Gallery: does every picture tell a story?

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still

Dorothea Lange

A still image freezes time for a fraction of a second. Life stands still, and we don’t know what happened next. But a movie, while in reality a fast-changing sequence of still images, shows us life in motion. Is that an easier way to tell a story? Perhaps; however our imaginations alone can often create multiple stories out of a single image. And we aren’t constrained by anyone else’s ideas about what the story should be, we are free to interpret the image as we choose.

But does every picture tell a story? No, not necessarily, or at least, some do so more powerfully than others. For me the photographs that are most often likely to suggest a story are those of people, especially candid shots. I know nothing about their lives, but I can wonder.

How did they come to be here?

Where are they going and why?

What is good about their life and what challenges do they face?

Story-telling

For this week’s Lens Artists challenge Sofia has set us the theme of ‘Cinematic’. She reminds us that we can create a cinematic feel in our photos through ‘camera angles, bold and high-contrast colours, light, locations’. I agree, but ever-contrary I decided in my response to concentrate only on the story-telling aspect of the cinema. Because however great a film looks, if it doesn’t tell a good story it won’t hold our interest for long. And also (I confess) because it gives me a chance to share some of my favourite people shots. Yes, you will probably have seen a few of these previously but others I’m sure I am sharing for the first time.

To add a bit of fun I’ve tried to come up with captions that sound like film titles. But perhaps you can think of other, better ones? If any of these shots suggests a movie title to you, please let me know in the comments!

My feature photo really is from a film, by the way. I was out for a walk in Brick Lane a few years ago, with Margaret from ‘From Pyrenees to Pennines’ when we spotted a film being shot, and these were the actors. It was probably just a student film but it was still a bit of excitement to see them in action!

‘Into the mist’

Taken on Rialto Beach, Olympic NP, Washington State

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‘Is anyone listening?’

Taken in Shoreditch, London

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‘In step’

Taken in the Jardin Tino Rossi, Paris

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‘The conversation’

Taken in Tallinn, Estonia

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‘No regrets’

Taken in Hanoi, Vietnam

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‘Woman of mystery’

Taken in Santiago, Chile

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‘After the show was over’

Taken in Soho, London

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‘An unexpected visitor’

Taken in Hoi An, Vietnam

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‘Separation’

Taken in Hoi An, Vietnam

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‘It started with a kiss’

Taken in Tallinn, Estonia

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‘The minstrel’

Taken in Greenwich Village, NYC

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‘The tailor’

Taken in Bandipur, Nepal

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‘I was a walker’

Taken in Albuquerque, New Mexico