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
‘Is anyone listening?’
Taken in Shoreditch, London
‘In step’
Taken in the Jardin Tino Rossi, Paris
‘The conversation’
Taken in Tallinn, Estonia
‘No regrets’
Taken in Hanoi, Vietnam
‘Woman of mystery’
Taken in Santiago, Chile
‘After the show was over’
Taken in Soho, London
‘An unexpected visitor’
Taken in Hoi An, Vietnam
‘Separation’
Taken in Hoi An, Vietnam
‘It started with a kiss’
Taken in Tallinn, Estonia
‘The minstrel’
Taken in Greenwich Village, NYC
‘The tailor’
Taken in Bandipur, Nepal
‘I was a walker’
Taken in Albuquerque, New Mexico
43 Comments
JohnRH
Great great photos and responses. I love the film noir of the black and whites, and the people passing the drummer, perhaps marching to a different beat. These days, what’s not to like about colored hair! It brightens!!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much John 😊 I’m always drawn to brightly coloured hair – if only I felt young enough to choose such a bright colour for myself!
Prior...
Sarah – this is a masterful post and each photo did tell a story – and then your captions added to my take on the ohotos – and I love in-step the most
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Yvette 😊 I’m really glad you enjoyed my ‘stories’ and appreciate the feedback!
Leanne Cole
So many stories here Sarah, they are great images for the challenge, very cinematic.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Leanne, I’m pleased you like them 😊
harrienijland
Fine series!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂
Marie
A wonderful way to look at photos. I wonder if we all subconsciously give images a title when we press the shutter. And if we see the same things. For “In Step” I see a hesitancy and would call it “First Dance”.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marie – that’s an interesting question 🤔 I see what you mean about those dancers from this still image but if you’d watched them in action as I did you would have seen they were completely in tune with each other and lost in the moment.
Annie Berger
Sweet shot of the dancing couple in Paris and the old woman with the very lined face. What a life is told in those wrinkles.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie – I’m sure that old woman would have had many stories to tell …
Egídio
Sarah, what a great take and photos you selected for the challenge. I especially liked the titles you picked and the monochrome edits for some photos. That created a noir mood to the “movies.” My favorite title: It Started with a Kiss.
On another note, I noticed that the Reader is not showing the comment box for your posts. I was having the same problem, but I think it might be fixed. I don’t know. I was also not seeing any comments about my posts in the Reader. I fixed that by “reconnecting” the Jetpack account to my site. I wonder if you’re experiencing the same issue.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Egidio, both for the lovely comments about this post and for the helpful suggestion 😊 It sounds like we’ve been experiencing the same issues so I’ll definitely try your suggested fix!
Egídio
I just noticed that the comment box reappeared in my posts in the Reader. I hope that was caused by the fix of reconnecting my Jetpack account. Fingers crossed it works for you.
Sarah Wilkie
I just tried and this comment from you did appear in Reader so that may indeed mean it’s fixed 🙂
Egídio
Let’s hope so. Thanks for the feedback.
I. J. Khanewala
All wonderful ideas for stories. Great response
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much, I’m glad you like them 🙂
photobyjohnbo
Your candid photos all tell stories, it’s just that some, as you noted, are more powerful than others. People are going about their daily routine without realizing they could be part of someone’s photo story. I always enjoy your photos of people living their lives.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you John, I’m glad you enjoyed these glimpses into these people’s lives 🙂
Sofia Alves
I love your captions and the photos you paired them with. Maybe I’m strange but a film can still hold my interest if it’s just beautiful….! Your photos hold my interest too, especially The Tailor. Awesome shot!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sofia, this was a fun challenge to work on 🙂 I do know what you mean about a film that looks beautiful, but ultimately I want a story to get lost in too I think.
Sue
Love your film title captions with your selected images, Sarah! You have always show us some great people shots
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Sue 😊
margaret21
I obviously recognised your header image even before I’d properly opened the post! You got a great set of head shots there! This was a great idea for a post. When you have the films complete, I think I’ll head along to I Was a Walker and The Conversation first …
Sarah Wilkie
I knew you would recognise them of course 😀 The guy in ‘I was a walker’ really did have a story to tell as he’d participated in so many senior Olympic walking races and was keen to share his experiences. We only went in for ice cream but we were there some time listening to him!
margaret21
Excellent! The documentary appears next?
Sarah Wilkie
No, this was definitely a ‘short’ – I’ll stick to travel themes for my documentaries 😆
margaret21
😏
Terri Webster Schrandt
Hi Sarah, I love the journey your stills took us on. Beautifully done!
I want to make you aware that while I can comment on your posts on my computer (I do so through the notifications portal), I cannot comment via Jetpack app. If I try to read I can, but it shows your comments are closed. Also, your posts show up as “Someone posted on Travel with Me…” Like I shared with Egidio, you might want to check your settings. Who knows what’s going on with WordPress ?
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Terri 🙂 I think there must be a WP glitch at the moment as I haven’t changed my settings but you’re the second person to say you have to go to the website to comment. It may be connected to the fact that I’m not getting notifications of comments on my posts on Jetpack although I am getting the emails, and I do get Jetpack notifications when people reply to my comments on their posts. I’ll look at my settings again though, just in case.
Terri Webster Schrandt
I’m glad you are checking on things. I would hate to miss your posts!
Anne Sandler
Great take on the challenge. I really liked your “No Regrets” image. Well done!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne, I’m happy you like my take on this 🙂
Monkey's Tale
I can imagine a story for each. My favourites are the little old women – mystery and surprised. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie – they are among my favourites too I think 🙂
Tina SchellTina Schell
Some beautiful images this week Sarah, I can see why you wanted an opportunity to showcase people! I especially liked your B&Ws. I found myself drawn to the woman in Vietnam. I must admit your caption to me didn’t fit the image. To me it seems the woman is so sad and the photograph behind her speaks to some terrible loss. But that’s the beauty of a great image, it causes the viewer to think about the subject in a deeper way. Anyway, apologies for my tangent, your post is especially wonderful this week.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Tina 😊 On the whole I prefer candid shots in B&W but the ones here in colour seemed to work best left as such. I’m curious which of the two Vietnamese women you’re talking about, but I’m guessing the Hanoi one? If so, the ‘photograph’ behind her is an advert for cigarettes, as I photographed her in her small shop. And her eyes were screwed up against the sun. I see her as a woman who’s lived through a lot but in her simple way has had a good life raising a family, running this little shop, and now she can appreciate the small things in life like this sunny day.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Well done, you have some wonderful images here. The conversation and lady of mystery <3
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ritva 🙂 I confess both I and my husband were so intrigued by that ‘lady of mystery’ that we spent most of our coffee break at a neighbouring café table trying to get surreptitious photos of her!
Anonymous
Beautiful collection. I love how you capture people, Sarah. For this blog, I have to open it on the web in order to comment, whereas your other post allows me to comment in notifications.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback though I wish I knew who you are 😀 And I have no idea why one post would allow you to comment in Reader while another doesn’t, as I approach all of them in exactly the same way. But my posts are designed ideally to be read on the website so I’m glad you were able to do that!