Storytelling in a Single Image
Capturing a complete narrative in just one photograph represents one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of photography. While many photographers work with series or sequences to develop stories, the ability to communicate an entire narrative through a single, carefully composed frame demonstrates exceptional visual literacy and technical skill. This week, we will explore the rich history, theoretical foundations, and practical techniques of single-image storytelling, particularly for those using smartphone cameras.
The Historical Context of Narrative in Single Images
Telling stories through single images predates photography by thousands of years. Some of the earliest evidence of human art suggests that people communicated narratives through pictures, with narrative art appearing in prehistoric cave paintings, ancient Egyptian reliefs, and classical Greek pottery. The Narmer Palette from ancient Egypt (approximately 31st century BC) tells the story of King Narmer's victory through a series of carved scenes that functioned as a complete visual narrative.
Throughout history, artists developed sophisticated visual languages that enabled viewers to recognise entire stories from single depictions. Greek artists, for example, created a shared visual vocabulary in which specific elements immediately triggered recognition of mythological narratives. The story of Perseus and Medusa could be recognised through specific visual cues—Medusa's distinctive face, the act of beheading while turning away, and the flight with the head as a trophy—even when not all characters or elements were present.
The 19th and 20th centuries saw the advent of photography and film, which revolutionised visual storytelling by capturing authentic moments rather than imagined or reconstructed scenes. This shift fundamentally changed how narratives could be presented visually, with the decisive moment—a concept later popularised by Henri Cartier-Bresson—becoming a foundational approach to single-image storytelling in photography.
Theoretical Approaches to Single-Image Narratives
The Monoscenic Narrative: In traditional narratology, the study of narrative structures, a "monoscenic narrative" refers to an action that unfolds at a single time and place. This concept applies perfectly to photography, which captures discrete moments frozen in time. Unlike sequential art forms like film or comics, photography must compress an entire story into a single frame, requiring careful consideration of what moment to capture.
The Decisive Moment: Magnum photographer Matt Stuart, following in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson, articulates the power of the single image: "Sometimes there's a unique picture whose composition possesses such vigour and richness and whose content so radiates outward from it that the single picture is a whole story in itself." This philosophy emphasises waiting for and recognising the perfect moment when elements align to suggest events before and after the captured instant.
The Viewer's Role in Narrative Construction: While photographers create the image, viewers complete the story. Susan Sontag noted this unique quality of photography in her book On Photography: "Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy."
This distinguishes photography from other visual arts:
In painting, the artist puts meaning into the picture
In photography, the photographer invites viewers to extract meaning from the picture
This participatory aspect makes single-image storytelling particularly powerful. It engages viewers' imaginations and personal experiences to create narratives that extend beyond the frame.
Emotional Elements of Visual Storytelling
Creating Emotional Connection: The power of single-image storytelling often lies in its emotional impact. By carefully considering the emotional tone you wish to convey, you can select subjects, compositions, lighting, and moments that evoke specific feelings in viewers.
Authenticity vs. Construction: Narrative photography ranges from pure documentation to carefully constructed scenes. While some photographers wait for authentic moments to unfold naturally, others arrange elements to communicate their intended story. Both approaches are valid, but understanding your intentions helps maintain integrity in your storytelling.
Visual Communication Beyond Language: Visual storytelling transcends linguistic barriers, communicating across cultures through universal human experiences and emotions. This makes it particularly powerful for sharing stories globally in our interconnected world.
Composition Techniques for Single-Image Storytelling
Beginning, Middle, and End: Even within a single frame, photographers can suggest a narrative structure with elements of beginning, middle, and end. This requires the thoughtful arrangement of visual elements to create a sense of time passing or actions unfolding.
Incorporating Lines and Movement: Lines are fundamental elements that shape a scene's visual narrative. Whether appearing as winding paths, rivers, or architectural elements, they guide the viewer's eye and infuse compositions with a sense of motion and unity.
The Rule of Thirds: Divide your image mentally into a grid of nine equal segments. Most smartphone cameras offer a grid overlay in their settings. Placing key narrative elements along these lines or at their intersections creates visual interest and helps direct the viewer's attention to important story elements8.
Framing with Intention: Framing adds layers of meaning by using elements within the scene to create context. Shooting through doorways, windows, tree branches, or hands creates natural frames that draw attention to the subject while providing visual context that enhances the story.
Elevation and Perspective: Perspective dramatically affects how viewers interpret your narrative. Elevated viewpoints can reveal relationships between elements that might otherwise remain hidden. Find natural vantage points, use small step ladders, or employ selfie sticks to gain elevated perspectives that enhance your storytelling.
Working with Smartphone Limitations and Strengths
Smartphones offer unique advantages for narrative photography:
Their ubiquity means they're always available to capture spontaneous narrative moments
Their small size allows unobtrusive shooting in intimate or sensitive situations
Modern smartphones offer computational photography features that can enhance storytelling elements
However, they also present challenges:
Limited optical zoom capabilities (use physical movement rather than digital zoom)
Reduced low-light performance (consider this in your storytelling approach)
Fixed aperture on most models (use distance and composition to create depth)
Planning Your Narrative Photographs
Strong narrative images rarely happen by accident. Before shooting, consider:
What mood are you trying to convey?
Who are your characters or subjects?
What setting will provide context for your story?
What moment will best capture the essence of your narrative?
Key Elements to Include in a Narrative Photograph
Creating a compelling narrative photograph involves more than simply capturing a subject; it requires deliberate choices that guide the viewer to interpret a story, evoke emotion, and engage with the image on a deeper level. The following elements are essential for constructing a strong narrative within a single frame:
Subject: The subject, or character, is often the focal point of your story, whether it is a person, animal, or object. A strong character helps viewers connect emotionally and provides a vessel through which the narrative unfolds. The subject should display emotion, intent, or action, inviting the viewer to empathise or imagine their experience.
Setting: The environment or backdrop provides a place and context, grounding the story. It can be as expansive as a landscape or as intimate as a corner of a room. The setting should support the narrative, offering clues about time, location, and atmosphere. Details in the background or surrounding area can enrich the story and make it more believable or relatable.
Event or Action: A narrative photograph benefits from capturing a moment of action, tension, or change—something happening or about to happen. The event does not need to be dramatic; even subtle gestures or interactions can suggest a broader story.
Emotion and Mood: Emotional resonance is crucial. Facial expressions, body language, or even the absence of human subjects can evoke feelings such as joy, loss, anticipation, or serenity. Mood can be enhanced through lighting, colour palette, and compositional choices.
Composition: The arrangement of elements within the frame directs the viewer’s attention and shapes the narrative flow. Techniques such as leading lines, framing, symmetry, and depth help structure the story visually. The placement of the subject, the use of negative space, and layering can add complexity and guide the viewer’s interpretation.
Theme and Symbolism: A clear theme unifies the image, giving it purpose, whether it is love, solitude, resilience, or transformation. Symbolic elements (such as a withering flower to suggest loss) can add layers of meaning and invite viewers to look beyond the literal.
Colour and Light: Colour choices influence emotional tone: warm colours can convey energy or passion, while cool tones suggest calm or melancholy. Lighting—natural or artificial—sets the mood and highlights key aspects of the story.
Juxtaposition and Contrast: Placing contrasting elements side by side (such as old and new, joy and sorrow) creates visual tension and deepens the narrative. Juxtaposition can be achieved through subject matter, colours, or compositional choices.
Detail and Focus: Selective focus draws attention to the most important narrative elements, while background details provide supporting context. Small details, such as a clenched fist or a discarded object, can be powerful storytelling devices.
Viewer Engagement: A successful narrative photograph encourages the viewer to ask questions, imagine what happened before or after the moment, and connect personally with the story. Open-endedness or ambiguity can be an asset, allowing viewers to bring their own experiences to the interpretation.
Post-Processing to Enhance Narrative Elements
While the initial capture is crucial, thoughtful editing can enhance your visual storytelling. Remember that editing should strengthen the story already present in your image, rather than attempting to create one that wasn't there.
Selective focus: Use selective blurring or sharpening to direct attention to key narrative elements
Colour temperature: Adjust warmth or coolness to reinforce the emotional tone of your story
Contrast: Enhance or reduce contrast to create a mood appropriate to your narrative
Cropping: Refine your composition to eliminate distracting elements and strengthen narrative focus
Case Studies: Single-Image Storytelling Approaches
Street Photography: Street photographers like Matt Stuart often work in a "reactive" storytelling mode, recognising and capturing fleeting narrative moments as they unfold in public spaces. This approach requires keen observation, quick reactions, and an intuitive understanding of human behaviour and visual composition.
Documentary Approach: Documentary photographers may spend extended time understanding a situation before capturing the definitive single image that tells its story. This approach prioritises authenticity and often seeks to illuminate social conditions or human experiences that might otherwise remain unseen.
Conceptual Narrative: Some photographers create single-image narratives by deliberately arranging elements to communicate specific ideas or stories. This approach enables precise control over all narrative elements, but it requires thoughtful planning and meticulous attention to symbolic details.
Famous Photographers and Iconic Images
At its most potent, photography transcends the simple documentation of a moment and instead creates a visual narrative that invites viewers to engage with the story behind the image. Throughout photography's history, certain practitioners have excelled at capturing complete stories within the confines of a single frame. Their pictures compel us to question, imagine, and ultimately connect with the human experiences they portray.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)
The French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson is often regarded as the father of modern photojournalism. His philosophy of "the decisive moment" fundamentally changed how photographers approach their craft. This concept refers to capturing an event precisely when all elements within the frame reach their most expressive point.
Cartier-Bresson's background in painting, under the guidance of Cubist artist André Lhote, influenced his exceptional understanding of geometry and composition in photography. He famously worked exclusively with a 50mm lens, relied on natural light, and avoided cropping his images after they were taken.
His iconic image "Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare" (1932) exemplifies his ability to capture a fleeting moment with perfect timing—a man leaps across a puddle, his reflection perfectly mirrored in the water below, creating a scene that implies both what came before and what will follow. Another notable work, "Sunday on the Banks of the Seine, France" (1938), captures the leisure and social atmosphere of pre-war France.
In Cartier-Bresson's words: "To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression". This philosophy guided his approach to storytelling, capturing moments that reveal universal human experiences.
Robert Capa (1913-1954)
Born Endre Friedmann in Hungary, Robert Capa made his name as one of the world's preeminent war photographers. Though he hated war itself, he used his camera to bring its harsh realities to the attention of those far from the conflict zones.
Capa's approach to photojournalism was rooted in the idea that photographs could tell stories and that single images could reveal the essence of their subjects. His philosophy was distilled in his famous quote: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.
His most famous image, "The Falling Soldier" (1936), was captured during the Spanish Civil War and shows a Republican soldier at the apparent moment of death. Although the authenticity of this image has been debated, its power as a symbol of the cost of war remains undeniably strong.
Capa was also a founding member of Magnum Photos, the world's most prestigious photographic agency. His D-Day landing photographs from Omaha Beach, despite most being destroyed in a darkroom accident, remain some of the most important visual documents of World War II.
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)
As a documentary photographer working during the Great Depression, Dorothea Lange humanised the suffering of those most affected by poverty and hardship. Her images for the Farm Security Administration created a visual record of American rural poverty that continues to resonate today.
Her most famous photograph, "Migrant Mother" (1936), portrays Florence Owens Thompson, a 32-year-old mother of seven children in a pea picker's camp in California. The image captures Thompson's worry and strength as she gazes into the distance, her children hiding their faces behind her. The single frame communicates the broader stories of displacement, poverty, and maternal determination during the Depression.
Years later, when asked about that period, Thompson simply stated, "We just existed. We survived, let's put it that way." This succinct summary aligns with the direct power of Lange's image, which avoids sentimentality while still evoking deep empathy. Lange's approach to photography was rooted in a genuine connection with her subjects. Her images tell stories not just of hardship but of human dignity preserved in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971)
One of the early women photojournalists and a photographer for LIFE magazine, Margaret Bourke-White was renowned for her fearlessness and dedication to capturing pivotal historical moments. Her most notable image is perhaps her portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, taken just hours before his assassination. This photograph, showing Gandhi at his spinning wheel, has become an enduring symbol not only of the man but also of his philosophy of self-reliance and nonviolent resistance.
Bourke-White's work for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression and her coverage of World War II (including her being the first female war correspondent permitted to work in combat zones) demonstrated her ability to find the human story within broader historical events.
Steve McCurry (1950-)
American photographer Steve McCurry is perhaps best known for his 1984 photograph, "Afghan Girl," which appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine and became one of the most recognisable photographs of the 20th century.
The image was captured in Pakistan's Nasir Bagh refugee camp during the Soviet-Afghan War. McCurry noticed a girl with striking green eyes in a tent that had been set up as a school. He recalls, "She had an intense, haunted look, a really penetrating gaze – and yet she was only about twelve years old". The brief moment when the shy girl looked directly at his camera resulted in an image that would become a powerful symbol of the refugee experience and the human cost of conflict.
What makes "Afghan Girl" so compelling is the amount of story contained within a single gaze. The image communicates resilience, fear, strength, and uncertainty—all emotions associated with being displaced by war. In 2002, McCurry returned to Pakistan with a National Geographic team and, after significant effort, located the woman in the photograph. Her name was Sharbat Gula. By then, she was a 30-year-old woman who had never known that her face had become famous worldwide.
W. Eugene Smith (1918-1978)
American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith was a master of the photo essay. He created influential works such as "Country Doctor”, "Spanish Village," and "Man of Mercy," which documented Albert Schweitzer's work.
Though known for his photo essays, Smith's images were powerful storytelling vehicles in their own right. His 1946 photograph, "The Walk to Paradise Garden," showing his two young children walking hand in hand into a clearing in the woods, tells a story of innocence and hope after the darkness of World War II.
Smith's approach to photography was deeply humanistic. He was concerned with capturing the dignity of his subjects while also bringing attention to social issues. His technical mastery allowed him to create images with remarkable emotional resonance, using light and shadow to enhance the narrative quality of his work.
William Eggleston (1939-)
American photographer William Eggleston revolutionised colour photography as an art form. During his early career, he broke away from black-and-white film, which was considered the pinnacle of serious photography. Instead, Eggleston focused on capturing the vibrant hues of everyday American life.
Eggleston's images make the ordinary seem extraordinary through his distinctive framing and use of colour. His subject matter—a ceiling fan, a passerby on the street, an ice cream cone—encourages viewers to think beyond the image and contemplate American society and culture.
His 1976 photograph "The Red Ceiling" (also known as "Greenwood, Mississippi") exemplifies his ability to transform the mundane into something mysterious and story-rich. The saturated red colour and unusual angle create a sense of unease that prompts viewers to imagine what might have occurred in that space.
Cindy Sherman (1954-)
American photographer Cindy Sherman employed a distinctive approach to storytelling in photography with her groundbreaking series, "Untitled Film Stills" (1977-1980). In this project, Sherman placed herself in front of the camera, dressed in styles reminiscent of female characters from 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, foreign films, and film noir.
What makes Sherman's work fascinating is that none of the "scenes" she created are from actual films. Instead, she acts as her own main character in fabricated narratives, encouraging viewers to build the surrounding story in their minds. These images explore feminine identity, the male gaze, and the constructed nature of photography itself.
Sherman's work prompts questions: If these were stills from actual films, what would the plot be? Who is this character? What happened before and after this moment? This deliberate ambiguity makes her photographs powerful storytelling vehicles, engaging viewers in active interpretation rather than passive viewing.
Duane Michals (1932-)
Duane Michals has developed a distinctive approach to photographic storytelling through what he calls "prose portraits." Unlike many photographers who rely solely on visual elements, Michals often incorporates handwritten text directly onto his photographs, adding another dimension to the narrative.
Michals explains, "A prose portrait doesn't necessarily show you what someone looks like; it's not a line-for-line reproduction of a face. A prose portrait tells you what the nature of the person is about". His portraits of artists like René Magritte and Andy Warhol aimed to capture the essence of their artistic identities, rather than merely their physical appearances.
His writing emerged from what he described as "frustration with photography" and its limitations in expressing complex ideas. By combining images with text, Michals created a hybrid form that expanded the storytelling capabilities of photography.
Liam Wong (1987-)
Contemporary photographer Liam Wong creates urban night photography with a distinctive cinematic quality. Drawing on his background as a video game designer (he was the youngest-ever Art Director at Ubisoft), Wong creates images that feel like freeze-frames from futuristic films.
Wong's debut photobook, TO:KY:OO, and his follow-up, After Dark, document his nocturnal wanderings through the world's most captivating cities. His photographs of Hong Kong, Seoul, London, and Edinburgh capture the mysterious atmosphere of urban spaces between dusk and dawn: eerie empty streets, late-night taxi drivers, and shadowy figures that suggest stories waiting to be unfolded.
Wong's approach involves capturing real urban environments and then enhancing their neon glow and atmospheric qualities in post-production, creating images that hover between documentary and science fiction. The resulting photographs invite viewers to imagine the lives and stories of the people who inhabit these liminal night-time spaces.
Cristina de Middel (1975-)
Spanish photographer Cristina de Middel explores the complex relationship between photography and truth through work that blends documentary and conceptual practices. She deliberately blurs the boundary between reality and fiction to create narratives that challenge viewers' assumptions and expectations.
De Middel achieved critical acclaim for her 2012 series The Afronauts, which reimagined the little-known history of Zambia's failed space program in the 1960s through staged reenactments. By mixing historical facts with constructed scenes, she created a visual narrative that prompted questions about how history is documented and remembered.
Her approach to storytelling often involves reconstructing obscure narratives and working with archetypes that carry cultural significance. This method allows her to explore complex themes through single images that suggest both real and imagined stories.
Matt Stuart (1974-)
British street photographer Matt Stuart follows in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson, hunting for the decisive moment in the streets of London. His approach to storytelling relies on finding serendipitous juxtapositions and coincidences that create narrative meaning.
Stuart explains that his philosophy draws from Cartier-Bresson's belief that "sometimes there's a unique picture whose composition possesses such vigour and richness, and whose content so radiates outward from it that the single picture is a whole story in itself."
His images often capture humorous or ironic moments that occur when different elements briefly align in the frame. These photographs require no additional context to tell their stories—they contain complete narratives within their borders, inviting viewers to appreciate the unexpected connections that momentarily materialise in everyday life.
Patrick Zachmann (1955-)
French Magnum photographer Patrick Zachmann takes a different approach to Stuart's. He prefers to work in series rather than seek the definitive single image. However, his photographs still maintain strong narrative qualities contributing to his broader documentary projects.
Zachmann's work often explores issues of identity, migration, and memory. His long-term project "Enquête d'identité" documented the Chinese diaspora in France and elsewhere, creating images that speak to the complex experience of living between cultures.
While Zachmann believes in the power of sequential storytelling, his images contain enough narrative tension to function as standalone stories, providing glimpses into the lives and experiences of his subjects.
The photographers highlighted here demonstrate different approaches to creating visual narratives within the confines of a single frame. From Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" to Sherman's fabricated film stills, each has found unique ways to compress stories into still images.
What unites these diverse practitioners is their understanding that powerful photography transcends mere documentation—it creates a space for viewers to engage with broader narratives about the human experience. Whether capturing war, poverty, cultural identity, or everyday moments, these photographers have demonstrated how a well-composed, well-timed image can tell stories that resonate across time and cultural boundaries.
In an age of widespread image creation and consumption, the work of these master visual storytellers reminds us that the most compelling photographs are not simply seen but read—explored for their narratives, contexts, and meanings. Their legacy continues to influence both photographic practice and our understanding of how visual stories can be told.
Practical Exercises for Developing Single-Image Storytelling Skills
The Single Scene Challenge: Set a time limit (15-30 minutes) and confine yourself to a single location. Within these constraints, find and capture a complete narrative.
The Three-Element Story: Choose three unrelated objects and arrange them to create a narrative relationship between them. This exercise develops your ability to make connections that viewers will interpret as a story.
The Emotion Assignment: Select an emotion and capture an image that conveys it without showing facial expressions. This teaches you to communicate feelings through composition, lighting, and subject matter.
The Before/After Implication: Create an image that strongly implies events that happened before or will happen after the moment captured. This develops your ability to suggest narrative time beyond the frame.
Give It a Try!
The art of telling a story through a single photograph represents a powerful form of visual communication that has evolved throughout human history. For smartphone photographers, mastering this skill requires understanding both the theoretical foundations of visual narrative and the practical techniques of composition and capture.
By considering the elements that make single-image stories effective—composition, lighting, moment, emotion, and context—you can create photographs that communicate complete narratives even without the support of additional images or text. This approach to photography transforms casual snapshots into meaningful visual stories that resonate with viewers and convey your unique perspective on the world.
Resources
Here’s an interesting video by Craig Roberts of e6 Vlogs that discusses creating photo stories, and the decision to do this with a single image or a few of them: “One image or a set of three? Does one picture tell the whole story of a location, or will only multiple shots tell the whole tale? When and how do YOU decide the story you’re going to tell? I'm Craig Roberts, and e6 vlogs is my channel. For more videos and content, check out e6, the subscription service I run from my website. e6 offers videos, eGuides, eBooks, podcasts and more.”
This fascinating video, from Peter McKinnon, offers an original take on storytelling in photography. It reviews the unique panoramic photography of actor Jeff Bridges, who is an excellent photographer himself.
This video from Adam Karnacz of First Man Photography offers tips for composing photographs that tell a story: ‘Making pictures is so simple, but man, it is hard to master. I’ve put together a list of five great tricks to turn your everyday photography into epic, awe-inspiring photos.’
This week’s assignments…
For this week’s daily photos, your brief is—unsurprisingly—to create images that tell a story. This can be obvious or implied; you can use as many tools and elements discussed in the tutorial as you like. Try the practical exercises listed above: the Single Scene Challenge, the Three Element Story, the Emotion Assignment or the Before/After Implication and see what you come up with.
Let’s see photographs that pose questions to the viewer, inviting us, as Susan Sontag put it, to deduce, speculate and fantasise about the narratives within the frame.
