I often find inspiration by looking at other people’s photographs. Some images stay with me for years; others disappear from memory almost immediately, even when they are technically brilliant. It has made me think about what gives a photograph its impact. Is it simply an attractive image, or does it offer something more through visual storytelling?
A technically perfect photograph of an eagle in flight may impress me, but a less polished image of that same eagle catching its prey can hold my attention for much longer. The second photograph gives me a moment to interpret. It invites me to imagine what happened before and what might happen next. Storytelling allows the viewer to add something of their own to the image.
Urban photography
Urban photography often lends itself to visual storytelling. Old buildings, decay, traces of previous occupants and the marks left by everyday life can make us imagine the history of a place. The photograph becomes more than a record of what was in front of the camera.
Street photography
Street photography can tell stories too. Together with friends from our photo group, I photographed Aarhus Pride. The series became a record of diversity, tolerance and affection between people. It is a collection of photographs that has stayed with me.
Leang-Leang
The following photograph was taken by Claus Møller in the Leang-Leang area of Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park in south-west Sulawesi, Indonesia. The region is known for ancient cave art, including hand stencils and animal figures. The photograph shows only a small part of a much larger archaeological landscape.
The hand stencils were made by placing a hand against the rock and applying pigment around it. Their exact meaning is not known, but I find it moving to think that someone left this mark thousands of years ago. Claus described the experience as a kind of “high five” through time: a personal greeting from someone who lived in circumstances very different from our own.
For me, storytelling is one of the qualities that makes photography so compelling. A photograph can be technically imperfect and still leave a lasting impression if it gives the viewer something to think or feel.
Leave a Reply