I think the storytelling is almost always inherent ( everything I write here please add ‘in my opinion’ after!) the things we are drawn to because they ‘speak’ to us. Photography makes me happy - It makes me look, it fires my imagination. I very rarely ‘tell a story’ in a photograph - I merely report what’s there - if anything ...
I love it when I go back to a photograph and it sparks my creativity, whether I can eek a story or poem from it - it will never be the story actually IN the picture - but tbh this is no different from what everyone does when they look at someone else’s image ( or writing, or poem, or painting ... )
Perhaps what I’m saying is - how can a photograph NOT tell a story .... to someone?
Thank you for your words! I agree with you, that the moment I am drawn to something, there is a connection and some kind of communication. Maybe not a long winding story, but something. Why would I be compelled to click the shutter? Your last sentence sums my little essay perfectly up!
Not a photographer but collect photography. As an artist I don’t look for a backstory (unless it’s commentary) but resonance. If it provokes emotion - even one I can’t define - it’s perfect as it is.
and the comment about storytelling belongs to me. i stand over what i said that the word is "overused". yes, telling stories, taking photos it is important and i encourage anybody to do it in any form possible but i still think that the word (especially when it comes to photography) is used to much. a photo it's worth a thousand words so if that is not storytelling, what is it than? so, the next question will be: if that it's worth the words, what's the point of shoving into somebody's face that is storytelling? it's kind of a double affirmation just to look important. i ranted enough.
photos are fabulous, love them!❤️ excellent series!
I remembered it was you, but read so much that morning, I couldn‘t remember where, but I didn‘t want to point my finger at you. But I loved your comment because it made me think and inspired me to write this little essay about it. So, thank you! And I see where you are coming from. If you put a big stamp „I am a visual storyteller“ on your work, doesn‘t necessarily mean your work is automatically better.
Great series of images. I had a photo similar to these hanging in my home for a while (until I decided to rotate it out at some point, but it was one of my favourite photos).
I feel our experiences and feelings speak about what we photograph when we see it. It may speak very differently to other people at the time of viewing and their experiences but it nonetheless tells something about the photographer if nothing more than a fleeting thought. I don’t feel every photo has to have an in depth story to it, but it can resonate with someone who does.
Thank you for this great comment. It is exactly what I tried to say! And thank you for your kind words about the photographs. Maybe it‘s a reminder to rotate the work back into your home?
I'm inexperienced as a photographer, but have recently started approaching photos with the "what is the story?" in mind. Less to do with a journalistic/reportage narrative, but more to do with how would I explain this to someone else (though hopefully they would see it and not need it explaining).
That could be as basic as "the light was falling perfectly on the rosehip", or as complex as "the graffiti hints at the difficulty of growing up in a poor coastal town".
I've not completely nailed it yet, and I'm sure I'll never take a truly perfect photo, but having that question in mind does seem to have improved my work
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Jonathan. For me, I sometimes take a photo because there was „something“ that made me want to hold onto that moment. It is not always obvious why or what I was trying to say. Sometimes it reveals it much later to me, sometimes it doesn‘t. But I think it is always worth trying to understand why a photograph (your own or others) „speaks“ to me.
Every photograph tells some sort of story (just like writing depicts a 'scene' of any kind I guess?). It doesn't matter if the story is short or long, or whether the photographer tells the story or that the viewer makes up their own story when looking at the photograph. Sure with some photo's it is more difficult to tell a story than others, but that's the nice thing about photography - it can be anything you want :)
Great post! Totally up my alley, as I let my photography and my writing feed off one another. The story doesn't have to be obvious—like a tear on the tip of a leaf in the fog—but I think that we're so biologically predisposed to stories that we see a narrative in everything. And that's a good thing, at least in my book. By the way, that "chairs" project is fantastic. I would love to see all the photos. Are they anywhere online?
Thank you, Alex! Happy you enjoyed today‘s topic. I think, telling stories is so important to us because it is a way to make sense of the world. Maybe I will share the series in the next edition of ‚My visual journal‘...
The images you included are beautiful and very moving. I really appreciated your article today. I’ve been experiencing a bit of a dry spell in my photography, feeling like I have nothing to say. You reminded me that meaning doesn’t need to be preconceived. The power is in the process and every moment captured is a story, whether or not it’s the one I think I’m telling.
Thank you for your comment. I like to think we always have something to say, even if it‘s not obvious or conscious to us what it is. Photography to me is always a journey to myself. Just keep taking your camera with you on your walks, the photos will come to you.
I absolutely love that no image will evoke the same feeling or emotion within 2 viewers. We all see an image (or series of) in such different ways and that is what’s so powerful within photography. They all tell a story whether we aim for that or not. This was a great article 🙏🏼
As a teacher I have found story telling one of the most important ways to teach, whether it is literacy, numeracy, history, even science. They open up discussions and questions. Sometimes stories are all you have when teaching a subject, especially with our current inquiry subject on Indigenous Australians.
As a visual learner, I have found pictures and storytelling generally go hand in hand for me. However, when it comes to telling stories with photos it isn’t always words that spring out, sometimes it can be emotions, a memory that is purely joy, or sadness, or just a smile of remembrance, the words may come after, but the emotion is what jumps out.
Thank you for the photos of the chairs, it brought back memories of a white wicker chair I had as a child. It had a little drawer in the side for putting my favourite book or paper and pencils in, and I loved it so much, it was a great reading chair. I don’t know where it is now, but the memory brings back feelings of comfort and happiness.
Your photos are wonderful and I can imagine the memories they would stir up and the stories to go with them.
Karen, thank you for your thoughtful comment. And I agree with what you‘ve said. Often I feel an emotion when I look at a photograph and that‘s it. And sometimes these emotions trigger a memory or questions and that is a wonderful thing. When someone reacts with an emotion to my photographs it is the best thing for me. Thank you for sharing your little story with me.
I've heard/read many times the comment about a photograph telling a story, and I've never really understood what that means. Your advice to make pictures one likes, whether it "tells a story" or not, is refreshing.
Love your pondering on this post, Susanne. There’s so much joy in noticing. That’s what photography does-- makes us pay attention. And, as long as there’s an instinct to capture whatever it is that is in front of us, just take it. Sometimes, it’s just noticing something beautiful. That’s the story.
I think the storytelling is almost always inherent ( everything I write here please add ‘in my opinion’ after!) the things we are drawn to because they ‘speak’ to us. Photography makes me happy - It makes me look, it fires my imagination. I very rarely ‘tell a story’ in a photograph - I merely report what’s there - if anything ...
I love it when I go back to a photograph and it sparks my creativity, whether I can eek a story or poem from it - it will never be the story actually IN the picture - but tbh this is no different from what everyone does when they look at someone else’s image ( or writing, or poem, or painting ... )
Perhaps what I’m saying is - how can a photograph NOT tell a story .... to someone?
Thank you for your words! I agree with you, that the moment I am drawn to something, there is a connection and some kind of communication. Maybe not a long winding story, but something. Why would I be compelled to click the shutter? Your last sentence sums my little essay perfectly up!
Not a photographer but collect photography. As an artist I don’t look for a backstory (unless it’s commentary) but resonance. If it provokes emotion - even one I can’t define - it’s perfect as it is.
I totally agree! Thank you for your words!
i presume that this is the post
https://open.substack.com/pub/marcelborgstijn/p/storytelling-beyond-the-buzzword?r=2b8uel&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
and the comment about storytelling belongs to me. i stand over what i said that the word is "overused". yes, telling stories, taking photos it is important and i encourage anybody to do it in any form possible but i still think that the word (especially when it comes to photography) is used to much. a photo it's worth a thousand words so if that is not storytelling, what is it than? so, the next question will be: if that it's worth the words, what's the point of shoving into somebody's face that is storytelling? it's kind of a double affirmation just to look important. i ranted enough.
photos are fabulous, love them!❤️ excellent series!
I remembered it was you, but read so much that morning, I couldn‘t remember where, but I didn‘t want to point my finger at you. But I loved your comment because it made me think and inspired me to write this little essay about it. So, thank you! And I see where you are coming from. If you put a big stamp „I am a visual storyteller“ on your work, doesn‘t necessarily mean your work is automatically better.
that's my point!
Great series of images. I had a photo similar to these hanging in my home for a while (until I decided to rotate it out at some point, but it was one of my favourite photos).
I feel our experiences and feelings speak about what we photograph when we see it. It may speak very differently to other people at the time of viewing and their experiences but it nonetheless tells something about the photographer if nothing more than a fleeting thought. I don’t feel every photo has to have an in depth story to it, but it can resonate with someone who does.
Thank you for the great article.
Thank you for this great comment. It is exactly what I tried to say! And thank you for your kind words about the photographs. Maybe it‘s a reminder to rotate the work back into your home?
We have a few photos to still rotate through but it’s definitely still in the stockpile of images. We’re trying to rotate in some artwork too.
I'm inexperienced as a photographer, but have recently started approaching photos with the "what is the story?" in mind. Less to do with a journalistic/reportage narrative, but more to do with how would I explain this to someone else (though hopefully they would see it and not need it explaining).
That could be as basic as "the light was falling perfectly on the rosehip", or as complex as "the graffiti hints at the difficulty of growing up in a poor coastal town".
I've not completely nailed it yet, and I'm sure I'll never take a truly perfect photo, but having that question in mind does seem to have improved my work
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Jonathan. For me, I sometimes take a photo because there was „something“ that made me want to hold onto that moment. It is not always obvious why or what I was trying to say. Sometimes it reveals it much later to me, sometimes it doesn‘t. But I think it is always worth trying to understand why a photograph (your own or others) „speaks“ to me.
Every photograph tells some sort of story (just like writing depicts a 'scene' of any kind I guess?). It doesn't matter if the story is short or long, or whether the photographer tells the story or that the viewer makes up their own story when looking at the photograph. Sure with some photo's it is more difficult to tell a story than others, but that's the nice thing about photography - it can be anything you want :)
Yes, yes and yes! Perfectly said! Photography can be what ever you want it to be!
Great post! Totally up my alley, as I let my photography and my writing feed off one another. The story doesn't have to be obvious—like a tear on the tip of a leaf in the fog—but I think that we're so biologically predisposed to stories that we see a narrative in everything. And that's a good thing, at least in my book. By the way, that "chairs" project is fantastic. I would love to see all the photos. Are they anywhere online?
Thank you, Alex! Happy you enjoyed today‘s topic. I think, telling stories is so important to us because it is a way to make sense of the world. Maybe I will share the series in the next edition of ‚My visual journal‘...
Beginning. Middle. End. Applies to photography too.
The images you included are beautiful and very moving. I really appreciated your article today. I’ve been experiencing a bit of a dry spell in my photography, feeling like I have nothing to say. You reminded me that meaning doesn’t need to be preconceived. The power is in the process and every moment captured is a story, whether or not it’s the one I think I’m telling.
Thank you for your comment. I like to think we always have something to say, even if it‘s not obvious or conscious to us what it is. Photography to me is always a journey to myself. Just keep taking your camera with you on your walks, the photos will come to you.
Great series!
Thank you!
lovely images. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
I absolutely love that no image will evoke the same feeling or emotion within 2 viewers. We all see an image (or series of) in such different ways and that is what’s so powerful within photography. They all tell a story whether we aim for that or not. This was a great article 🙏🏼
Well said! You never know what a photograph triggers in another person! And that‘s what is so interesting about it!
As a teacher I have found story telling one of the most important ways to teach, whether it is literacy, numeracy, history, even science. They open up discussions and questions. Sometimes stories are all you have when teaching a subject, especially with our current inquiry subject on Indigenous Australians.
As a visual learner, I have found pictures and storytelling generally go hand in hand for me. However, when it comes to telling stories with photos it isn’t always words that spring out, sometimes it can be emotions, a memory that is purely joy, or sadness, or just a smile of remembrance, the words may come after, but the emotion is what jumps out.
Thank you for the photos of the chairs, it brought back memories of a white wicker chair I had as a child. It had a little drawer in the side for putting my favourite book or paper and pencils in, and I loved it so much, it was a great reading chair. I don’t know where it is now, but the memory brings back feelings of comfort and happiness.
Your photos are wonderful and I can imagine the memories they would stir up and the stories to go with them.
Karen, thank you for your thoughtful comment. And I agree with what you‘ve said. Often I feel an emotion when I look at a photograph and that‘s it. And sometimes these emotions trigger a memory or questions and that is a wonderful thing. When someone reacts with an emotion to my photographs it is the best thing for me. Thank you for sharing your little story with me.
I've heard/read many times the comment about a photograph telling a story, and I've never really understood what that means. Your advice to make pictures one likes, whether it "tells a story" or not, is refreshing.
Thank you, Bob! I think if we emphasize to much on telling a story, it‘s possible to lose the joy in photography. And that would be really sad.
,, the chair caught my attention! Wondering, what stories and past lives sat sharing theirs ?
Yes, so many stories in there! That what inspired me to make a series out of it.
It just does...
Love your pondering on this post, Susanne. There’s so much joy in noticing. That’s what photography does-- makes us pay attention. And, as long as there’s an instinct to capture whatever it is that is in front of us, just take it. Sometimes, it’s just noticing something beautiful. That’s the story.
Yes, exactly! Thank you for your comment!