VISUAL STORYTELLING
WHAT I LEARNED AS A VISUAL STORYTELLER
In this day and age, it’s possible to say that the world is one big moving picture. We can capture any moment, edit it, and preserve an infinite amount of images all in the palm of our hands with a smartphone. One challenge to having access to all those pictures is this: how will you convey a story with the images you’ve captured?
I wasn’t sure about the visual aspect of this class at first, and honestly, I was happy to find that we would be integrating visual imagery to enhance our storytelling. This class has been a tremendous stepping stone in my communication journey, and although there were some crucial project deadlines, this class tested my mettle to see it through to the end of the semester. What I’ve learned is that the visual story can make an impact without a narrative, but when combined with the right energy, it can produce an engaging story enhanced by vivid imagery. Along the way, I learned how to look at imagery through an intrinsic lens to be a complement to an engaging narrative.
IMAGE 1 - THE MURAL
This mural along the ATL Beltline immediately connected with me. The vibrancy of the colors and the content transform what would just be another side wall of a building into a tapestry of color. There are quite of few murals all along the Beltline, but this one is truly one of my favorites.
IMAGE 2 - THE STICKERS
I’m sure it’s not the most intense piece of imagery, but we can’t tell our stories digitally without a trusty laptop. I’ve been a Mac user since about 2002, and this is probably my 6th Apple laptop. I will never understand how people can use anything else to compute with but every one of my laptops has been covered in sticker media. This personalization is a process, just like taking an intentional photo. The stickers tell the story.
IMAGE 3 - THE HEART
I couldn't pass up the chance to capture the heart of roses at Halidom in East Atlanta. I snapped the shot and waited till later that day to edit the picture and adjust it to my liking. The beauty of technology nowadays is this: not only can you edit pictures on your phone, you can also edit them to convey whatever mood you’re in and give the picture an edited relevance. The display was already beautiful to look at naturally, but after adjusting the exposure, hue, and contrast, I was able to make this photo pop out with more color, thus emphasizing my need to give vibrancy to the moment.
CHEERS!
Overall, the visual direction of the projects in this class are designed to make us assess and reassess how to give photos accessibility to enhance our narratives. The picture can serve the narrative or promote its story on its own.