a lot of inner monologue, show the character in motion. a person can be having an entire conversation with themselves while preparing food or tidying things or getting changed.

-relationships, relationships are interesting.. but not all relationships have to be romantic and even in a romantic relationship they don't have to be forever proclaiming their love for each other or how they're not good enough for the others and constantly sighing. not everything has to be a bad romance novel.

-good photos as stated as always good, keep in mind that not all your photos should be from the same angle and not all the photos need to show the whole doll or even the doll at all. you can show the scene around them or focus on a body part.

that's all i can think of for the moment.. i'm sorry if i'm repeated what others have said ^^

 

The photostories section fascinates me for a lot of the reasons already mentioned in this thread!

I have to agree with everyone that says you really need a point to the story. If you REALLY haven't got a point, at least make it FUNNY and pointless! Pointless giggles are great!

Angst isn't really my bag, but that said, I've loved some of the angstier plotlines developing, and again, I would have to agree with everyone else, if you're going to do a full on emotional plotline, do take a few minutes to set up the shots. Seeing the laundry in the background or a family members feet in shot REALLY kills any atmosphere that I coulda picked up on.

Finally, my biggest pet peeve of all time...NOT MOVING DOLLS...they have joints...they can move WAY more than a lot of people ever make use of! as a sort of addendum to that, move them in a realistic way! They're going to look wooden if you just plonk them down. The best photostories I see are the ones where you forget you're looking at dolls and fall into their personality, that, to me, is all a result of their movements.

Mebbe I'm just picky

 

I think some of of the same rules apply to photo gallery as they do to photo stories in general (and I apologize as I read this topic months and MONTH ago).

-- Lighting is important. Some cameras can't focus in dim lighting. If you always have blurry shots, buy a cheap $10 desk lamp at Home Depot or Michaels (or whatever) and put a 40W bulb in it. Light will usually improve blurriness by 50% and just wash the light close to the dolls. All you need it one good close light, two is great, three is what I use. Here is an article on basic lighting for cheap.

-- Multiple shots of the same thing (and I do this sometimes too, which I am trying to break myself of) is very boring to the reader. Even if it is slightly different, don't do it if possible. You lessen the power of your image with every repeative shot.

-- Posing the dolls at angles that no human would/could do. I just saw this in a magazine too. I see people accidentally twisting heads at weird angles frequently. The chin can only turn to look at someone up to a certain point.

--Keep it simple stupid. And this is coming from someone that using massive photoshop, I know. But I think the best stories are the simpliest ones, with simple lighting, characters, and just to the point. And really this is supposed to be fun, so why make yourself nutsy-koo-koo?

There is a pro/con to talk balloons or doing the photo story more comic book style. My take is that people seem to like it and it reads faster, however if you do it, there are fonts you have to find that have to be readable and the balloons, text and so forth shouldn't block the pictures as much.

 

I like photostories with a good balance of text and dialogue. If there's too much text beneath each picture, I quickly lose interest because it feels more like illustrated fiction than a photo-based story. I like photostories to be more like a comic book than a novel.

I like dynamic and varied shots. I don't like to see twenty pictures of two dolls standing next to each other, each taken from very subtley varying angles. I love well lit, in focus pictures. I lose interest in blurry, dark pictures.

I like when different characters have different "voices." Like, they don't all sound like the same person with the same speech mannerisms. I also like when dialogue suits a particular character, and it suits the setting, personality and gender. I don't like archiac language from modern characters, in general, and I'll often stop reading if I see it. "For I shall that man be!" I also don't like seeing male characters who talk like women. It's a personal preference, but men and women speak differently and that plays into characterization, which plays into dialogue.

I like stories that are dramatic enough to be interesting, but not enough to be comical or offensive. I have a hard time believing or relating to characters who have had a bajillion bad things happen to them over and over and over. Like, first he was orphaned, then he was abused, then his first and only love was shot and died in his arms, then his girlfriend cheated on him.... etc etc. I don't like "cheap" plot elements, or serious situations thrown in for cheap angst. There is nothing that turns me off more than a character being seriously maligned (raped, molested, abused, attempting suicide) just so that they can be cuddled and comforted, then lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum. I like when people think of the psychological effects (especially long-term) of various events on characters and build that into their responses to later events.

Wow, that was long. In short, good photostories = good writing and good photography.

 

these are my personal preferences:

-- the photos must be clear and well-done, otherwise I will not take the time to bother reading the story. You can say that's unfair... but hey, I'm very visually oriented. It's the same way for me with comic-books, I'll pick it up and look at the art to see if I'll buy the book, and later find out whether the story is good. The only exception would be if someone I trusted highly recommended to me a book (or a photostory) that had lack-luster images, but had a great story.

-- I prefer photostories to be shot in the same way one might choose shots for a movie... so I like it to appear cinematic and have good composition and continuity. It's nice if shots are chosen appropriately to what is going on in the story at the time (ie using a closeup appropriately for some heavy emotionally-charged dialogue... which is not to say that a closeup is always the best choice for heavy dialogue)... but it's nice to see when people really think about the framing of the shot and how close in it is, what angle we see the doll from when choosing the shot to go with a particular part of story.
There are lots of rules that I think would help people with photostories. (like the 180 rule... of not rotating around the character from one scene to the next 180 degrees, without having a really good reason because it tends to confuse and jar the viewer. So you could use it if you WANT to jar the viewer, etc....) but alot of times you see photoshoot-artists just rotating for no particular reason other than "it looks pretty" but then in a sequence, the rotation can be confusing or simply not have continuity from shot to shot. Using particular shot angles (low or high) and also choosing whether to shoot it straight or on a diagonal... how far out the character is, etc... and the lighting of course... all of this effects the mood, and since you are doing a SEQUENTIAL, you can change this over a period of shots to build an emotion.

-- I'm totally fine with photostories not having any dialogue at all. If the shots are well-done enough, everyone will know what is going on. I love pantomime stories too. Which is not to say that dialogue is bad at all. it's just not always nessesary. I don't particularly prefer stories with huge blocks of dialogue for one picture either.
That being said, really BAD dialogue can ruin a photostory (ie if it sounds unnatural or overly dramatic, etc.)

-- obviously a good set and good lighting can make a huge difference in the overall feeling of a scene.

-- when it comes to story itself, it's the same thing that makes any story a good one. There are lots of great books out there about writing entertaining and well-thought-out stories. (on that note there are lots of cinematography books about how to do a great shot, that many doll people would probably get a lot out of!)

-- and as several already said, changing the pose and having good body language is so important!

-- also, like armeleia, I really am not interested in stories where way too much bad stuff happens to the main character. It just feels self-indulgent and overdramatic (like a drama queen). It's the same thing you see in bad fanfiction, when the "mary sue" (ie the fanfiction writer's fantasy of what they could themselves be...) is constantly being abused, so that you can feel sorry for them or so that someone else can comfort them, etc...
along the lines of the Mary Sue thing, read this is you aren't familiar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_sue
I also don't care for ones that have cliche overly romanticised abilities.

all this being said, I seldom do them due to lack of time, and I'm quite sure that I would not meet even remotely close to my own criteria, haha. doing a really good photostory is hard work!

 

The photostories that I like are either short, humorous ones or multiple part suspenseful ones, ones that leave you wanting more.

Both the dialog & photos are important to me. I like to see the dolls express emotions & move about. The dialog should compliment the photo & the other way around. Also the characters should be well drawn, especially in a longer story. I want to feel they're real & care about them enough to continue reading.

Humorous ones can be shorter, a little slice of life, a vinette with silly characters. Sarcasm sometimes works especially if the character is already an established one.

Treat them as you would a short movie. A storyboard drawn up beforehand really helps to decide what needs to be included for a given effect & what can be left out. Take lots of photos then use the best, not necessarily the techically best but the ones that capture what you're trying to express.

 

To me photos can be important, it is very difficult for me to want to read a story where every shot is blurred or grainy. They don't have to be perfect every time and sometimes blurring or graininess can be used as a storytelling tool.

If there are good pictures the dialog can make or break a photostory. Poorly written dialog will scare me off a photostory faster than not-so-great photos. If there are several misspellings or it's written in "internet speak" I click the back button rather quickly--those are two things that really kill some posts for me.

So I guess summing it up:

- Decent photos
- Well written, natural dialog

The rest is completely at the mercy of my moods ^_^

 

- Good photos.
- Good story.

Not something rubbish.

 

Uhm yeah well,
at the moment I'm kinda experimenting with how to put my pictures together.
Your story needs to be understandable, at least for the people your trying to reach.

You pictures should be sharp unless it has to be moved or unsharp for the photoshoot.

Your dolls also need to act like what they are saying!

Originality is a must! if you really wanna get really good at least.
try some new things with how you post your pictures...

(my failed attempt http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Naiarasaira/callingrooster2.jpg)

 

-The dialogue has to be realistic. Takes things people around you have said and modify them.
-Different poses, not one pose from different angles.
-Don't try to convey emotion through words. These dolls are so expressive, try to capture in in an image, it's not hard.
-Not too much text. If you have too much text, people wil skim/ignore.
-Nice pictures. If you can take nice pictures, make sure the words are good.
-Make sure the story has a start, an end, and something inbetween. People usually get lost if you don't have premise and purpose to what you're trying to say.

When I write a story, I usually write down the script... and then go out and take the photos. I usually take four or five pics per line. I like the words in the story to suit the pictures. It makes more sense that way ^.^

Also. If you have a cute doll, do cute photostories. If you have a hot doll... do hot photostories. BUT don't be afraid to put a cute doll in a hot situation, or a hot doll in a cute situation.

 

the best way to show your dolls are alive in a photostory is to subtly change their posture in each photo. Just because the doll in the background isn't part of the story doesn't mean that they're going to sit there like a lump. Even when we're asleep we shift and move. Just move little things, tilt their head a little in a different direction, move their hand a bit. Make them adjust their hair or itch their nose.

 

This is a very good tip!

 

I think a good photo story has all elements in service of the narrative. If there are several elements that symbolically refer to the theme without being consciously noticeable then i think you can have a sucessful story that is acting on several levels.

 

This. Change some element of the scene between photos. For one photostory in my blog, the dolls were sitting around discussing something related to an ongoing story. The dialogue was important but didn't lend itself to much action - so I had my MSD Fawn's little cat interacting with several of the characters - she started out sitting in Fawn's lap, then went to bug two of the others before settling down for a nap in a third doll's lap. It was a cute way to add some interest and humor to what was basically a static scene.

 

whenever I shoot a photo I have on my mind what she is inspired to mean what are the things behind the picture I don't use words mainly when I upload the photo I let the photo speak for it self

 

Props. I can't emphasize this enough.

Even though it may seem so small, it really makes a difference, imo.

I would say props + good photography = gold

 

You guys make it hard for somebody to start a photostory with all your preferences. Nothing bad to it though. Everybody likes their stories a little different.

But I think MelodicReveries is right. Good props like some miniature donuts on a table make the atmosphere a lot different (and cute).

Thanks a lot for this thread, Ill be trying to make my own photo story soon and will take all these comments in consideration! Need to get my dolls first...

What Id like to ask is, how you arrange your pictures. Do you just put them randomly on a black background with some text, or is there somewhat like a program that does it for you? Itd be really useful to have a program, where you can insert the pictures and just change the dialogue. Im thinking about making a story in multiple languages.

Thanks in advance!