Day Four

Choosing the Story

Not Every Moment Needs a Photo — Here’s How to Know Which Ones Do**

Today’s shift is simple but important:

You don’t have to photograph everything you see.
You choose the story.

This is where your voice starts to separate itself from noise.
You stop taking photos just because something is “pretty,”
and you start taking photos because the moment means something.

When you choose intentionally, your images stop feeling scattered
and start feeling connected.

This is where coherence — and style — begins.

Why Most Photos Feel Random

Most beginners lift the camera whenever they see:

• a nice color
• a cute moment
• a pretty scene
• something interesting
• something symmetrical
• something trending

And the photos are “fine.”
But they don’t feel like them.

Because they didn’t choose the story.
The scene chose them.

Storytelling is the opposite:
you decide which moments deserve space
and which ones are just passing by.

How to Choose the Story (Soft + Clear)

Here’s the question you’ll start asking now:

“Is there something here I want to remember,
or am I just reacting to what’s in front of me?”

If you’re reacting → skip it
If something pulls your attention → photograph that

This is how you build photographs with meaning instead of clutter.

Use the Three Story Filters

When a moment catches your eye, run it through these three filters:

Meaning

Does this moment matter to me?
Is something unfolding?
Is something here worth keeping?

Feeling

What emotion is present?
Does the moment feel like something I want to express?

Perspective

Am I connected to this moment
or just “taking a photo because it’s there”?

If all three line up —
you’ve found your story.

The Story Isn’t the Scene — It’s the Part That Pulled You In

This matters:

Storytelling doesn’t mean photographing every part of the scene.
It means photographing the part of the scene
that woke something in you.

Maybe it’s:

• the way the light touches the edge of your cup
• the way your dog’s ears perk
• the mess that feels like real life
• the shadow moving across the wall
• the color that reminds you of childhood
• the weather changing
• the quiet in the room
• the simple truth of the moment

Storytelling is choosing just that part.

Not the whole kitchen
Not the whole yard
Not the whole scene

Just the part that holds the story.

Today’s Practice: The One Story Rule

For the rest of the day, try this:

Choose one moment
and commit to telling one story within it.

Example:

If your moment is “morning coffee,”
your story might be:

• the steam rising
• the quiet before the day starts
• the rim of the mug in soft light
• your hands holding warmth
• the stillness of the kitchen
• the color of the morning sky outside the window

You don’t need 10 photos.
You need one photo that holds the feeling.

Steps:

1. Pause

2. Ask “What’s the story here?”

3. Choose the part of the moment that holds it

4. Photograph only that

5. Walk away

This is how your work becomes intentional, not repetitive.

What You’ll Notice

• Your photos feel cleaner
• You stop overshooting
• You start trusting your intuition
• You feel more connected to your images
• Your style starts showing up without forcing it

You become the storyteller —
not the collector of pretty things.

Tomorrow, we go deeper with Day Five — Story Through Detail vs. Story Through Context, where you learn how to decide whether to shoot close or wide based on what the story needs.