One Image: A Thousand Stories

11 professional New York City photographers reveal what's behind some of their favorite pictures.

(taken from an original post, found here on Learnivore)

Every great image has stories to tell. Even when time and space conspire to restrict us to a single moment within a single frame, we strive for results that transcend these restrictions. The “truth” or “reality” of the moment in which it is taken doesn’t actually matter. As you will soon see, many of the photographers featured here admit that their photographs are well-constructed fictions; and like any good fiction, they are created with the intention of providing insight into the subject, the author, the world, and especially ourselves as viewers. So what matters is NOT whether a photo is honest about the moment it has captured, but whether it is able to use that moment to tell stories that are essential to us and our collective human experience. Have these visual artists done so? I think they have.

Each of these 11 photography professionals (who specialize in everything from fashion to food to music) have graciously shared their images and the stories behind them. Not to complicate how you understand or relate to each picture, but to pull back the curtain a bit to see the photographers themselves: their artistic process, their perspective, and their intentions.

Looking to learn more? You can message any of the included photographers via their teaching profiles on Learnivore, whether you have a question about technique or style or are simply inspired to take the next step and pursue lessons with some of New York City’s best.

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Barry Sutton 

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Well, I think it’s important to first say that a picture doesn't always tell the truth. In both documentary photography and commercial advertising work, we want viewers to believe something, either real or imagined. This is not to say that it is purposely deceptive, but a picture is a one-dimensional visual captured in a fraction of time. The viewer really has no idea of the context in which the picture was taken without a textual story or additional photographs. So, as much as we want to believe a picture tells the truth about something we love, dislike or aspire to, the interpretation belongs entirely with the viewer and often has much more to do with the artist rather than the subject. So, to tell a story a single photograph must be powerful in and of itself relying on all the faculties of the photographer’s heart and mind - sensitivity to the subject matter, light, color, composition and timing to bring all of the elements together in that fraction of a moment to make a statement that is visually arresting and makes the viewer feel something.

Meg Urbani

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This photo is from the first installment of a very special photo series; this installment features actor Kofi Siriboe, titled "Twenty One." There are many milestones and moments in life and this installment is a depiction of turning the milestone age where we are finally legal to do everything! When I spoke to Kofi about the idea of bringing this moment to life through a visual platform, I asked him what turning 21 meant to him. He said that it was a time for him to grow up and become a man. This surprised me because, for most, turning 21 is the start of the party, a time for chaos, and we save the “becoming a man” for when we’re old. 

“Twenty One” is about how, for many, this milestone moment is the start of wild and chaotic times, but for Kofi it’s about growing up and continuing the process of becoming the man he’s always dreamed he would be. The goal for this shoot was to create an environment, and photograph all the typical 21st birthday moments and have all this chaos happening around Kofi, without him really partaking in the chaos. I wanted to show the contrast between what is expected of us when we turn 21 and how Kofi was taking on this moment in his life. 

The reason I became a photographer was because I love the idea of being a visual story teller; I think photography is the perfect medium to do that. Whether it be something found, a moment captured, or a world you create. For this shoot I definitely enjoyed creating an environment to shoot Kofi in and the story it allowed me to tell.

David Carrera

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This photograph, as simple as it looks, has two tales behind it. It was taken while shooting a music video early one Saturday morning. We woke up early and took a trek out to Connecticut, trying to catch the early light and make the most of the day. The temperature wasn’t in our favor, as it was about 30 degrees with a little wind blowing through the leafless trees. Despite everyone’s freezing hands and numb faces, we knew that the end result would be worth it. Oh, and this was only the start of what would be a 12 hour shoot, driving back to NYC to continue our shoot on the Williamsburg bridge and a final shot in Times Square. In this industry you have to be willing to make the sacrifices for the shots you want; you have to brave the cold, work long hours, do things others aren’t willing to do. Those are the stand out qualities that will get you ahead. 

The other story that this picture tells has to do with the artist in the shot. Range had just parted ways with his label RocNation, he was also going through something with a love interest and the video we we’re shooting was called “Bitter” because that’s how he felt about everything. The video that we were shooting also symbolized his reinvention as an artist and first steps towards forging his own path without the label behind him. So the shot symbolizes the long, seemingly-endless road ahead, while the pose gestures a bit of reluctance to take a step forward, but inside knowing that you must. It goes for him or anyone starting over or just anyone starting a new journey. The path forward may not look like an easy one, but if you keep taking steps forward you will end up where you want to be. Nothing gets done by standing still. 

Dana Pacifico

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How does a photograph tell a story? Loud music, rambunctious crowds, bright lights, high stages, emotional artists… it is challenging to bring these factors out in a photograph. But before I was a photographer I was a fan. Concerts, shows, and festivals are a place of magic and surprise. These events for music lovers are a time of glory and passion, so to capture others involved in the culture is exciting. As a music photographer, I want to create an image that exposes the experience behind live music events, whether it is in capturing an interaction taking place on stage, the raw emotion a fan is dealing with or the all-encompassing, transcendent reality. I want those instants to not just reflect the people on stage, but the symbiosis of fans and band.

Justin T. Shockley

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This image is from a fashion editorial published internationally in Hacid magazine (in Barcelona). In my images, I attempt to point to something greater or deeper than the everyday experience. I want to inspire the viewer to play, dream, sing, love, and laugh and glimpse a joy that is unknown fully in this world. It’s this perfection, I hope, that mesmerizes the viewer so that their mind can wonder outside this world....

Miachel Breton

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As a food photographer, my favorite tactics for telling a story are focus, lighting, props, and framing. I’ll tackle each point with regards to this photo. 

Story to tell: I aimed to highlight a personal chef’s dedication to whole foods and her cooking’s comforting, rustic flavors. 

Focus: I focused the lens on her hands and on bowls of fresh, whole ingredients that are next in line. I kept the aperture small enough to include the backdrop of a light-filled, warm kitchen — with enough detail to aid in story-telling but not enough to be distracting. 

Lighting: The lighting is natural to accentuate her use of real ingredients. I also opted for soft lighting instead of harsh, to make her kitchen seem welcoming. 

Details: I wanted to keep the shoot low-key to exemplify her approachable cooking. Bowls are scattered on the chopping block; she wears a personal apron instead of a more professional, rigid one; and mismatched but homey hand towels hang on the stove. 

Framing: The frame is cropped tight enough to focus on the action but large enough to show the environment. At first I cropped the photo tight enough to just show her hands and the vegetables; but then I enlarged it to show the attentive focus on her face, the kitchen tools on the counter, and the pot of vegetables simmering away in the background. 

Ella Barnes

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I have always felt a great weight of responsibility when it comes to creating a portrait. At the time when I was making this image, I was under a mountain of pressure. Shooting in large format adds high stakes to the process and I was trying to have everything go perfectly because I would only be shooting the subject twice (that is two shots of 4x5 color film). What with this and all the tricky in camera effects that went into making this image and the subsequent series, I was nervous to say the least.

For this image, II from the series Masked, I wanted to tell a story that is both personal and public - the specific tale of the woman pictured and a well-known story of experience shared by the audience. This balance in portrait making is immensely significant to the work’s ultimate success. We as an audience want to be invited in into the secret world of the subject, to hear their story. In turn, we also desire to relate, to see our own faces reflected in theirs so that we may continue to complicate and elaborate our own stories. 

With all this in my mind, I set about creating this image. When I look at it now, I see the woman I know, and the pain of rejection, a grueling marriage of anger and acceptance. There is nothing more incomprehensible than when your love for another is not returned, when you want to reach in and touch their heart, force it to beat and feel when it, for some reason, refuses to do so in response to your own. On the surface (or from the perspective of the audience), I see a woman whose mask of composure is rippled and warped, whose foundations are shaken and made unstable. Some pains are impossible to wrangle into submission and thus warp the very structures of our carefully crafted exteriors.  

Most importantly, when I look at this image, I remember that with each portrait I bear the responsibility of telling true stories that resonate with the common heart. While it is true that an image is worth a thousand words, not every image can tell a story. The key is to finding the balance between an open door and a closed door and having the restraint to leave the rest up to everyone else. 

Mark La Rosa

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This image of a group of people up on a mountaintop could easily be a documentary photo in a photo essay with a rich story about the people in it.  It could also be seen as a moment with its own unexplained context, presented to you by the photographer. As an artist, I prefer to work with the second scenario: the image was found spontaneously and is given with little explanation, allowing the viewer to find his/her own story and meaning.

I took this photo during a hike with my wife to the top of Anthony's Nose in the Hudson Valley last fall. I was drawn to the nature of the landscape and the composition formed by the people within the landscape. There is a harmony between the form of the landscape and the way the people are grouped the helps each of these elements underscore each other visually. The way the people are dressed identifies them as a group and enhances the feeling of an outing on a nice fall day. The effect is almost painterly. It evokes certain types of feelings - sun, fresh air and harmony for some viewers, possibly cold and tired for others. This image also reminds me of one of my favorite paintings, The Mountain by Balthus. To me, it underscores the beauty of the everyday, and the potential for finding stories by getting outdoors and simply looking at what is right in front of you. It is the story of life, and a thousand nice days within our lifetimes.

Bob London

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This is from a series of images I did on performance artists in NYC back in the 90's. Many photographers "take" pictures, sometimes they work out - mostly they do not but they only show us the ones that worked. I create images, so a narrative needs to be developed out of empty space. The tools at hand are clothing, the subject (which includes makeup, props, background) and most importantly - lighting. This whole series was taken in my studio. I created everything, even collaborating on the garments that were worn. I call it starting with a "blank sheet of paper."

So the purpose of each portrait was to explain in one image what this artist's performance was all about. Some artists had different acts they would perform so I would have to choose which one I wished to interpret. While viewing the performance I would take notes on what elements they used that would best convey the attitude, the spirit, and story of the performance the artists created. Additional props were sometimes used to get this message across, like the horse in this image. When "Cowboy Girl" (as she called herself), arrived with the cowboy hat, I thought it was too boring to just wear, plus she seldom wore it on stage. So I came up with a last minute idea to do the silhouette projection behind her; this way it kept the emphasis on her personality yet the hat still had a large impact visually. I also used a very grainy film, which helped the image to have more of a  performance feel and less of a portrait/snapshot feel.

In the end, I feel we were successful, for it is both a portrait of the artist and a narrative on her performance.

RJ Curley

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I have chosen an image called the High Line walkers. As a native New Yorker, I love the great parks and the huge diversity of the people who roam them. The High Line, the newest addition to Manhattan’s parks, is a very narrow park that is quite unusual. It does not take a person out of an urban environment as Central Park would by taking it in to a natural setting. The High Line also does not immerse the walker thru the lower west side streets, but takes them above the hustle and makes them a NYC observer from 30 feet up in the air. The park is also fascinating to me because it is an endless parade of faceless humanity on display that mimics the sidewalks of New York.

The image itself is taken from the part of the High Line that splits in two for a brief time. I shot up at the upper level through the fenced railing so you can see the people walking along this elevated sidewalk, but cannot discern their identities. This was to show how one can be alone and faceless in the midst of the crowd in NYC. 

Nuda Thamkonga

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It never fails to amaze me when I see a work of a photographer whom I admire; the fact that they are just regular, nice people who process a vision of madness. A vision of which is taken from a reality that we are a part of, but didn’t see. It is a reminder that "Possibility" isn't too far from our reach.

The "right" shot isn't easy to come by. You need to be in the right place at the right time and hope that you catch the shot in the nick of time. It is much like hunting, really. Except for me, it is the hunting of a good story to tell. When I put a project together, choosing the order of each photo so it makes sense is much like putting pieces of information together to solve a mystery. And yet, oftentimes, a story is too big to fit into a single, or even a set of photographs. A photograph is like a window to a 'story'. It is fragmental. Each photograph reflects a partial reality, while also displaying the particular point of view of the photographer (in a way an almost fiction); which is why this medium is very captivating. A photograph tells neither truth nor lies, it exposes a “personal truth.” 

Derek Spanfelner, Director of Client Success at Learnivore

All images are all rights reserved and have been shared here by permission of their authors