Stories come in many forms. Just like books, films and drawings, photographs also have the power to provide information and evoke emotional reactions.
The saying 鈥榓 picture is worth a thousand words鈥 is often accurate in photography. Images are not static. Rather, they convey an extremely detailed scene, while forcing viewers to exercise their imagination. Putting a single moment in context is something both photographer and viewer must do.
How does photography tell a story?
A story is defined as a narrative. It can be true or imagined, and mostly aims to elicit an emotional reaction, whether pleasant or unpleasant. However, a single image and a written or spoken story has a key difference in narrative style. An image depicts a single moment, while a story guides the reader from the beginning to the end.
A photograph is a scene frozen in time that prompts viewers to speculate about the preceding events and those that follow. Although we can serialise images to create a fully-fledged narrative too.
This is a photo essay by Stefan Rousseau focussing on Orthodox Jews spending passover at Southend-on-Sea.
Why storytelling matters in photography
Stories are essential to our ability to form communities and relationships. Deprived of this, we would most likely drift apart from one another and dissipate into lost, lonely creatures.
Without sharing information and ideas, interpersonal relationships and any sort of culture would not be possible. After all, this practice of storytelling and information sharing is what progressed modern humans from hunter-gatherers to civilisation-building farmers.
Early photography was used to record information in the most straightforward way; to capture portraits and keep visual records.
These photos, although often posed and with little context, convey stories of a kind. They appear static, but also paint a picture of the society at the time. The stories told by photography are invaluable, as they inform our understanding of life. The saying 鈥渟how, don鈥檛 tell鈥 is absolutely applicable here.
Words can describe a scene in great detail. But an image goes one step further. It shows the details and gets viewers to use their own perceptions to interpret the entire situation.
Unlike visual tools for work that clearly illustrate and convey a singular meaning (such as a graph or chart), or text that鈥檚 unambiguous and has a singular point and purpose, a photograph is always open to interpretation. It can have multiple meanings, illustrate numerous points, and mean different things to different people.
Tips on how to master storytelling with your photos
- Plan your story: While photography, especially photojournalism and street photography, can happen spontaneously, setting out to tell a story through your image requires forethought. What or who are you depicting? What is the message you want to send to viewers? Do you want to create an objective record of an event, or help to galvanize support for a cause?
- Include powerful emotions: Photography can be a very emotional medium. A single moment can be captured in one frame, but the feelings that accompany it can linger for much longer. One example is a photograph by Matthias Oesterle, depicting a man shouting in a protest against apartheid in 2014, in Spain鈥攆acing the camera and at close range. The emotion is raw and confrontational.
- Include details to support what you want to convey: The composition of a photograph is crucial in telling the story you intend to. The same scene captured from a different angle can paint two different pictures. Choosing what you include in your shot influences the photo鈥檚 impact.
The issue of perspective in photography can be seen in the work of most photojournalists. This image taken by Ehimetalor Unuabona in October last year depicts police and military officials in a physical struggle against civilian protests. The protestors look angry and the policeman faces away from the camera.
It is certain that the same situation photographed from a different angle would paint a different story. Most photos taken in a similar setting鈥攄uring a protest or march鈥攄epend on the intention of the photographer just as much as the true nature of the situation.
How is photography relevant to modern times?
The relationship between photography and the constantly changing narrative of society is complex and multifaceted.
The combination of digital photography and the internet means that the stories told are instantly accessible across the globe.
Recent social justice movements and conflicts in society have been brought to light, and brought to life, by the dramatic images captured both by professional photographers and those caught up in the situations.
The impact of photographs on social movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo is fortifying the support allies get all over the globe
Despite the power of photography in bringing essential awareness to causes like the Black Lives Matter (#BlackLivesMatter or BLM) and Me Too (#MeToo) movements, many activists and protestors with the way it has been used.
Breaking down photography鈥檚 influence on BLM and #MeToo raises many questions.
Firstly, it is undeniable that photographers have drawn attention to the causes. In the case of black photographers covering BLM, it is an intensely personal task. They are not only shedding light on the systemic issues; they are also portraying the pain they have felt as individuals in a biased and oppressive society.
Another side to the story is the perspective of as they attempt to capture the essence of BLM. Every photograph informs viewers.
But some of them have been taken by white photographers, who may have exploited the movement for personal gain rather than using their privilege and abilities to support the cause. #MeToo has sadly faced similar issues.
The role of photography in raising social issues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has unsettled communities around the world. Photographers continue to cover events and conflicts between individuals and groups, relating to both the virus and other issues that continue to simmer beneath the surface.
Once again, the power of visual storytelling is helping people to understand and interact with social justice movements.
A single click can change the world
As long as humanity prevails, we will need stories in order to coexist and have identities as individuals and communities. A simple picture can echo around the world. It has the power to reshape social movements by telling a story.
The narrative of the story told may remain open to interpretation. Or it may be influenced by the photographer . But it鈥檚 their click of the shutter. So, in part, it鈥檚 their story to narrate.