User:Photographyenthusiast/narrativephotography

Narrative Photography
Narrative Photography visually narrates a story, event, or situation within either one individual image or, more commonly seen, a sequence of various photographs. Although both methods are used, utilizing a sequential series of images tends to provide more detail to the subject and composition as a whole. However, each photograph holds specific characteristics and qualities pertaining to its subjective matter, enabling the viewer to recognize the role of its content all the while triggering memory and imagination.

History
Derived from the Greek language, phos meaning “light” and graphos meaning “writing,” the word photography literally means “writing with light.” Since 1838 artists around the world have utilized this two-dimensional medium giving them the opportunity to explore the fourth dimension – time. Photography itself records the world around us by capturing moments instantly. Just as the technology of the camera constantly advances over the centuries, so too do the styles and techniques of this art form evolve. The first form of narrative art began during the 18th century with tableau vivant. French for “living picture,” tableau vivant expressed scenes from history, literature, and works of art. With a single individual or a group of individuals dressed in costumes, tableau vivant showed the audience staged actors, silent and motionless, presenting symbolic poses and attitudes for twenty to thirty seconds imitating personas, characters, and incidents. In a way, this “living picture” kept past moments alive by transforming them. Similar to narrative photography, tableau vivant emphasized the substance, attire, composition, and lighting while informing and portraying a specific moment to the viewers.

Utilizing Narrative Photography
Narrative photography can be found in documentary, landscape, and still life photographs. Documentary photographers relate representations of real events with the story behind them. They challenge the viewer to view events in different contexts. Landscape photographers can achieve the same with their photographs. By applying narrative photography, landscape photographers express to the viewer more than just a place. Capturing a landscape or cityscape can reveal hidden truths or long forgotten places and transform a landscape scene into a story. Combining moods with locations, landscape photographers achieve the task of refreshing the perspective of a given place while telling a story. Re-contextualizing photographs also give still life photographers the ability to turn photographs into narrative photography. Giving a still life photograph a distinctive design with appropriate lighting brings to life a whole new representation of an object, turning a simple item into a beautiful story.

Narrative Photography in a Series
When one applies narrative photography to a series, the photographer is able to capture different angles, lighting, and content while presenting the material as one, collaborative work of art. Although narrative photography is not limited to individual photographs, a sequential series of photographs has the ability to provide more information to the viewer as he/she transitions from one photograph to the other. Narrative photography as a series provides the opportunity for multiple interpretations. As the viewer looks at one of the photographs and moves on to the next one(s) he/she not only interprets the purpose each individual picture contains but also interprets the juxtaposition between all pictures involved.