How to Tell a Story Through Contrasting Views in Photography

Photography is all about storytelling; one of the most fascinating techniques is the “Heads and Tails” approach.
This method involves capturing both the front and rear perspectives of a subject to offer a fuller, often unexpected narrative. By shooting from multiple angles, photographers can reveal dualities, and hidden details, and create more dynamic compositions. Whether you’re photographing wildlife, people, or still life, this technique adds layers to your story.

Wild African Leopard

Difficult to capture: This was the first sharp image of a leopard I captured on my recent African safari, after many frustrating attempts where my camera kept focusing on the grass or the head of the person in front of me. I even made a 2 part YouTube series about this shoot: Part 1: Wild Adventure Behind This Photo – Leopard and Part 2: Wild Adventure Behind This Leopard Photo Shot using my long 600mm lens and a very fast shutter speed. Brent

Why is the “Heads & Tails” Technique Important?

The power of this technique lies in the way it immerses viewers in the subject’s world. Every scene or object has more than one side, and often, the rear perspective can be as telling as the front. For instance, in wildlife photography, a lion’s fierce expression from the front might contrast with the subtle swish of its tail from behind. In street photography, the front of a person can reveal the identity, while a rearview might evoke mystery or anonymity. By showing both perspectives, you engage the audience more deeply, sparking curiosity and emotion.

How to Capture the “Heads & Tails” Effect

To master this approach, here are a few key tips:

  • Explore All Angles: Don’t limit yourself to a single viewpoint. Move around your subject to discover new elements and contrasts between front and back perspectives.
  • Focus on Subtle Details: Often, the rearview holds unexpected details—a person’s posture, an animal’s tail, or the landscape behind them. These elements can add nuance and depth to your story.
  • Play with Lighting: Use light creatively. Front-lit subjects often appear sharp and defined, while backlighting can cast silhouettes, creating a sense of mystery or mood.
  • Context Matters: Think about the environment and how it interacts with your subject from different angles. A hiker’s front view might show determination, while a rearview places them against the vastness of the landscape.
  • Tell a Sequential Story: Use a series of “Heads & Tails” shots to tell a broader narrative. For example, show a person’s expression from the front, then follow with a shot of their journey ahead from behind.

Conclusion: See the Whole Story

The “Heads & Tails” technique offers a powerful way to elevate your photography. By capturing both the front and back of a subject, you add depth, intrigue, and a sense of completeness to your visual storytelling. Whether it’s people, wildlife, or landscapes, this approach invites viewers to see the whole picture and linger on the details that are often missed. Next time you shoot, don’t just focus on what’s in front—look at what’s behind. There’s always another side to the story.

White-fronted Bee-eaters in Flight

I’m at the airport in South Africa about to fly back to Australia and I wanted to post my next heads & tails image while I can:
Shot about 10 days ago on the Chobe river in Botswana with some of the other BootCampers. Two white-fronted bee-eaters in flight on the edge of the river bank where they have nests, shot with a very fast shutter speed of 1/4000 sec. One of the most difficult images I’ve ever created because these birds move so fast it’s almost impossible to capture them in flight. I must have deleted hundreds of blurry images from this 25min shoot, but I’m over the moon with this one. Brent

Photo BootCamp Magazine

Let’s take a look at the fun and imaginative “Heads & Tails” photos from our BootCamp members. And be sure to check out how you can join BootCamp at the end of the magazine!

Below is a small sample of what’s in this magazine…
Creating Triptych

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Inside BootCamp Magazine

Featured Artist

Let’s take a look at this month’s magazine. Here is our featured artist of the month, Ron du Bois, from Great Britain.

He submitted a black-and-white headshot of this image to the Eugene Memorial challenge but couldn’t resist also entering a full-length version of this magnificent animal, tail and all. It looks relaxed yet still vigilant. The photo was taken in Kruger National Park in February of this year, with very light editing in Lightroom.

Comment: Denis O’Byrne“Hi Ron. Well done. You have another string to your bow. This shot is much stronger for the work you have done. You should consider printing and framing. I would. Great job.”
Creating Triptych

Cover Image

This month’s featured magazine cover image is from Margaret Kebble, from Australia. This is a fun shot Margaret tried after noticing how keen their ringneck parrot was to play with the Rubik’s cube (even if it seemed the bird thought the easiest way to solve it was by removing the stickers). She constructed the cube using an older version of Photoshop that included 3D tools, which have since been removed, but Margaret still has access to the old version. She used the window light to brighten the bird and her husband.

Creating Triptych
Comment: Kerrie Clarke“Fun image, and well done in the post. Love the colours, the background works so well.”

Active Members

Let’s dive into the creative shots of our Bootcamp members in the Heads and Tails challenge. Each image showcases their unique vision and skill, capturing moments from fresh perspectives. We’ll start with Sara O’Brien from the United States. This was one of Sara’s highlights of the safari—an encounter with elephants and cape buffalo, followed shortly by a lioness joining the scene. Sara captured the moment on video and looks forward to sharing it with family and friends. She converted the image to black and white due to the lack of color in the original and enhanced it using Topaz AI.

Comment: Richard Hutson“Sara, This is a super shot with lots of heads and tails in action … I like the big elephant head coming into the frame. Black & white makes this a perfect photograph. I think color would have detracted from the fine tonal quality. I’m curious about at what point you used Topaz in your workflow. I have found if I send a file that has been converted to B&W that Topaz sends back an empty frame. So when I use it, I send the color file and convert it after it’s returned to LR.”
long exposure
Next, we have Kerrie Clarke from Australia. Kerrie was all set up to capture birds in flight when a kookaburra, skink in mouth, landed just about 4 meters away on the dark, shaded bluestone retaining wall. With no time to adjust her settings, she ended up with an ISO of 12800! Although she ran it through Topaz for enhancement, the result isn’t perfect, but she feels it still meets the challenge’s requirements.
Creating Triptych
Comment: Dave Koh“Good catch with a food-in-mouth shot of this kookaburra. Nice details are even taken with such high ISO. Topaz did help. Well done, Kerrie.”
Laura Griffiths from South Africa is next. A story close to Laura’s heart: This is about Charlie, the beautiful desert lioness of Namibia. She is one of the endangered desert lions living on the edge of survival. The collar she wears aids a man who has spent 20 years tracking each lion. Laura first encountered her in 2021, patrolling the Skeleton Coast dunes in search of her deceased aunt. At that time, she was thin and restless in her quest. By 2023, Charlie appeared healthy and in prime condition, having developed her own hunting method. She came to Laura’s camp, killed an already wounded oryx, and later fought with her two sisters over the kill. The rangers hoped she would team up with her sisters, but that seems unlikely. The next morning, she left the camp on her lonely journey. It’s reassuring to know she is healthy and thriving, and Laura hopes someone will write a book about her. Heartbreakingly, a male lion was shot and killed in a local village. These beautiful animals battle every day to survive.
Comment: Valerie Worthen“Great tale of the challenges of nature. I especially like your last shot! The detail, composition and the look in the eyes. Well done.”
Then we have Peter Brody from the United States. This photo was taken during the night safari drive. Peter and the group were mesmerized by a hauntingly magnificent owl with its piercing eyes. The guide shone his light on the owl, which barely moved throughout the entire photo shoot. A tiny tail can be seen poking through the bush.
Comment: Greg Skehan“A really wonderful shot Peter and I like the edited version more than the original. And those amazing eyes – really Wow!”
And next we have John Sullivan from Australia. John captured this shot on safari with Brent, which was an amazing experience. He found it fascinating to observe the interactions among the different animals. They were fortunate to have guides who understood what photographers were seeking during their time on safari.
Comment: Laura Griffiths“John this male looks as though he is really enjoying the attention being showered on him. Lovely family time capture. Good soft background too which adds to the contrast and definition (isolation) of your subjects.”
And next, we have Dave Koh from Singapore. Dave’s head and tail shot features a proud peacock that he hoped would display its magnificent tail, but it refused to do so. The peacock was strolling at ground level, which wasn’t very appealing, until it jumped up and perched on a branch, resting there for a long time. Due to space constraints, Dave was shooting from about 50 meters away, positioned next to a drain, yet he still managed to capture a full-length shot.
Comment: Denis O’Byrne“Hi Dave. Despite your constraints, you still managed to capture great detail in this shot. When viewed on full screen this detail comes even more to the fore. Well done.”

Summary

  • The “Heads & Tails” technique captures both front and rear perspectives to create a fuller narrative
  • This approach engages viewers by highlighting contrasts and evoking emotions.
  • Tips for success include exploring various angles and focusing on subtle details in rear views.
  • Experimenting with lighting can enhance mood and intrigue.
  • Use a series of images to tell a broader story, inviting viewers to see both sides.

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Please leave me a comment below – I’d love to know what you think. Brent

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