Hello MPC Members and Friends,

 

Several members enjoyed a lively discussion on Sunday morning around the club’s next competition theme, “Telling A Story In A Single Shot”. Due to popular demand, this workshop followed on from one on the same topic offered to us earlier in the Fall by Andy and Margaret.

 

BTW, photo entries for this competition are due by the end of day on Friday, November 7th. Please email up to three photos, with titles, to:

 

mashamphotocomps@gmail.com

 

(Please note: the title you choose for your photos is completely up to you. We compared the use of a title for this competition to that of the “Humour Competition” last Spring. At that time, Judge Madeline Brabbs said that she believed a humorous photograph should not depend on the title of the photo to lead the viewer to see the humour in it. Some participants felt that the same may be true with photographs that aim to tell a story: the photo should not have to rely too much on a title for the viewer to use their imagination to “see” a story.)

 

Many, many thanks to Margaret and Andy for their support for a second workshop, to the members who contributed their thoughts and experiences to the discussion, and to John for providing really helpful slides and inputs that helped us develop a better understanding of this concept.

 

My apologies in advance for the randomness of the notes.  If you have further questions or concerns about this theme let me know and I will try to put you in touch with a member who may be able to help. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Tom

 

 

 

Just as with many competition themes, this one is open to interpretation.  In an effort to help us get some clarity we asked competition judge John Gibb for some assistance in understanding this challenging concept. John kindly sent along a really helpful set of slides with thoughts on how to understand this concept and some beautiful photographs for helpful illustration.

 

With many definitions floating around we also asked John if the following example would be useful to us. Although there are many examples to consider, he agreed that this one, taken from Apple AI, is useful:

 

“Photographs that tell a story through a single image, often called a "monoscenic narrative," rely on a compelling subject, composition, and context to convey a narrative. These images use elements like emotion, unique subjects, and the relationship between subjects and their environment to capture a moment that suggests a story before and after the instant is frozen. This can be seen in both photojournalism and documentary work, where a single frame is chosen to encapsulate a larger event or emotion.”

 

 

 

Throughout our discussions several compelling observations found their way to the surface that we found to be helpful.  In no particular order, they include:

 

A “story” can be using words to describe actions that have a beginning, middle and end in a sequence.

 

The photographer sometimes aims to get the viewer of the photograph to be curious about what’s going on in the photo, to be intrigued, to wonder about what is going on. What came just before the image was taken and what will follow after the image?  

 

Many (if not all?) single images that aim to tell a story involve a human being or possibly an animal as the main subject of the story. 

 

The photographer hopes to invoke an emotional response from the viewer. 

 

“Every picture tells a story!”  Many thanks to Rod Stewart and the advertising community for such a great concept!

 

Photographs that aim to engage the viewer rely on the imagination of the viewer to create a story from what is observed in the photograph. Different people will create a different story in their imagination for the same photograph. Occasionally a photograph seems to encourage many people to think of the same story.  This happens frequently in media when many people are aware of the same context for a photograph. 

 

Photographs that cause a great degree of curiosity, or bring out a very strong emotional response from the viewer, and/or are connected to a critically important context might be the most successful in causing the viewer of the photograph to think of the story that the photo is trying to relate to the viewer. 

 

During the workshop we discussed several elements of an image that might convey a story.  John’s photographs helped us identify these things:

• Photographs where the subject is interesting and would make the viewer curious

• A photo that brings out strong emotions

• Interesting relationships within the photo, details that show contrasting conditions, things that create a sense of intrigue and pique the viewer’s curiosity 

• The context of the photograph can very important for suggesting the story that is embedded in a photo. Details can make a very big difference for the viewer to understand a story in the photograph.  

• Sometimes we as photographers can “get lucky” and capture an image that has everything: great composition, excellent visual clues for the context of the photo's story, action, an easy to identify position of the photograph as part of a sequence of “beginning - middle - end”. 

• Technical settings and camera position, framing, the use (or not) of negative space can help or hurt the photographer’s aim - all of these things have importance

 

 

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• A few famous photos that are often referred to as “Telling A Story”:

• Tank Man (1989), Jeff Widener: During the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, an unarmed man stood in front of a line of tanks to block their advance. The single photograph captures the man's defiant courage against an oppressive, overwhelming force, leaving the viewer to wonder about his fate.

• Migrant Mother (1936), Dorothea Lange: This portrait of Florence Owens Thompson and her children during the Great Depression captures the destitution and resolve of migrant farm workers in America. The photo suggests the immense hardship the family has endured, as well as the quiet strength of the mother figure.

• The Vulture and the Little Girl (1993), Kevin Carter: This distressing image from Sudan shows a starving child on her way to a feeding center, with a vulture patiently watching nearby. The photo became a haunting symbol of famine and the moral dilemmas faced by photojournalists.

• Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima (1945), Joe Rosenthal: The iconic photo depicts five U.S. Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The image became a powerful symbol of victory and hope, capturing a moment of collective effort and triumph. 

Elements that create a narrative in one image

A single photograph can tell a story by incorporating key elements that create emotional depth and invite interpretation. 

• Subject: A strong character, whether a person, animal, or object, is often the focal point of the story. Their expression, posture, or action provides crucial clues.

• Setting: The environment provides context, grounding the story in a specific time and place. Details in the background can reveal important information about the circumstances.

• Action or event: Capturing a moment of tension or change implies a sequence of events. The event does not need to be dramatic; a subtle gesture can be enough to suggest a larger story.

• Emotion and mood: Evoking a feeling in the viewer is crucial to good storytelling. Lighting, color, and compositional choices can convey feelings such as joy, loss, or anticipation.

• Juxtaposition: Placing contrasting elements next to each other creates visual tension and deepens the narrative. For example, a young couple's romance against a chaotic street scene can raise questions about their relationship.

• The "decisive moment": Popularized by photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, this concept involves capturing the perfect, fleeting instant when all elements in the composition align to tell a complete story. 

How to approach single-image storytelling

• Anticipate the moment: Street photographers often operate in a "reactive mode," watching for and capturing moments as they naturally unfold.

• Consider context: For a documentary approach, spend time understanding a subject or situation to capture a single image that authentically represents the story.

• Construct a scene: Some photographers deliberately arrange elements and use symbolism to communicate a specific idea or story. This requires careful planning to achieve the intended narrative.

• Engage the viewer: Ambiguity can be an asset. By leaving parts of the story unsaid, you encourage the viewer to bring their own experiences and imagination to the interpretation.