Kevin Pointer
Recently I hosted some family from California on an interesting east coast journey. Picture this: I and my family variously witnessed the burial of our patriarch, a Brigadier General, at Arlington National Cemetery. We also went on a quick family trip to Great Falls, South Carolina, where the clay is red and the dim streetlights are few. Flip a switch to brightly lit NYC and the iconic basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, to round out this eclectic “portrait” of a trip for some of the family.
Among the California crew was Matt, my cousin who is an actor (think Will Smith movies), master of the gig economy, and last but not least, a professional photographer. Within the context of visual storytelling herein I explored 7 portraits of a different kind – Matt’s. His photographs. My interpretations.
I saw this photographic exploration as a challenging observational task that also involved my imagination. I also saw this exploration as an opportunity to look, to study, and to glean from some family photographs what may be obvious elements as well as what may not be so obvious.
In terms of visual storytelling note a few things. First, at the macro level, I intentionally ordered all of the photographs in a way as to roughly tell an overall story or at least have some kind of developmental logic. A story, like the book Essentials of Visual Communication suggests, should more or less have a beginning, middle, and end. For example for the beginning of my story, I intentionally start with a shot identifying the photographer who created all of the story’s images, Matt himself.
I then, with the logic of birth and ongoing development, proceed to a photograph of Matt’s greatest creation, his daughter, Alina. From this child’s photo I naturally yet contrastively attempt to surprise you a bit by suddenly presenting a full-grown woman whose athleticism and artistry is on full display. From there I feature other adult portraits ending with a portrait of a couple gazing, perhaps into the stars.
Second, and borrowing from the techniques of dramatic storytelling identified by the text Essentials of Visual Communication such as variation and turning points I also attempted to select, order, and contrast the overall photographic storyline in a way that might evoke some element of wonder and tension.
Third, note at the micro-level, that I selected and examined each photograph for the individual story and thoughts that it might evoke. Under each of the 7 pictures, I briefly discuss the “story within the story”, if you will.
In summary, good family photographic portraits really go beyond mere records of the faces and features of our loved ones. They can suggest the innermost human thoughts and emotions that make up our daily lives.
Good portrait photography, if done well, can also inspire emotional engagement wherever that emotion engagement may fall on our spectrum of feelings. Such frames can transport us into another state of being, however fleeting. “Yes” – that’s what images can do. Thanks cousin Matt for these!
References
Bergström, B. (2009, March 4). Essentials of Visual Communication. Bookdepository.com. https://www.bookdepository.com/Essentials-Visual-Communication-Bo-Bergstr%C3%B6m/9781856695770.
Lien, J. (2020, December 8). Worth 1,000 Words: The 4 Principles of Visual Storytelling. amplifi. https://amplifinp.com/blog/4-principles-visual-storytelling/.
Martinique, E. (n.d.). Portraiture in Photography – An Everlasting Classic. Widewalls. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/portraiture-photography.
3 thoughts on “7 for 7 and Family — The Art of the Photographic Portrait”
Kevin,
Your blog post is beautifully written. Your cousin is a phenomenal photographer and knows how to tell stories through his images. You’re lucky you have such amazing photos of your family that you can examine for this assignment. I think that number 1 and 6 are the best at conveying stories. Before even reading your explanations, I got the same story even though I have never met these people before.
The first image is definitely one of introspection and finding yourself. The isolation of the desert shows the internal struggle that Matt has. I think his clothing is also a stark contrast to the desert where it looks like he could be stranded. The footprints make it look like Matt could have been pacing, thinking hard about his road ahead.
You incorporated the readings and viewings fabulously and gave a story that anyone could understand, even though most of us don’t know these people. I think to improve, you may want to choose images that are not connected. Images that can tell a story standing alone may be more impactful. Great job!
I loved this post. One of the aspects I loved about your blog was the stories you chose to convey. The photography is brilliant, and the composition is excellent. I am also curious where one finds a desert to stage photo portraits on.
Those portraits really made me think of the origins of those stories, and lead me to create an imaginative explanation of what’s happening. Excellent analysis!
Hi Kevin,
Examining your cousin’s photos is a fun and creative way to look for visual storytelling. I like how you decided to structure your post, to tell a complete story as a variety of different photos.
Each of the photos capture of the moment in a prominent way, and have a lot of emotion. In terms of visual storytelling, I found the most effective to be the photo of Alex. I agree that the photo brings in the feeling of introspection and reflection, especially with the use of color and the placement of the subject.
I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Comments are closed.