Telling Stories - Insights From a Motivational Speaker
An excerpt from the Photo Country Podcast ep:56
In this conversation, Julian Mather shares how the foundation of impactful storytelling and photography lies in building trust with the subject. He emphasizes that creating a safe, trusting environment allows people to shine authentically on camera, leading to better results than relying solely on technical lighting. Julian also reflects on his journey from being a poor storyteller to realizing that storytelling with intention and positivity can influence and uplift others. By honing this skill over decades, he's embraced the power of storytelling as a motivational speaker, where his words have the potential to inspire and transform his audience.
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Trust and Authenticity: The Secret to Powerful Storytelling and Performance
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Julian Mather reveals how trust and connection with a subject can lead to authentic storytelling and remarkable on-camera performance. Learn why fostering comfort and sincerity matters more than technical setups, and how this approach has shaped Julian’s journey from a hesitant storyteller to a motivational speaker.
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Julian Mather
This is so true. The best light you can have is to let somebody light themselves up from the inside out and everything I'm talking about, I've talked about building this trust and getting people to relax and trust that. Is going to make a much better performance on camera than any big soft boxes and backlights and kickers and all that stuff that you want to talk about.
So putting all that extra effort in, is well worth the effort.
yeah, I think that's very true because if the photographer or the DOP doesn't have that relationship with the subject, you don't get a good Product out of it, Throughout, what you've been doing so far, storytelling is sort of intertwined with what you do, right?
Is that true? do you agree?
Oh, I mean, I am a storyteller now. because I was a terrible storyteller. So, so I worked for decades in the visual mediums, telling stories. But inherently, if you ask me to speak, I was a shocking storyteller. I was so worried that, I'm a people pleaser. And that's something I've learned about myself and I've just accepted.
So I would hate telling something to somebody and holding back the surprise element of it, because I'd always think, Oh, I'm manipulating them. I'm tricking them. So I would tell them the kicker, the punch line right at the start, because I didn't want them to feel bad.
and I've since learned I was an idiot, right? I was a well meaning idiot, but I was an idiot. you're doing a disservice to people by not being a good storyteller. because you can influence people it is manipulating people, but it's manipulating them for their benefit and a better outcome.
And if you can explain something in a way that changes how people, feel in here and how they think. That's going to change how they act. And if that's all done, with optimism and hope and a sense of positivity, it's such a useful tool to have. And so, yeah, so as I'm a motivational speaker, now, I stand on stage and speak to hundreds of people, And this is, I mean, it's taken me a couple of decades to work this out and refine it.
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So the power of trust and thoughtful storytelling can change how people feel, think, and act, making it a vital skill for speakers and creators alike.
