photog11 Loc: San Francisco

We all talk about how a picture should tell a story. The story, however, may be personal to the observer or universal to all who see it.
I remember a photo, perhaps even on this site. It showed a blind woman striding confidently from left to right across a bridge over a body of water. With her right hand she was holding the harness of a guide dog. In her left hand was a slack leash to another dog, who was walking with her nose-to-knee. The picture was taken from the other side of the roadway, and the critique was: "so what. Just another snapshot." Now, I know only a little bit about the blind, and slightly more about how guide dogs are trained and selected. What I saw told a wonderful story. It told about the confidence a guide dog gives a blind person. How the dog makes a difference in their lives. But the other dog on the left? Guide dogs usually retire at about age 8. So my interpretation includes the love and respect that the blind person has for her retired dog. To me the photo told a story of disability overcome, and love and trust. I just got a warm, fuzzy feeling viewing that photo. Would anyone without my knowledge also react to that story? Or is it just another snapshot?
How about a section here on the hog devoted to story-telling photos? I see very few of them.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Some say that if you need to explain a photo it hasn't worked. Whether it needs an explanation or not may depend on who will be viewing it. That point needs to be considered if the storytelling is the main reason for displaying the photo. In any case, too much obscurity will guarantee failure.

There's nothing wrong with captions, and some stories need more than one photo, so captions and series are both viable options.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

Interesting question.
I don't believe that a photo will always tell the same story to everyone who views it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Exactly my thought. And can make for interesting discussion, if detailed reactions are shared in a thread.

As for another UHH section for "story-telling," there are already over 50 specialty sections. In years past, For Your Consideration section here was an excellent place for in-depth discussions, including the importance (or not) of titles. Critique Forum here was revived, then abandoned again because so many respondents didn't offer actual feedback.

The vast majority of UHH members are concentrated in Photo Gallery and main discussion. My suggestion to the OP is to post what you consider a story-telling photo in Gallery or FYC and to invite discussion on that photo. You may need to recruit others to participate (send pm's to your buddies, with a link provided).

Lead by example, and perhaps in the process you'll find others who are also looking for something other than a simple thumbs-up.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

PS,
I am not blind but my late wife was.
Her dog guides from Leader Dog averaged 12 years.
Yes, they provide amazing freedom of movement and travel.
Also they are trained to a level that is incomprehensible to the average person.
Most "Trained" dogs are trained to enhance natural instincts of chase, bite etc.
Leader Dogs are just the opposite and must have complete control to never do such dog things.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Exactly!

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I do not believe that every photo needs to tell a story. Some exist only for eliciting pleasure from the viewer--or for the photographer. I posted a photo today of crocuses--there's no story there, only some pretty flowers.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Very pretty, documentary shot which appeals to all of us who love flowers and spring.

Photo storytelling doesn't have to be literal. Crocuses peeking up through fresh snowfall would elicit a different feeling than an image with green grass and sunshine.

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"Every picture tells a story".

Acoarst too often the whole story is just "I came, I saw, I focused" :-(

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gwilliams6

As a career photojournalist, sometime we have to tell a story in a single photograph as there is no more time to shoot, and/or room to publish more photos. Other times we get to tell a deeper story with more photos in a series. Always good captions are helpful too.

1) A photo I called "Swinging on the GO signal" shot at a street festival in Philadelphia, Pa. No other photos really needed here.

2) Then one of countless B&W and Color shots I made will covering the War in Nicaragua between the Contras and Sandinistas. This single photo of a Nicaraguan mother standing guard over her children from deadly Contra attacks on civilians, standing in the doorway of their shack of a home, while her husband was away fighting in the Sandinistas Army tells one part of the whole war story. But the other and even some more gruesome and heart-wrenching shots I made that ran over several days in my newspaper, helped complete the story.

FYI, the story and my photos won many awards and were a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and our story and photos directly led to the US Senate cutting off aid to the Contras and the long, bloody war ended.

Cheers and best to you.

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

Photography at its most powerful.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

and some times they provide information. “This is what XYZ railroad station looked like in 1973”

gwilliams6

Thanks, yes photography can be a powerful force in the world.

Cheers and best to you.

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The 1st photo below is one I found online but was not posted with any further info.

It represents my favorite version of pix with a story. My reason is that it very obviously has a real story to tell but the narrative can only be provided by the viewer. It forces you to think and doesnt spoon feed you with a fixed clear story.

The general broad brush story may be semi-obvious for some viewers, but anything deeper is entirely up to the viewers imagination.

The 2nd photo is a street grab whose story, whatever it it may be, seems less compelling than the 1st photo yet it still has a way of implying a story without literally telling a particular story. IOW, a food-for-thought pic, not a document or decorative "pretty picture".

3rd photo is another example of how a street grab implies a story but leaves much of it untold.

Four faces with a story to tell

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Whats the story, Morning Glory .....

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Party time ? Jump in the line ! Is she a one person parade, or the pied piper ?

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