COnVEY ThE SToRy
Learn how to present your narrative in innovative ways
The photographer is dead, long live the photographer. Of recent, photo theorists have been exploring the death of the traditional photographer. With the proliferation of internet access and smart phones, everyone has become a photographer. As censors and processors improve, and our visual literacy through mediatisation becomes commonplace, learning the craft of photography is ultimately expedited and democratised. As a result, documentary photography is going through a renaissance. Never has there been so many well-produced projects. With the bar raised the question becomes, how does one stand out?
Photo-theorist Joan Fontcuberta has written extensively on the idea of post-photography, where the idea of photography as a 20th century operation and practice has been radically altered. As Fontcuberta explores in Pandora’s Camera, “We may well be witnessing the death of photography, or, to pursue the biblical analogy, it might be more fitting to speak of its crucifixion. Because here, too, we are dealing with a painful but essential prerequisite of a resurrection.”
The idea of photography is fundamentally different today than it was 100 or even 20 years ago. As Matt Black, creator of the Geography of Poverty project, writes, “We are not photographers – we are no longer technicians with a camera – but we are authors. Our role is to tell stories by not merely illustrating but creating”. Black’s point is similar to Fontcuberta’s idea that photography has changed, and we should no longer think of our activities as simply producing photographic content, but as storytellers. Adopting this epistemological position into your practice will help your project stand out.
Photography is a key component for effective storytelling, but it’s not the only option. There are numerous ways to achieve this. Look to include found imagery, archived images, video and audio clips, emerging recording/representational technology (VR, 360 cameras, etc.), sculpture and installation. Collect objects, shoot them, modify them, re-contextualise them. A number of new projects mix these components in interesting and effective ways, often resulting in dynamic book publications and exhibitions.