The Importance of Storytelling with Photos

Capturing your family’s special moments (big and small) through photography is one of my biggest passions. Not many things make me happier (or more nostalgic) that looking at the photos of the trips, adventures, and outings we took together as family. The moments pass so quickly, but the photos will last a lifetime. Today, Chicago mom of two, Tiana Kubik is here sharing the importance of storytelling with photos. Tiana and her husband run a photography business and know just how precious capturing families can be. She will not only convince you to pick up your camera more and document your adventures but will help you understand just how important it is to look through those images with your kids so that you can tell your family’s story.

Capture your family’s story with photos

Capturing your family’s memories through photos is one of the best ways to tell your story. No, not just for Instagram, but for your family’s posterity and future.  While social media might make it seem as if photo taking and storytelling are trendy here and now, photos are forever. Each one is a frozen moment in time you can go back to again and again. I am in it for the long-term payout. 

Not only are photos a wonderful way for parents to remember the big and small moments and details, but they’re a way to pass down those memories to your children and grandchildren. I want our memories, stories, and adventures to be stamped into the soul of our family. I want them to bring us joy for years and serve as the roots that keep us all grounded and connected.

If you want that too, this post is for you! Today, I’m not only going to encourage you to pick up your camera (or phone) and snap those photos, but to keep revisiting them and using them to bring your family closer and closer together for years to come. 

Photography is the art of making memories tangible.”- Destin Sparks

Photos are a vehicle for storytelling

Almost every child I’ve met loves looking at photos of themselves. Kids love seeing themselves as babies, out on adventures, doing things they can’t quite remember, but know they did. Photos are powerful for helping your child solidify the memories of their childhood and the special moments and details of their life.

When it comes to storytelling, photos can be a powerful tool for capturing the children’s attention and drawing them into the story. Photos can help to create a sense of atmosphere and emotion. They capture a moment in time, show the emotions of the people involved in the story, and illustrate what is happening in the story of their own lives.   

When children are part of those images, it gives them a healthy booster of memories, emotions, and lessons that were created in the original experience. It makes their memories come back to life. It sparks curiosity and triggers emotions. Imagine retelling a story through your images – it’s like they’re reliving that experience.  Children can process it over and over again. Photos are magical in that way!

This also applies to videos and other media and souvenirs.  Anything that makes a memory more tangible and real for children, will help keep those memories alive and fresh for them.

Why storytelling through photos is so important to children

When we plan outdoor adventures and travel with our children, it’s important to take the time to reminisce about those experiences once we get home. Photos of the adventure are the perfect way to do that. These memories (and definitely the photos) will stay with them long after we’re gone, and they’ll be thankful for the wonderful childhood experiences they had, the outings, the trips, the highs and lows of life. 

There are so many reasons to remember to tell your family’s stories over and over again and to revisit the images, videos, and photos you took. Here are a few reasons revisiting the past is important to children. 

1. Storytelling through photos reinforces the big lessons

One of the best things about taking our kids on outdoor adventures is that the lessons found in nature are endless. They get to see all kinds of new places, meet new people, and learn about different cultures. Kids learn about themselves and what they are capable of. They learn to love and care for the world around them. We can foster teamwork and light a spark in our little scientists/artists/engineers. We can show them how to enjoy nature and all that it has to offer and teach them about the importance of love for the earth and the living beings who call it home. 

Children learn by repetition and that can come in repeating an activity or by remembering an experience. By retelling the adventures that you go on and looking at the photos that you have from your experiences out in the world and in nature, you repeat these and reenforce some of life’s most important lessons.  

2. Photos help solidify memories

Kids love spending time outdoors and going on adventures, but sometimes it seems like they don’t remember many of them! Especially for young children, most of their early memories will be forgotten as they get older. We’ve been on so many outdoor adventures together as a family, from hiking in national parks to whale watching in the ocean, and often the kids seem surprised when we mention them. This is a HUGE BUMMER. 

One of the best ways to combat this is to keep talking about these experiences and looking at the photos we have from our trips and adventures.  Any chance we get to talk about our favorite experiences, look through photos, watch videos, is time well spent and helps them keep them in their memories longer. Often, just seeing the images will help trigger their memories of what else happened on that day or on that adventure. Things that maybe I forgot about already! And then that becomes part of the story.

Want proof? There are several studies that even suggest that having children discuss their personal experiences and stories helps them crystalize their earliest memories at a slightly earlier age. 

3. Photos give children a connection to their heritage

Reminiscing with children is important as it can help them to learn about their past and understand their family heritage. Think of storytelling as a generational gift – children can learn about their family traditions, who they are, and where they came from all through the re-telling of family stories.

Seeing photos of ancestors and how/where they lived helps kids establish their roots. Learning through photos that great-great Grandma loved fishing or swimming in the ocean can actually increase your current family’s enjoyment of these same activities by drawing a deeper connection to them as they weave the bonds of multiple generations of your family. 

4. Photos help children gain ownership of their story and decisions

One of the best ways to make decisions and find encouragement, during unfamiliar experiences, is to recall similar experiences and draw on what you know.  Children can use activities that they have done before (like specific hikes or a visit to a nature preserve) to help prepare them for future hikes and outdoor adventures. These stories and experiences are solidified by looking through photos of past experiences and adventures. They can also begin to find patterns in experiences and their reactions to them to help guide their own inner voice.

5. Photos extend quality time together

The act of storytelling and looking through photos is, all by itself, an experience. Paint a picture in your head of what this looks like:  Your family cozy on the couch flipping through photos from birthdays, epic hikes, simple walks. Are you laughing? Do you feel loved and grateful? Don’t you now treasure those memories and experiences even more through the family bonding and storytelling you’re doing now?

That time to look back is about creating a bond, just as much as the time spent making the memories you are remembering.  One day you may find yourself telling the story about that one time you were sitting around the table, telling a story and looking through photos. 

Have fun capturing memories

The best way to capture memories is to be in them!  So often people think that taking photos and videos is a distraction from real life.  However, it is all about balance and preparation. Here are a few tips to remember while you’re documenting your family’s special moments. 

• Choose moments to photograph and ones to just enjoy.
• Listen to family members and read the room.  If anyone does not want their photo taken, put the camera down.
• Take photos by engaging in the action, not by pausing it.  The best photos are the ones that capture a moment not create a moment.
• Let children have access to take photos, or at least help choose what to capture.  Our kiddos love using their tablets and cameras to take their own photos. 
• Don’t stress over the perfect photo.  When the goal is capturing memories, let go of being concerned over blur, behavior, or blemishes.
• Remember these are moments you hope to relive through the stories they tell.  Be mindful of why you are there and what you are capturing

What you need to capture images for storytelling

What you need to capture your memories is simple. Photos and videos…LOT of them! You don’t have to be an expert photographer, have super fancy expensive gear, or any technical know-how to capture your memories. Obviously, you can have all that (and that’s awesome), but definitely not necessary. How you choose to capture your family’s images and memories will depend on who you are, your budget, and your goals. 

At the most basic level, you’ll need (1) something to take the photos, (2) a place to store the photos, (3) an organizational system, and (4) a tradition or way of visiting these photos.  The details are up to you but here is a quick outline of a few of our recommendations for getting started with each of them. 

Camera basics

Your choice of camera is totally up to you. The best camera you can use is the one you have with you (no matter what it is – the important thing is using it!). We recommend starting with whatever you already have and just getting started snapping away. You can always upgrade later as your skills improve and you learn to use your camera. 

A DSLR is going to be your best bet if you want to “get into” photography and explore settings and lenses. This is probably what most people think of when they talk about digital cameras. The two most popular DSLR options are Canon and Nikkon – both are excellent choices, with a huge range of options on price point, lenses, and features. Mirrorless cameras are all the rage these days and can be a bit smaller and have electronic viewfinders (digital screens) in the back. It comes down to personal preference what you’d like to shoot with. 

However, technology today has made it even easier to capture photos of your family, a great cell phone. A smartphone has made it so that we can capture 20 different images of any given moment with a small camera we probably already have in our pocket. Which means there is no excuse for missing out. If you’re just getting into photography, you can start with the phone you have. If you are looking for the best tips for taking fabulous quality images with your cell phone camera, make sure to download our free guide to taking better photos of your kids outside with your camera phone. 

Phone photos are great because they’re easy to take and very accessible, but you are also going to need a really good storage system for those 2,000 photos you took in February.

Photo storage solutions

Whether you’re storing your photos on your phone or on a computer, storage is sure to be an issue if you are taking LOTS of pictures. You could very easily lose your phone or deal with a lost or broken laptop. Your photos need to be secure and backed up in multiple places. We highly recommend backing up to at least 2 other places so that if and when your computer quits on you, you have a backup.  A few options are:

• A backup hard drive (we keep ours in a fireproof safe) 
• A disc or jump flash drive
• Cloud storage (there are a ton of options, but an easy way to store your images is with a cloud storage site, like Google Drive, Amazon Photos (included with your Prime membership) or Dropbox)

Photo organization system

Now that you have all these gorgeous images of your precious memories, you need to come up with a system for organizing them. The short answer is FOLDERS! But how you organize your folders will be completely up to you, your personality, and how your brain best works.  A few examples of ways to organize folders of images:

• Folders for each year or month > images labeled by date (how most cell phones already label images)
• Based on destinations or trips
• Folders based on each camera used
• A folder for each child or family member

Note on metadata and geotagging photos:  Everyone will need to make their own choices on including this.  Many families feel better not having location info on photos but having that info also makes images on devices easily searchable.  The same goes for facial recognition options for sorting images. Just something to consider for your storage and organization of images.

A good photo organizational system will make things so much easier as your family and experiences grow, as well as your image library.  The last thing you want is to spend hours looking for images from 4 years ago, only to realize they are gone or misplaced.  Now that the logistics are done…time for the fun!

How to view your images

What good is taking all those photos if you’re not going to do anything with them? You need to come up with a way (or multiple ways) to get your images in front of your family. If you can’t see the images, you can’t tell the stories! (and isn’t that what we’ve been talking about this whole time?)

Here are a few fun ways to share photos and stories with your family:

• Print them out and make collages or photo galleries on the walls in your home
• Create themed books with the photos and have them printed
• Start a family social media account 
• Use a digital photo frame (or Amazon Echo Show) to keep updating images to stroll
• Make gifts for family members out of the photos that you take (ornaments, keychains, calendars, magnets, notepads, etc.)

Start a family tradition of storytelling with photos

Many families have rituals and traditions around storytelling with photos. You can create books, start a blog, create a wall of photos.  You can make digital albums to share with friends and all upload your images together or sports seasons or events. There are so many options for creating opportunities to remember the time you spend together.  Is there a time of day or specific holidays where you find your family most engaged in remembering events?  

My guess is that you do this often, without even giving it much thought, and that is what is best about storytelling with photos in the digital age.  Keeping images easily accessible means you are ready to stroll down memory lane at a moment’s notice.  The more you engage in telling the story of your most special days, the more your children will want to talk about them.  

The biggest goal is to get children to retell their own stories, but storytelling is not a one-way street. Stories grow and evolve as we add different perspectives and points of view. You won’t all remember an outing or trip the same way. We don’t just pass stories down, we share them. They are told by all involved and having children actively engaged in the storytelling process gives their experience validity and gives the entire family a gift that will last a lifetime.

Storytelling is also a great bridge to planning new adventures and setting goals for the future.  Beginning a whole new cycle of family fun!

More photography resources

If you’re interested in more photography resources, download our FREE guide with our best tips and tricks for taking better photos of your kids’ outdoor adventures with the camera on your PHONE! From creative composition tips to our favorite editing apps, this guide includes everything you need to know to make the most out of the camera in your pocket!  

Do you use photos to tell family stories?

About the author

A city girl through and through, Tiana wasn’t always thrilled with outdoor adventures. However, learning the importance of nature + play through her journey to a Master’s in Early Childhood Education changed her heart. She still prefers the hustle and bustle of city life. She also has learned to love all that nature is and gives. Tiana has discovered unbelievably amazing North American destinations by traveling in a DIY converted Sprinter Van with her husband and two kids. She looks forward to new adventures and discoveries every day.

You can find more from Tiana in the following online locations:
Instagram: @usalongtheway
Website: US Along the Way
RWMC Posts: Tiana Kubik