Circle Narrative Photography

Circle Narrative Photography

Narrative photography has always been one of my favorite styles of photography. It’s a way for photographers to tell the observer a story without words. Duane Michals is an American photographer and the king of circle narrative. He was the first photographer to stage events and to place himself in his own work. He focuses on emotion and darkness throughout his work. Michael’s work is quite different from what you would expect a circular narrative to be like. He uses black and white to emphasize the emotion in the pictures. To see more of his work you can visit this: link 🙂

 

Circle narratives are also referred to as “storytelling,” this is a way for photographers to tell a story without words, only using emotion and the power of the camera lens. When telling a story you use your voice and different tones to emphasize events. But in photography story’s you use color and facial expressions to emphasize emotion. Some key things my photography teacher use to tell our class when doing a circle narrative you need to focus on 6 key things. #1 “plan, plan, and plan some more”  = take time to figure out what you want you narrative to be about and how you’re going to connect your photos. #2 “single shot or a series of photos” = not all photography narratives are multiple shots, you can tell a story using on a strong photo or you can use a series of photos to portray a longer more emotional path through your story. Step three goes hand and hand with step 2. #3 “take strong images” = the images should have some kind of emotional impact on your viewer and should engage your viewer’s attention for a longer period of time. This is usually the most difficult part of narrative photography. #4 “trust your instinct” = if you are hesitant to take a picture of a certain place or event take it anyway! If you don’t you will never know if it was going to be your best work so always trust your instinct! take the picture. #5 “be original” = the best way to be original is to explore and find your own inspiration, there are so many things in the world that haven’t been discovered or been caught on camera. Every photographer has there own style they can be similar to other photographers but in some way, they are all original. Last #6 “don’t be afraid to fail” = not every photo is going to be a good one. With photography, it’s about practice and developing skills over time just like anything else.

For more in-depth information on each step visit this: link 🙂

 

This is an example of my own circle narrative. In each photo, there is a new addition of color. I used bright colors to give the theme a happy and cheerful tone, I also used multiple different colored flowers to bring the photos to life and make then pop. eventually, the flowers take over the models entire face barring her in a field of color and beauty.

 

Now that you have learned about circle narratives and storytelling through photography try it out yourself!