A Thousand Words?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, can a thousand words describe a picture?

In our class, we we're discussing about telling the story behind the picture. This is exciting since we would be writing the story to enhance the emotion evoked by our picture. Something comparable to writing a prose, weaving words to accompany the image to help paint the imagery and vividness in the minds of the viewer.

I posted several pictures I took in Singapore, choosing from the set taken when I was outside during the night. I picked five from the set that I thought will show how Singapore looks like during the night. While composition-wise they were sort of okay, the story were not good enough. Apparently, I wasn't able to exude the emotion I felt nor the reason behind why I took those shots. The story lacks personal connection, as one of my classmates pointed out.

Gardens by the Bay (Singapore, 2012)

Another classmate asked if I took the architectural shots for the sake of appreciation or for something else. That made an impact, prompting me to question my shots more. I stared at the screen while thinking for an answer, and I can't think of anything. Perhaps I was just being appreciative of the architectural design of the structure.

I then started to check my library of photographs and I noticed some pattern in the way I take pictures. Upon closer inspection, I realized that I prefer to take pictures of inanimate objects: buildings, scenery and food. I'm estimating about three-quarters of my shots belong to this category. I seldom take pictures of people, especially of strangers even if it's a candid shot.

The Bull at Gardens By The Bay (Singapore 2012)

Why is it the case? Maybe it's because I don't like my picture being taken by strangers, so I try to avoid doing the same. Another reason is that I could have been playing around the limitations of the cameraphone, I can't take good pictures of anything that moves. However, I can't find any evidence for this reason, maybe the pictures that led me to believe this were deleted long ago and I never checked if this is still the case when I use a different cameraphone. I could have missed taking a lot of shots with great stories just because of this mentality.

Good composition and good exposure is only half of what makes a great picture. The other half is the story behind the photograph. It is not only the elements you are trying to frame but also the emotion associated with it. Without a story, a photograph is just a snapshot of a moment that passed.

With this realization at hand, I can now concentrate on how to improve my skill of  capturing not just good photographs but great photographs.

Bubble Man of Orchard Road (Singapore, 2012)

So, how about you? What's your story?