A Photographer's Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures

Storyteller Profile: Wyman Meinzer

I unabashedly call Wyman Meinzer my foundational mentor in photography. We’ve known each other for a number of years now, and I’ve had the opportunity to ride along on more than a few adventures with the official state photographer of Texas. We met at Texas Tech University when I was a student, and I took one of his well-regarded field courses, which I now co-teach with him every summer. Ever since I took his class, I’ve been fortunate enough to call him my friend and colleague. We’ve photographed and taught together all over the state of Texas and northern Mexico, and several years ago, along with his wife, Sylinda, we started a coffee-table-book publishing house.

Some say, “Those that can’t do, teach,” and vice versa. Wyman is not one of the folks to whom they refer. His abilities to both shoot and effectively teach and inspire his students have inspired me as well. For nearly a third of a century, he’s documented the nation’s wildlife and the natural history of Texas, and told the story of countless individuals along his travels for magazine and book publications around the world. His work and his teachings have helped influence many photographers to learn to tell the visual story.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your photography.

A. I first developed an interest in photography at the age of about 12. My mother gave me an old Kodalux 120 roll film camera that I carried in my saddlebag and I shot photos while out exploring in canyonlands. After two or three years, I became less interested and shot fewer and fewer images due to the fact that I could not close-focus the little Kodalux. Even at that early age, I had an interest in moving in close for a more intimate view of the subject.

After enrolling at Texas Tech University, I was awarded a research grant to study the dietary habits of coyotes on the Texas Rolling Plains, and I borrowed a 35mm camera to document the research methods. That’s when I developed a more serious interest in photography.

After graduation in 1974, I continued to work on the technical aspects of the art and delved seriously into black-and-white photography and darkroom work, all the while studying the work of Fred Picker and other shooters of the time. By the late 70s, I had pretty well gone over to color and was inspired by the work of Ernst Haas and Eliot Porter. Shooting primarily wildlife, I had already published in National Wildlife and Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, but I had my eye on the larger national publications in New York. By 1985, I had shot several cover and inside images for Sports Afield, Field & Stream, and Outdoor Life.

I had my first book published in 1993, titled Roadrunner, and I’ve published 22 large-format coffee-table books since that time. My work as a wildlife and natural history photographer has taken me all over the state of Texas, into the rough wilderness of northern Mexico, and through the big game states of the U.S. and into the Yukon.

Q. Who were your influences in how the camera allows you to tell story?

A. As mentioned, I initially studied the work of a few of the black-and-white icons of the time, although it primarily influenced my technical knowledge of the camera and film. The color work of Ernst Hass and Eliot Porter in their documentation of the West was a great influence on my future photographic endeavors. Both Haas’s and Porter’s collections of images reflected a personality of the West beyond the typical “poster” photograph; they effectively used light to maximize the dynamics of color and form that define this fabulous region of our America. Much like photographing the natural history of a wildlife species, rendering the landscape in such energetic form requires knowledge of the geology and the effective angles that render the land correctly. These two men were absolute masters.

Q. Is there one instance that truly emphasized the role you play as a photographic storyteller? When you realized that what you were doing with the camera went beyond just you and reached others?

A. I well recall the very instance when I realized that my work could be an influence on others. It was in 1981, when I took several weeks to document the nesting behavior of the Texas roadrunner. I became so involved in the natural history process of this species that it was evident my work just might enlighten the readership about the life of this bird that heretofore had been largely understood as the cartoon character seen on TV. As it turned out, I was correct, and I eventually went on to publish photo essays virtually all over the world about the roadrunner.

Q. Your work as a wildlife photographer has evolved over the years to take on more feature-based assignments. What is the one most consistent aspect of your imagery that helps you tell the story that you see?

A. I think the consistency in my imagery that makes a difference is an interest in offering the natural history aspects of my subjects, whether it is the natural fauna or the land itself; all have a story to tell.

Q. Some would describe you as a historian as well as a photographer. How does this characteristic help you as a visual storyteller?

A. I believe that being a historian can enhance the overall interest in a photographic essay. Meshing the natural history of fauna, people, weather, and landscape with actual historical accounts connects with the readership in a way far beyond the typical “one shot” approach. It is a more conclusive approach and, I believe, one that stimulates the interest of the audience.

A good example of this would be one of my recent works that highlights a large ranch here in Texas. The expected approach for a ranch publication is, of course, the general ranch activities with cows. In this case, however, I augmented that approach with interesting historical events that occurred within the ranch boundaries, such as 19th-century military actions against hostile bands of Comanche, 19th-century cemeteries established by early settlers, and stone etchings from long-forgotten cowboys of the early 20th century. It is a great approach in telling the entire story and adding yet another dimension to the marketability of the product.

Q. If you had to point to only one of your images to explain how effective storytelling can be achieved through photography, which one would it be, and why?

A. The image that I think might present a good example of powerful storytelling would be one I made many years ago of a burrowing owl in the snow. The photo accentuates the huge eyes that seem to define a creature that could be bold and aggressive, but whose actions describe its true self as a small bird of the plains with a timid and retiring personality.

Like so many great photos, this one came to me almost by accident one cold day after I decided to leave the office and take a chance on getting an image during a winter storm. Going out to a prairie dog town with the intention of photographing the mammals under adverse conditions, I found them to all be in their burrows. However, the little owls were out in the snow. Lying on my stomach and pushing forward with my Canon F1N and Canon 500mm f4.5L lens in hand, I approached one of the birds standing on a snow-covered burrow. It began to sink deeper in the burrow with every foot of advancement I made toward it. Finally, with my elbows burrowed deep in the snow, I could see only the owl’s large eyes staring balefully at me above the snow-covered dirt mound. It was a classic shot that resonates with viewers whenever it is shown.

Q. You’ve largely been working on book projects for the past several years. How does this affect the way you work as a storyteller?

A. Book projects are wonderful forums by which the photographer can convey the story in its entirety simply because they allow the shooter a greater time investment to create more insightful images. Many of my magazine assignments are short-lived—perhaps three days to a week—and make for a difficult time frame in which to completely tell the visual story. For the most part, book projects can be planned far in advance, thus giving me wider latitude to seasonal preferences. Magazine stories are often assigned on the spur of the moment, sometimes at an adverse time of the season to fully convey the intended photographic goal.

Become not only a master of the photographic medium but also possess a curiosity about the history of the intended subject.

Q. Besides camera gear, what is one thing you’ve found extremely useful in telling visual stories?

A. Telling the visual story can be enhanced beyond the camera by using the Internet as a means of distributing the visual message. A Web site, social media outlets such as Facebook, blogs, and email are wonderful forums by which the story can reach an audience beyond the traditional editorial readership. In today’s changing technological climate, with the rise of the Internet and the decrease in print publication readership, it’s beneficial for a photographer to engage such outlets in order to not only tell the story, but also to further promote their own work to a vast audience.

Q. You’re the state photographer of Texas. What inspires you to tell the state’s story visually? How do you find story amid such an expanse?

A. The state of Texas is a story of variety in the context of land, people, sky, weather, history, and natural fauna. The source of intrigue for me is combining all of these aspects over a period of years to finally define the personality that is our great state. This has been an undertaking that has required 25 years of continuous, dedicated work and hundreds of thousands of miles in traversing this great land to cultivate the story of our Lone Star State. This endeavor has also been one of great educational value in regards to an awakening to the rich cultural diversity that so defines the pride that is our Texas heritage.

Q. If you could give one piece of advice to those starting out telling stories with photography, what would it be?

A. Become not only a master of the photographic medium but also possess a curiosity about the history of the intended subject. Combining the application of great light, careful composition, and other elements needed in fine photography with a knowledge of history is essential in producing truly great photographic essays. Photographers who are not students of history or natural history often shoot their images in a more one-dimensional manner, because they do not know enough about the intended subject to photographically define the more intimate aspects of its life or the landscape.

To see Wyman Meinzer’s work, visit his Web site at wymanmeinzer.com.