the art of storytelling with gifs

prose

Jan 17

Storytelling. A word I hear so often in my industry. That I almost feel the meaning slip through the fingertips of my minds eye.

Storytelling. Let me notice the stories. Let me notice the storyteller. Let me close my eyes and listen. Let me feel into my love affair with storytelling. Let me remember why.

Storytelling. An ancient artform that transcends time and culture.

Storytelling. An inherent birthright that every human is born to express, share, tell.

Stories feel like a patchwork quilt or a wool sweater. Weaving and threading imagination, emotion, and truth. Transporting the listener to other realms, where they see a reflection of themself mirrored into the woven fabric of humanity.

They are precious, inspiring, tender, evoking, and awakening. Stories and tales plant seeds that flourish behind the curtain. They connect the listener to wisdom passed down from previous generations. Like a precious gift from the human collective. Whether told and passed onto generations around a flickering fire, inked through pages of a book, or spoken through music, dance, cinema and stills.

Stories are told through any medium that resonates in the heart. In every medium, storytelling illuminates the depths of the human soul, offering connection, wisdom, and familiarity in a world of change and uncertainty.

I could simply teach you how to create a GIF but I want you to leave your device feeling inspired. With the remembrance of who you are as a human, as a storyteller. Because GIFs are simple assets that can inspire fresh creativity into our workflow. They are little sparkles we can utilize at any given moment, on any given session, or on days we wish to create outside of our ordinary. We can make them as human and heartfelt or aesthetic and artistic as we like.

I first fell in love with GIFs as a 17 year old scrolling and sharing posts to my Tumblr. The short blend of stills and silent cinema made me feel connected to the other small artists on Tumblr sharing their stories. I saw myself in those GIFs. I saw aspects of my life, relationships, feelings, adventures, and stories in the small motion pictures.

There’s just something sweet and tender about them. Like the sentiment and nostalgia of a stop motion film. The lofi and handmade feel adds a touch of sweetness to a photographer’s storytelling arsenal. They’re relatable and pack so much into a little bit. They’re fun to sprinkle into client galleries, blog posts, and social media. I love creating a GIF or two from a photo session and sending them to clients along with a handful of sneak peaks. I love incorporating gifts into the client experience, surprising them with random offerings and love notes. GIFs are a precious way to sprinkle love in.

In this mini course we’ll explore what it means to be an artist — to notice, connect, create, and storytell. You will learn how to create a GIF from a series of photographs and explore the intention behind storytelling GIFs. If you deliver your client galleries using PicTime, you’re able to deliver GIFs and sprinkle them into your galleries and blog posts, adding an extra touch to your client experience. If you aren’t familiar with PicTime, you can give their platform a try for an additional free month here.

the first gif I ever made.

every week i’d pick up acai bowls from my work and run across the street to surprise my boyfriend with breakfast in bed. he’d wake up sleepy and happy. we’d snuggle for a little and then run across the street to jump in the ocean. he’d surf. i’d read books and write love letters to him, leaving them in our old tea can tucked into the rock wall on the beach. this little gif encapsulates all of those teenage memories - like a shoebox under my bed :)