Photos, Video & Storytelling

When Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake last month, I started looking for photos to get a better understanding of what was really going on there. During the search, I discovered the fantastic 24 hours in pictures series from the UK-based The Guardian newspaper.

As a result, I’ve become a bit obsessed with photography and it’s ability to tell stories. In addition to the Guardian, I’ve been tearing through Chris Glass’s photos, and look forward to Justin Muir’s daily photos as part of his Project 365.

One thing I’m still trying to better understand is when to use photos versus when to use video to best tell a story.

Video projects like Fifty People, One Question and the Koh Panyee Football Team would not be nearly as impactful as a series of photographs… or would they?

My first inclination was first-person stories work better as video than text with photos. But then I think about WALL-E. One of my favorite things about that movie was how Pixar created such a compelling story without uttering a single word for the first 30-minutes or so.

What are your thoughts?

Image by Bethan Phillips