The Ten Themes of Storytelling

I. MOOD - CONVEYS ATMOSPHERE OR TONE

This photo depicts a woman who, due to the smeared makeup and sad expression on her face, appears to have been crying. The shallow focus of the photo is on her face; as it is intended to be the subject, it is in focus whereas the decidedly irrelevant background is out of focus. The mood of the photo is further communicated through a high angle/bird's-eye view with height taller than that of the subject, which, combined, make the subject appear vulnerable or powerless -- as a crying woman would ostensibly be. Finally, the employing of the rule of thirds (the woman's eyes and mouth lie on intersection points) guarantees that the subject will be emphasized above all.

II. GOAL - WHATEVER THE CHARACTER IS PURSUING

The child traversing a play tunnel in this photo exemplifies the theme of goal. With no clear alternative, viewers are forced to assume that the child's "goal" is to reach the end of the tunnel. The high angle makes the child appear weaker and therefore more likely to be seeking an escape, which increases the sentiment that the child's goal is to reach the exit. The most brightly lit points of the photo are behind the camera (and thus behind the child) and at the end of the tunnel, with the area in between being notably darker. This makes the open ends of the tunnel -- the bright parts -- seem safer and more desirable, with the middle being neither as safe nor as desirable due to the darkness.

III. BACKSTORY - A HISTORY THAT PROMOTES FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NARRATIVE

If you asked me about this photo, I could probably tell you literally what was happening -- there is a pained, blank-eyed, ashy black man in a room with covered furniture, blank picture frames, a book, and a clock -- but be completely incapable of any interpretation or analysis. That is, I can see what it is, but I can't see what it is really. If you know what I mean. I mean that I have no idea what's going on here. Therefore, the backstory of this photo, despite clearly existing (because why would it exist if not for a reason, even if only as a result of the photographer's creative imagination) is quite unknown to me.

That said, I can analyse the technical aspects of this photo. Cast shadows abound as the key light is placed to the side of the camera, opposite the subjects. This gives the photo further depth by separating the subjects along the z-axis. The rule of thirds is applied to the subjects; on the four points of intersection are: a covered piece of furniture, a book, the man's face, and the man's hand clutching... something. Following the rules of the rule of thirds, the viewer's attention is drawn to these, which would help to explain the backstory of the photo (if anyone possibly knew what it was).

IV. CHARACTER - CAN BE ANYONE OR ANYTHING

To most, it isn't quite clear who this person is or what he/she has on his/her face. However, what is clear is that this person and his/her facial accessory are ones with whom most would not like to be involved. The lighting of the photo implies malevolence; having the sole light positioned below the subject creates attached shadows that fade into the darkness, as one would (hopefully, for one's sake) fear doing with this character. The low angle and height together empower the subject, making him/her appear even more imposing. The subject is positioned along the horizontals of the rule of thirds grid, further guaranteeing that viewers' eyes are on him/her (although as opposed to what, I do not know). 

V. OBSTACLE -  ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN THE CHARACTER'S WAY

The cage in this photo is obstructing the lion from his goal: freedom. Freedom to hakuna matata. Freedom to prance about the land and laze about as his lionesses hunt for him (as lions are wont to do). This photo seems to have been taken outdoors; ergo, the only light applied is the world's most natural light -- that of the sun. The sunlight here creates cast shadows of the cage on the lion, further characterizing the cage as the obstacle in the lion's way. The cage is almost a literally a rule of thirds grid, except with too many divisions along both the x- and y-axes. The face of the lion is near the top-left intersection point as a place of interest.

VI. RELATIONSHIP - A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANYONE OR ANYTHING

This, my favorite entry of the Ten Themes competition, fits very well into many of the ten themes. However, for now, we'll limit our exploration to relationship. The relationship portrayed in this photo is that between the masked figure in the background and the body in the foreground. Because the former is in focus and the latter is out of focus, and because the viewer's focus is on what's in focus, the viewer's focus is on the masked figure in the background. Due to the subjects of the photo being a rather long distance from the camera, angle and height are somewhat irrelevant; this applies also to lighting, as the photo is in monochrome. Again, the viewer's eyes are drawn oh-so-relentlessly to the two characters in the relationship not only because they are the sole subjects of the photo, but so too because both rest along the grid of the rule of thirds.

VII. SETTING - ANY LOCATION OR ENVIRONMENT

The setting established in this photo is that of a train travelling alongside a river in a mountain range. There is little of specific emphasis in this photo; rather, the photographer intended for viewers to imbibe the image as a whole. Ergo, s/he relies little on the rule of thirds; it can be argued that the train was purposely placed within the right third of the grid (although it's really more the right half than third) so as to create a sort of man/technology-versus-nature feel, but otherwise not much use is made of the rule of thirds.The most interesting characteristic of the lighting in this photo is the brightness of the far mountainsides (at the top) in contrast to the relative darkness of the train and the river; this gives a great sense of scale to the setting of the photo, establishing that it is not limited only to the small area in which the photographer presently is located, but rather that the setting is of a much grander level. Finally, a nice diagonal graphic vector is created by the side of the train.

VIII. THE UNKNOWN -  CAN BE UNEXPECTED, A TWIST

What can be seen in this photo is a girl running frantically into a forest away from something. What cannot be seen is the reason for her frantic running. Why is she running into a forest to get away from something? What is she trying to get away from? This photo subverts a few of the established rules of photography. First, the implications of the girl running are contrary to the rules of lighting. She is running into the darkness of the forest and away from a bright clearing, in direct opposition to the tradition of "bright = safe, dark = not." As there is literally one subject, and it is placed in the exact middle of the photo, the rule of thirds is avoided as well; there is nothing of note along the grid-intersection points. Finally, the dictate of the index vector/ eye-line match (that our eyes follow those of the subject) is undermined; as the girl's eyes are directed towards something out of the frame, we cannot follow.

IX. TIME - REPRESENTS TIME OF DAY OR WITHIN HISTORY

This pretty picture almost doesn't look real. It looks almost animated. Suspicious... but anyways, what we're seeing in this fairly simple photo is a small community of buildings in a brightly-sunlit valley. The lighting here makes it appear as if the grass is greener on the other side (of the far hills); whereas this side is covered in cloudy shadow, the bright blessings of the sun's rays radiate over the above the hills from the other. The rule of thirds grid, interestingly, places the aforementioned sun rays of the "other side" as well as the sky on the top third, with the community in the middle third, and unmolested shrubbery on the bottom. This creates a sort of contrast between the extremes of human expansion; "heaven" on top, humankind in the middle, and nature on the bottom. Although I'm loath to comment or critique this statement, I am obligated to mention that the framing of the photo creates this effect as per the rule of thirds. I'm just the messenger. Don't kill me.

THEME X TO BE REVEALED