Staged Storytelling Photography

Photography Tips

L.A. photographer Ryan Schude has a unique take on photography, something he calls “staged narrative tableaus.” These elaborate photographs encompass a large scene such as a restaurant or pool party and typically involve several carefully placed characters all with their own personality and story that is somehow brought out through the scene. These staged photos play out a variety of themes and ideas, all of which are different and unique:

Schude says he doesn’t always start out with a certain theme in mind when he sets up a shoot, but he tries to vary the characters in the scene. Many, he states, are “down-trodden” characters that may not always be in the best of circumstances, but are making the most out of it. In this sense, Schude tries to balance out the happiness and sadness in his photos as he does in his own personal life.

One of Ryan Schude’s staged narrative photographs

“Imagine if you were to take one scene from a movie and take one picture of that scene that can tell the story of the whole movie in one picture.”-Ryan Schude