Photography Breadth Assignment #5

Visual or Circular Narrative Photo Series

Focus: Rhythm, repetition, emphasis, visual perception

Goal: Take a series of photographs illustrating a narrative. The photographs should then be put together into one composite image as in the examples below. The series should take place in one setting with something happening or changing. Begin by coming up with ideas for the last image and working backward in your planning/ storyboarding.

What is a Circular Narrative:

It encourages students to develop and research notions of visual language, meaning, and narrative. It follows that the contemporary photographer requires an appreciation and understanding of the importance of visual narrative, whether this pervades within a single image or as part of a series of images, which collectively form a ‘greater’ whole.

The photographer, therefore, needs to be reflective and conscious of the potential interpretation of their work and its associated latent meaning/significance as this relates to its proposed purpose, intent, meaning, reading and ultimate reception via an intended audience or client. The photographer must put the highest importance of visual perception, representation, and interpretation.

Visual Narrative

A Narrative in any visual media is a story or a sequence of events, various amount of photographers are communicating this visual narrative through their work. The thought of communication to the audience is a huge aspect of photography, why you are taking the photo and what you are trying to say. To give a Narrative to your images you are trying to connect with the audience by telling a story in one frame.

Visual Narrative is the story that this visual, is trying to show without giving everything away. When a photographer decides to light a subject in a certain way or frame their images differently they are making pre-visualisation of how their work will be seen, which makes that work excel. Whenever any artist is thinking about their audience/viewer before they take the shot, or paint their picture, I feel as though they must go through a certain thought process with themselves that just run’s through an imaginary story board of their original ideas of this work.

Duane Michals

Duane Michals really is a huge influence in terms of displaying the visual narrative. Even though you are not expected to produce work of this standard if this caliber of work does not get any aspiring photographer excited and inspired then I don’t know many other photographers who can display this type of intricate thought process.

Process:

1. Begin by researching the art of Duane Micheals and take notes in your sketchbook about his process, his subject matter, and his technique, and why he does what he does.

2. Begin exploring possible subject matter for your Circular Narrative. Explore the concept of the visual narratives and examine how photography/the photographic image(s) can be utilized and controlled in order to relate visually descriptive and compelling narratives.

3. Once you have decided on what your narrative will be, take much more photos than what you need so that you can successfully share your narrative while having visually appealing and compositionally strong images.