By Carmen
Theme: “What does storytelling mean to you?”
What does it mean to tell a story? What is a story? And how can you convey a story in a visual format?
Is it through a series of images? Or is there something in a single frame that tells a story? What do you look for? Does a story need to have people? How can you tell a story with an absence of characters? What resonates with you?
In our own creative photography journeys, we’ve encountered and engaged with storytelling in different ways. Maybe the journey led us to have a meaningful and memorable conversation with someone. Maybe the journey taught us how to see the world differently. Maybe the journey taught us to develop a certain artistic “style”.
The aim of this community zine project is to better understand how photography has impacted us in personal ways. We hope that this is an avenue for us to get to know each other as fellow film photographers in Toronto.
The theme is purposely vague and open to interpretation. Take it wherever and however you would like. We want to hear your story.
Submit 1-3 photos that you feel represent your interpretation of what storytelling means to you. The photos can be in any aspect ratio.
Textual accompaniment: Along with your set of images, write a blurb (no more than 300 words) that explains your interpretation of the prompt. Your blurb can be either prose or poetry, and it can be typed or a scan of handwritten text that you want to accompany your images.
Selection
We will select up to three (3) of your submitted photos to be included in the zine. Depending on the volume of submissions, we will either include everyone’s submission in one zine, or split the submissions into several issues throughout the year.
With that being said, please address the question of the theme as thoughtfully and meaningfully as you can. Please do not simply describe the story in the photos that you have submitted. Rather, try to describe and explain how the photos are a representation of your approach and philosophy to how to tell stories through photography. While we would like to include everyone’s submissions, we would also like submissions to probe deeply into the prompt.
Submission deadline: Sunday March 9th, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Zine launch date: TBD
Quotes from other Photographers
“My big theory is that [photography] doesn’t function as a narrative, but the photographer takes the place of the protagonist in the story, and you take the place of the photographer.”
This quote from Alec Soth suggests that the journey of being a photographer and chasing scenes is, in itself, a story. It can lead us to discover new places and meet new people, which can inspire us to capture a certain mood, emotion, or idea.
“I always thought of photography as a naughty thing to do -- that was one of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt very perverse.”
This quote from Diane Arbus implies that photography has a degree of risk taking attached to it, which can make it a thrilling and vulnerable venture. Photography can push us out of our comfort zones, whether when we’re documenting the liveliness of the characters in a city during street photography or when we’re documenting fun moments with our loved ones. Sometimes we’re sneaky, and sometimes we’re bold. Either style of approach is revealed in the types of photos we choose to take.
“Never take a picture of anything you are not passionately interested in.”
This quote from Lisette Model is simple but straightforward. What kind of story do you gravitate towards and why?