Untold Stories
I’ve generally accepted the time-honored rule that a good photograph tells a story.
Think of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square, from 1945. You know the one—the sailor kissing the nurse in a moment of pure joy and release at the end of World War II. It’s exuberant. It’s iconic. And it’s masterful.
Or consider Helen Levitt’s many photographs of children playing in the streets of New York. They are often brilliant celebrations of childhood, filled with wonder, energy, and innocence.
But more and more, I find myself drawn to ambiguity.
Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother comes to mind. It’s unquestionably powerful. And part of that power, for me, lies in what’s left unsaid. Is the mother weary? Exasperated? Defiant? All of the above? Her expression, like the Mona Lisa’s, defies simple explanation. And that mystery gives it staying power.
While I wouldn’t compare my own work to these masters, I’ve come to recognize that I’m often most moved by photographs where the subject’s mood is unclear. I’m intrigued when the emotion lives in a quiet in-between.
In the first image below, for example, I’m drawn to the girl’s expression. Her grandmother looms over her, finger raised, dominating the frame. And yet the girl’s face doesn’t match the drama of the moment. Is she resigned to the scolding? Bored by it? Is she suppressing a laugh at some private joke?
In the next image, I’m not quite sure what the man is thinking. He’s likely just waiting for the rain to let up. But something in his posture makes you wonder just what he is thinking. His upward gaze and the stillness of his body suggests something deeper. Reflection? Longing? Fatigue? I can’t say for certain. That uncertainty is part of the draw.
And in the final image, we see a woman standing just inside a subway car. She appears to be staring at someone outside the frame—perhaps the man walking past. But is she alarmed? Curious? Recognizing someone she knows? Her expression feels like the beginning of a sentence, but the rest is left unspoken.
Maybe it’s true that every photograph tells a story. But I think the best ones let the viewer write their own ending.
Let me know what you think.
And keep photographing the world as only you can!
Jonathan
