Relationship In Photography: Telling Better Stories In Our Images
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the idea of relationship in photography and how creating interesting relationships in our images helps us not only tell better stories, but create better images.
In acting class, the teacher will often ask the actor, “What is your relationship to the other character in this scene?” This is of course an important question, as it forces the actor to consider how he is interacting with the other character. If the character is in a scene talking to his sister as though he is in love with her, that certainly affects the story being portrayed to the audience, now doesn’t it?
Similarly, I have found this idea of relationship to be important to photography; It is often the difference between an image that is merely pretty and one that is truly compelling. In my opinion, anyone can learn to take a photo that is aesthetically pleasing, but it takes good storytelling skills to create images that are engaging to its viewers.
But how then does one convey a story in a medium without dialogue or motion and with only a single shot to do it? One of the ways we imply story through photos is through the use of relationship. Here are a couple of the main ways we can create relationship in our photos:
Relationship to Others:
This might be the most obvious one to come to mind. Putting more than one person in frame interacting with one each other immediately implies some sort of a relationship, and thus makes the image much more interesting. We see this often in couple portraits or in documentary images where people are interacting with each other on the street. A few less obvious uses of this type of relationship, could be a relationship to animals, or in the case of a self-portrait artist like me, relationship to multiple selves repeated within the shot. In my shot, Duality, the relationship of these two selves implies a story about the different sides of my personality:
Relationship to Surroundings:
Another relationship that helps tell an interesting story is the relationship of a person to his or her environment. It can be as simple as a wall that they are touching, or as expansive as a field. What’s most important here is how they relate to their surroundings and what emotion or story it conveys. In the case of my image, An Unforeseen Calling, it is not the sun shining through the clouds, nor the wind tossing the character’s hair that makes it interesting (although they do add to the aesthetic quality of the image). It is the relationship of the character to the sun which seemingly beckons her forward that makes this image interesting in terms of story.
Relationship to an Object/Prop:
The relationship of a person to a prop- be it a book, a mask, a television, or even something less obvious like a piece of fabric used in a creative way can be a great way to tell a story and make an image more compelling. This inspires a lot of creativity, because a person can have any number of different relationships to a single inanimate object- there are literally countless ways to interact with them.
In this recent image, The Death of Innocence, the characters relationship to the mummy implies a plethora of possible backstories stories to the viewer:
Or in the case of the image IF, my relationship to a simple thread creates a conflict for the because I am trapped by it.
Relationship to Self:
This type of relationship is a bit more abstract but it is used often in emotive portraits, especially self-portraits. The relationship here is more inward, and by the gesture or expression of the person we are drawn into the internal emotions being conveyed. In the image ‘My Passion Has No Voice,’ we see a women filled with regret and longing, and we are pulled into her inner conflict.
And last but not least…
Relationship to Camera:
This is a relationship I often see used in more straight-forward portraits. The person looks directly at the camera which could be boring and lifeless, and yet in certain photographs it is quite compelling because the expression implies a relationship to the camera. I would put the Mona Lisa in this category as well as a lot of great documentary photography I’ve seen, especially this very famous one.
All these kinds of relationships help tell a better photographic story and make our images more captivating to the viewer. For those not interested in photographing people or telling stories, this idea might not apply, but I have found it to be very useful in my own photography, especially in self-portraits, where there is usually no one else to interact with, so I am forced come up with new and exciting types of relationships to convey. So next time you’re wondering how to make a more interesting photo, consider what type of relationship within the photo you are trying to convey. I find very often the images that don’t work for me conceptually are ones where I haven’t established a good relationship to anything in the photo. Props and people are a boundless source of inspiration for relationship because there are so many ways you can interact with them. If you are lacking inspiration, you can always try changing your relationship in the photo or using a different kind of relationship, as described above.
Hope this article was helpful, and happy shooting!
xo
The American Dollhouse Series!
The American Dollhouse is a series of photographs and poems centered around a masked family co-inhabiting a miniature dollhouse. The concept of shooting in a dollhouse originally arose as an alternative to creating expensive large-scale sets. I came to the realization that by shooting in miniature, I could capture the full expanse of a room without having access to the costly resources. Furthermore, I realized that the dollhouse could function as a metaphor, providing the perfect stage for the examination of the larger world it so innocently tries to emulate. The dollhouse, which has become an iconic childhood toy, is for many, the earliest indoctrination of the ‘American dream’, conveying to children at an impressionable age an idealistic representation of what the nuclear family should look like. While the dollhouse attempts to be sweet and inviting, in its gross oversimplification of reality, it renders itself artificial and somewhat hollow, as if to suggest, perhaps, that there were more to the story than what is being told.
In this series, I seek to uncover these untold stories by exploring the darker facets of the dollhouse, and furthermore, the American dream. Beneath the façade of perfection, we witness the inhabitants struggling with their own silent pains, the unspoken truths that exist beneath the external masks they all wear. Each character’s profound desire to break free of the house, of each other, is juxtaposed against the unbreakable bonds of bloodline, obligation, ritual and societal expectation. They are bound to this house, to each other, for better or worse. The very structure designed to safeguard them from the outside world is in essence their oppressor, a physical manifestation of the constrictions of the world around them. Within these confines, their inner dramas unfold, the incessant conflict between appearance and reality, duty and desire, public versus private takes place. The American Dollhouse is a personification of the American dream, wrought with its intrinsic flaws and sinister connotations.
From Flickr to Gallery; My First Step Into the Art World
As many of you know, last night was my first gallery show at Gallery Godo, and essentially my first step transitioning from the online art world into the real one. I also experienced my first portfolio review earlier that afternoon, by the curator of a local gallery, who gave many insights into the art world that I had never before considered. It was a thought-provoking day, one which I thought warranted my first blog essay, as I received a lot of information in a short amount of time.
I discovered yesterday that one of the galleries I’ve been interested in welcomed walk-in’s, so I decided to drop by in hopes of getting some much-needed perspective on my portfolio. I had printed off a number of my favorite and most popular flickr images beforehand for such occasions, but felt I needed some guidance as to what I should include in more formal gallery submissions. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of time the curator spent with me on my portfolio, giving me nuanced advice about which images I should display and how, even going so far as to instruct me how to submit my materials, how I should format my website, and who I should speak to in regards to upcoming shows.
Straight off the bat, the curator expressed surprise that I was bringing in photographs for review, as he typically only displays and critiques paintings. As I’ve coming to realize, photography is a relatively new phenomenon in the fine-art world, and to date, most galleries display almost exclusively the work of painters. It’s actually a lovely distinguishing factor, as this seems to be a point of intrigue to be working in such a new medium, especially in the area of self-portraits. While I’ve come to regard self-portraits as a ‘norm’ after being on flickr for so long, it is a very new and unusual concept to the majority of people I’ve come across in the real world. One of the first questions the curator asked was how I created my shots, which I explained was with a remote, tripod and heavy Photoshop manipulation.
Upon reviewing my work, I was very surprised that he didn’t discourage me working in the realm of self-portraits. In fact, he encouraged me to continue using myself as my own model, as he felt I had very specific concepts I was trying to convey and it was best if I created them myself. He cautioned me though, to be specific about which self-portraits I presented in my portfolio as ‘fine-art’. He indicated that the ones which involved me in the story-line in more of an anonymous way, were more along the lines of what he considered fine-art. The images where you can clearly distinguish my identity were less so. He went on to explain that often times collectors are turned off to the idea of the artist representing themselves repeatedly in their own work, as it can seem to be a stroke of ego. He encouraged me to create a clear collection of works to present that were more about the story, and less about me- to make it a bit of a surprise after the fact that I use myself in all the images.
He also added that the fact that I’m a performer should be kept slightly hidden from gallerists viewing my work. He said it would seem I am not a serious gallery-minded artist if I am pursuing both professions simultaneously and would only further the idea that my work is an act of ego. This was an interesting insight, as I have found people tend to be confused by the notion of me being two things at once. While I value both professions equally, it seems I am often limited to one or the other in the minds of those regarding my work.
He also indicated that I needed to be careful about the digital aspects of some images, that the digital elements not be too cold or harsh against my soft processing as it was a conflicting style. He felt some of my work fell into more of a editorial style than fine-art, and that I needed to be careful to make the distinction between the two.
After the meeting was over, I headed over to Godo to experience my first ever gallery opening. It was so exciting to meet some of the wonderful people that have been following my work, as well as spend time with my new friends. It’s a very unusual experience to have people showing up to an event just to see my work mounted on a wall. It’s actually a nice change, because typically my ‘opening nights’ involve a much higher degree of stress in having to perform. I had this weird impulse the whole time people were standing around to somehow entertain them with some theatrics. I was really grateful that I decided to mount the poems beside the images for people to look at and read. It seemed to add a touch of interest to the wall and people were forced to stand and linger a bit longer around the images without me having to sing and dance. 
It was an unusual experience to interact with the people looking at my work. My friend Brooke encouraged me to approach people standing at the wall and introduce myself, which some people seemed to appreciate, and others found uncomfortable. It was somewhat nerve-wracking to watch people standing around examining the pieces so closely, bending in close to observe the tiny details and discussing with each other the meaning behind them.
I found myself a little lost for words when the owner asked me to explain my work to a prospective buyer. It was difficult to articulate in words the overall intent of my work, particularly because the set of images I was displaying were pulled from my portfolio spanning the past year. While I have always had the intent of eventually showing my images in a gallery setting, I never created the images with that specific mindset, so they weren’t a part of a common collection. Save for the fact that they are all self-portraits and mostly based on poems, they don’t, for me, share a lot of common ground. The owner approached me afterward and said I needed to get better at explaining my work to people, and that it was important I be more articulate. I was a little frustrated with myself, as every piece I make is very thought through and carefully planned, often taking several months to come to fruition. Something to work on I guess- I am better at expressing these things in writing.
More than anything, the night was a wonderful socializing and networking event, with all kinds of different and interesting people exchanging business cards and eager to collaborate. I love the L.A. art scene thus far merely for the fact all the people who frequent it seem to be highly creative individuals with differing perspectives on the work.
It was a wonderful experience to have my images elevated from my computer screen into a context which demands more serious attention. This introduction into the fine-art world has made me more inspired than ever to go out and create thought-provoking images to expand upon my current body of work.