"One picture is worth a thousand words."

Popularized in modern times by the early 20th century American advertising industry, variations of that sentiment have been around for hundreds of years (and expressed by some very famous people, including Leonardo da Vinci).

It's true for photographs as well as paintings. A single image can convey what might take many pages of text to describe.

Even more powerful is the idea that those words are not static: because viewers interpret images uniquely, it's easy to imagine how a single picture can easily be worth hundreds of words - or yes, even a thousand of them. The words a picture paints for me may be very different than those it paints for you.

Create a series or collection of photographs, and now you've got an essay. Maybe a novella! Curating multiple images around a theme enables the photographer to tell a richer story...or present an intriguing concept...or ask a question. Collections can also be an excellent opportunity to combine "big" landscapes along with more intimate impressions to better showcase a location or express an idea. Just like moviemaking: start with an establishing shot and then move in for more detail.

Your collection might be based on a literal concept, or lean more to the abstract. I've been building a series under the working title "From Out of the Mist" which contains images like these:

Thinking about my work from a thematic perspective also gives me ideas about what I'd like to shoot moving forward. What stories am I trying to tell? What chapters still need to be written in order to complete the narrative?

Speaking of which, sometimes a series or collection turns into a book project. "Seasons in Teton Country" is one on which I'm currently working. Its outlines were established a few years ago; over time the remaining details continue to be added.

 You can create stories without being a writer in the literal sense. Good photographs have their own very special way with words; what they have to say can be compelling.

Write on!