a philosophical question

[MarkS49675]

A philosophical question...
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I recently took a storytelling course because I felt my photos weren't saying anything. That being said, I have to ask - do you feel all photos must tell a story? If they don't then what would be their point? Is it enough to just create a photo that aesthetically pleasing to look at? Is there validity in that? Is storytelling photography one genre of photography or should storytelling be woven into all photographs? If they don't tell a story are they just what the masses call snapshots?
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Mark​

 

[pic_chick]

I believe all images will tell their story to someone and that someone may not be the person who created them.

 

[SCraig]

I don't think so, unless the story is very broad and open for interpretation. A photograph of a waterfall or a sunset or a flower don't necessarily tell a story, they just show the subject's beauty and that's enough in and of itself.

 

[pgriz]

Story-telling is one way images can "open your eyes". But that's not the only way. You have visual beauty, an image that give the distilled essence of reality. You have illustration - where the image shows you something that you were blind to before, or just didn't notice. You can also have a record of a time and place - usually called snapshots, but after the passage of enough time, they transcend their humble origins to become timecapsules to what was. And sometimes, the narrative that the viewer supplies has nothing to do with the photographer's intent - the same set of facts can have very different interpretations, and ultimately, meaning.

 

[rexbobcat]

^^^ It has all been said.

Storytelling is just one of the capacities of photography, and it means different things to different people.

 

[FanBoy]

Often, the photographer will want to make the viewer feel he is there in the moment.

If the photographer is successful, elements within the photograph will tell the story.

 

[Kulanu]

Alfred Stiegletz taught us that fine art photography was, like painting or sculpture, an artistic medium. Stieglitz and many of the Camera Works photographers associated with him, believed that a photograph was about light, texture, composition and that, at it's best, a fine art photo did NOT tell a story.

As stated in this thread, there are many types of photography. Fine art photography is but one type where the story is secondary or not necessary at all.

Great discussion. Thank you.

Kulanu

 

[tirediron]

A philosophical question...

I recently took a storytelling course because I felt my photos weren't saying anything. That being said, I have to ask - do you feel all photos must tell a story?

What does "story" mean to you:

If they don't then what would be their point?

Aesthetics?

Is it enough to just create a photo that aesthetically pleasing to look at?

It is to me; is it to you?

Is there validity in that?

Depends... what do you think?

Is storytelling photography one genre of photography or should storytelling be woven into all photographs?

If a photograph tells a story, and no one is there to see it...

If they don't tell a story are they just what the masses call snapshots?

A photograph is whatever the photographer says it is....

 

[Farmclicker]

I am a much better writer than I am a photographer so take what I say here with a grain of salt, or perhaps infused by a different perspective.

To me storytelling is a very broad term because it can take up all matter of media, from books to photos, to movies to cartoons, and even poetry and theatrics. Stephen Crane, a talented writer wrote a most descriptive book on the Civil War that made you feel as if you were in the thick of battle, yet a mime, without conveying a single word, through white gloves and paint, can tell a story through visual imagery.

As with most things in life, it really gets boiled down to form and function. As a Supervisor for a non profit organization I get a lot of peoples opinions and suggestions and I have learned to approach difficult situations by saying, "well that is one way to do it, but I am not sure that is the best way", and so it is with storytelling. A single photo with a soldier holding his friend with his leg blown off, tears in his eyes and gun hanging down loosely on the cover of Time magazine conveys quite nicely the story of the moment, of friendship, the horrors of war and what just happened in the last 2 minutes. I am not sure there would be a better way to convey the drama of that story then a photo. But if you wanted to give that same scene a comic sort of relief, then certainly a mime, performing on the street would give the same story a rather comic portrayal of it. Two different methods of storytelling to achieve different results.

Often times you see a photo on Flickr with a long description about the photo. In the right application it works such as a photo of a creepy house where the photographer tells about how a thundershower suddenly moved in and torrential rain forced them to go inside. In that case the story fortifies the photo, but often times lengthy descriptions mean it is lackluster photo prattled on about in prose that is just as lame and neither is improved by the addition of the other. This also happens in the corporate world and is referred to as "Death by Powerpoint". Unable to be creative, the speakers are unable to engage their audience and bore their listeners with endless slide after slide coupled with boring dialog.

I think the original poster is an experienced photographer but has probably becomes bored with the hobby/profession and feels like they are on a plateau and wants to move onward. I can appreciate and understand that and can see where prose beside a photo would be one means to that end. But I also agree with others that lengthy descriptions do not make for a great photo just as endless photos do not always make for a great movie. To be successful at this, a person would have to match the intended audience to the series. A creepy house set of pictures and descriptions posted for a group of ghost hunter types, a forest trip captured for a group of biologists; or an under-ocean series for a science group of kids in the mid-west; for instance.

Creativity is hard, especially when you have become jaded and bored by experience and burn-out, but the best deal with it and move on and become better, where as some just give up and move to something else. The fact that the original poster enrolled in a storytelling class really shows that they want to improve and I am impressed by that.

 

[Iron Flatline]

My images all rely on a certain narrative element. An image may not need a story, but I like images that have a conceptual footing. There must be a reason I made an image. Check my site.