Photography and narrative

What is narrative photography?

Through my own research i have come to the conclusion that most people if not everyone's perception of narrative photography is that it is a form of photography that is all about being able to capture a story within the media of photography.

Its about being able to capture an event on record, in a photo, whether it is candid or not. Almost like a picture book. You should be able to know exactly what was going on in the image just by looking at it. Without the aid of a story or explanation. 

New project

The newest project as you can probably tell is all about photography and narratives within that. This project is split into 2 parts. 

Part 1:-  This first part is all about capturing a story in only one image and there is no guidelines and also no boundaries with what this story is going to be about. The only thing that is said is that is needs to hold within it an engaging narrative. At the end of the project we should be prepared to present this single image in front of a group. We also need to be able to talk about the image in front of this group. 

Part 2:  The second part of the project is based on capturing the North East of England. But this time it can be in a series of images. The subject matter can be anything that we chose to do as long as it is your own piece of storytelling relating to aspects of life within the North East. Again like the first part of the project we are asked to be prepared to present and talking about our work to a group. But this time the work will be presented in a digital slideshow. 

Initial thoughts

PART ONE:     My initial thoughts on the first project aren't to great, normally straight after getting the brief i can almost instantly think of where i would like to go with the project but i didn't have that kind of experience with part one of this project.  

Nevertheless I am pretty sure if i do some further research into narrative photographers etc i will find my own direction to go in.

PART TWO:     My experience with this part of the project was different. As soon as i read this part of the brief i had floods and floods of ideas. This was not a shock to me as i am a northern lass. I was born in North Yorkshire and i have lived there all my life. 

Despite all of the ideas i had none of them really fitted in with the brief saying 'it should be your own bit of storytelling relating to an aspect of life within the North East'. It actually took me ages days and days to actually get a real idea and i felt like kicking myself after discovering this idea. 

As it has to be your own bit of storytelling i definitely wanted it to be something close to home. Something that was not just general of the North East but something i have experienced in my life that to me sums up the North East. This for me was the industrial side of the North East. As most know a lot of the North East is infact industrial and has been for a long time. Some of the industrial work we have still and have had in the past are: glass making, coal mining, steel and iron work and ship building. 

These forms of hands on labor are what i personally have experienced in my life and to me would describe in my own story aspects of life in the north east, this is because my dad has working at Allerton Steel in my home town since the age of 15 he is now 44 years old. When he started out working at Allerton Steel he initially worked on the 'shop floor' cutting and welding steel that would in the end be used for things like bridges all over the country. Through the years he has been promoted and got higher and higher in the company and is now working in the main office of the company opposed to welding steel. 

This is a good thing because my dad knows the company and the jobs inside and out. 

But i digress. 

As i have seen my dad do this job since i can physically remember life i have always known the kind of work he does and having gone to work with him on occasion etc it did become a part of my life growing up and for me the fact the industrial side of of the north east is so well known and the fact that my own dad works in a company and always has done that is industrial it was a perfect fit for this project because i am infact telling my own story about my experience of life in the north east.

Now the question is how to capture this. I have sent my dad an email proposing that i go to his work with him for 3 days and over the course of these three days i will try to capture the essence of not only his job but the welding and the cutting etc this way i could capture all aspects of my dad career dating back to when he first started thus actually capturing real life from within the north east. I just need to now get approval from the owner or the company and if he says yes that i think i could capture some really cool photos! 

Let me tell you i am so excited about the second part of this project!