We all know the classic saying, “pictures are worth a thousand words”. But have you ever thought about how true the saying actually is?
Taking pictures on my digital camera has become one of my favorite hobbies recently. The pictures on my camera range from beautiful scenery to pictures of my friends and family. My digital camera contains basically my entire life’s memories so far.
I want to connect the concept of digital photos to visual storytelling. Defined by Andrew Losowsky, the “essence of visual storytelling is {the} combination of emotional reaction and narrative information,” by using the “colors, typography, style, balance, format of an image “{that} will generate that first instinctive smile or frown” (Losowsky, 4). In other words, various elements of an image including the colors or what is happening in it should tell the audience everything they need to know. There shouldn’t be any extra explanation needed, and these visual projects should be clear enough for anyone to appreciate and understand.
In an article by Mike Montalto from nonprofit Amplifi, he mentions that one of the best methods of visual storytelling is authenticity: keeping things real. If you ask me, digital pictures can be some of the most authentic since there aren’t any filters or fancy equipment enhancing the images, just the auto or manual mode and a flash.
To prove my point that digital camera pictures tell some of the best stories, I will show some of my favorite digital pictures from my three-month trip to Los Angeles!
This was the first picture I took on the trip! Excited to see just about everything, I took lots of pictures like any tourist would. Way in the back is the Hollywood sign, in the giant grassy mountains. Almost covered with billboards, you can see a busy street and a tall building, that one being the Hollywood United Methodist Church. While the picture is pretty grainy and doesn’t have the best quality, the Hollywood sign right in the center gives a glimpse of excitedness from an exploring tourist.
It’s been one week! Getting a bit more used to the busyness of Los Angeles, my mom visited for the weekend. With the lit-up ferris wheel and restaurant in the background, any California native would recognize the Santa Monica Pier. Almost pitch black in the sky, the dock was pretty windy and made things a lot colder, as you can tell from my hoodie.
In this image, you see four friends, all smiling with one another, having a good time. The small sign in the back says TCL Chinese Theater, one of Hollywood’s most popular places. The hand and feet prints in the back mark some of Hollywood’s most significant figures, and you can see some intrigued people in the background of the image. As it was getting later, the friends are dressed pretty warm for a cold night ahead.
An article by Erica Santiago explains various elements of visual storytelling, with one of them being emotion, where “your visual story must make your audience feel something that generates an emotional connection”. I feel that this image may make an audience feel warm because of the lighting, and also how loud the picture comes across. With so many people in the background, you can tell that the environment is pretty loud and many tourists are around.
If you couldn’t tell from the face makeup, this was Halloween! We took this on the balcony of our hotel, right in the middle of downtown LA. My lazy attempt at recreating SAW and Dylan’s football costume take over the image, and our poses fill the image with silliness. The high buildings and busy street in the background also make the image a bit loud, as there’s a lot going on around us.
If you couldn’t tell by the lanterns and lights hanging across the alleyway, I was able to make it to Little Tokyo! One of my favorite spots I visited, the small district was lively and pretty active at night. I had to dress pretty warm for the nighttime in my cardigan, and the trees helped in the aesthetic of my photo. This photo doesn’t show off as loud as the other ones, as Little Tokyo was a pretty calm spot.
If there was one image I had to choose that seemed the loudest out of all of my pictures, it would definitely be this one. To me, anything Disney-related image just screams overcrowded, lots of walking, and lots of people – which is exactly what happened. The many strollers, the matching couple Disney shirts, the backpacks on everyone’s backs; this image captures the Disney experience pretty well. The image itself I feel portrays a perfect day, since the sky is scarily clear and the Disney castle is right in front of me. This day was definitely perfect, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
This image was the last picture I took in California. Still in Disney, the image shows a giant rock behind me, that being one of Disney’s Star Wars rides. I think the Goofy hat signifies a good time spent at Disney, and the busy background shows a loud place. You can probably tell I was a bit tired in this moment since the last three months were so much fun. With my vintage Mickey Mouse t-shirt and my Cali zip-up hoodie, I was pretty much ready to go home after this picture was taken.
All in all, these images represented one of my favorite memories in life so far. Through visual storytelling, these images can tell newer audiences exactly what’s happening and help them feel what’s going on. The element of authenticity is crucial in any kind of visual storytelling, whether it be images, video, etc. Digital pictures can be perfect for capturing any emotion or occasion, and I don’t plan on putting my camera down any time soon.
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