10 Themes of Storytelling

Mood 

Mood is the emotion conveyed by the

 photo that provides insight within the photo. This photo by Jenny K. shows a dark stairway that is highlighted with an accent light in the background to look more ominous. This gives it a creepy feel using black and white. The narrow angle zooms into the perspective of a  weaker being. The slight up angle also expresses the feeling of helplessness, making the supposed stairway appear  larger than it would normally look in a normal angle. The photo's blurriness gives it a sense of confusion, appearing to look like it is being shot through a man's dizzy eyes. The gate is actually put in the intersections of the rule of thirds to further increase the focus to the stairway itself. Mood sets off a flurry of emotions and is great to provoke expressions.

Character

Character focuses on a certain object or thing. This picture by Frank A. accentuates the character of nature and the size of man compared to the rest of the world. The use of a wide angle lens shows all of the aspects of the vast land that is being presented. The Birds-eye view makes the man appear smaller to compare his size to vastness of the background.

Setting

Setting shows the time and place of a picture. This picture by Tammy P. offers a lot of graphic vectors with the many alternating lines and the shadows of the wooden planks itself. The picture uses a narrow shot and  the picture seems as it is getting smaller through the angle and the way that the picture was taken. The use of black and white accentuates more of the pattern of the bridge and its characteristics instead of the many distractions that color could provide because of the picture's surroundings.

Obstacles

Obstacles are something that gets in the way of a main character. In this photo by Amer A., it shows a man's arm reaching. The obstacle is clearly as he is hooked up to an IV. The first person view gives us the perspective of the man reaching out his arm. We feel the helplessness because of his condition. The angle up makes the ceiling higher than it really is. It also makes the goal harder to reach, further exaggerating the obstacle itself. 

Backstory 

The Backstory provides history to a narrative. This picture by null depicts a man in the backseat of police squad car looking like he is about to be searched. The man in the back seat shows a face of desperation . The index vector points to the eyes of the man looking at the police officer. Again, the use of black and white calls for less attention to miscellaneous objects and more focus to the subject of the photo. The photo intrigues people's curiosity and makes them want to learn more about the actual backstory of this picture. The photo offers so much as a photo and calls for more than just what it is right now.

Relationship

Relationship is the closeness of two things or people, in this case, shadows. This photo by Brad W. shows the relationship of lights and shadows expressing that for every light there is a shadow cast. The contrasting elements of the subjects offer a unique between the two subjects. The light that enters from the window highlights the middle of the room where the two characters seem to merge. The middle also shows the two characters fading to each other, showing their relationship. The room itself shows the relationship of lights and shadows with the choice of lighting. The relationship is highlighted by the being placed in the intersections of the rule of thirds. 

Goal

Goals are what the character is pursuing in the photo. In this photo by Zack W. the man is trying to reach his goal of climbing the mountain. The man is not in the middle of the picture and is askew to match him up with the rule of thirds. The cast shadows show that the man still has a long way to go and the difficulty of his journey may increase. The goal is always hard to reach but it is never impossible.

The Unknown

The unknown is a mystery with a twist. This picture by Natasha M. shows a tunnel of mystery. The shadow cast inside the tunnel gives it an eerie look and causing it to have a mystery quality. The train tracks to nowhere also provide a backing feeling of mystery. The bright white snow contrasts the darkness that tunnel provides. The darkness appears to consume the light as the white from the snow fades away. The unknown gives a mystery and raises concerns for the subject of the photo.

Time

Time represents the time of day within the history of the photo. Represented in this photo by Colin D. the time decay is clearly shown in this photo. The chipping paint, the broken wood and the weathered look gives the place its time. The blurring of the background allows for more focus on the foreground.  The appearance shows the time of the bench and its characteristics.