Freedom! A moment where through careful planning, and a sense of adventure, 8 friends planned to sky dive on their vacation in the tropics. If you are going to sky dive why not sky dive in a place that has some of the best views on Earth? The group had already sky dived in various locations over the world, but they were set on sky diving in the tropics over a beautiful ocean filled with islands. It was a great experience and as thrilling as they all expected it would be. This archetype image shows its characters all belong in the same category: Thrill seekers.
Earth from the moon. A non-dramatic image that tells two stories, one of achievement, and the other a reflection of who we are and where we come from. This is an iconic image with one purpose behind it. To show our planet against the backdrop of the void of space. It shows how everything and everyone we know and love are all there in that blue dot set against the darkness. All our dreams and hopes, all of our struggles, our daily commutes, our vacations and exploration of nature, different continents and countries… All of it happens on that blue dot. The purpose of this picture was to show that. Earth is centered and below is the surface of the moon, which shows and signifies the human achievement of landing on our moon and taking a picture of our origin planet.
Another Picture that signifies achievement: Muhammad Ali defeating Sonny Liston with a KO. This was Muhammad at his prime, during a match where he had to defend his title from the man he took it from during a previous fight. This image shows strength and resolve, achievement and swiftness as Ali knocked out Liston in the first round. When it comes to visual storytelling, this one falls under Authenticity. While the main theme may be achievement, the picture feels real and authentic to the event that occurred.
The pillars of creation. An image snapped by the Hubble telescope showing nebula and star dust forming stellar nurseries full of new stars that are created here. This image, while a scientific discovery, shows the vastness and beauty of our galaxy and the universe. Another non-dramatic image, it still has a way to stir up emotion when thinking about our place in the universe in a way only sensory based story telling can.
Discovery, thrill seeking, excitement, dangerous and yet fun. This is another image that showcases its main character’s archetype: thrill seeking explorers. In this case, cave explorers who are descending into a cave. The image shows just how deep this cave is and the danger just even getting into the cave. While it could also be a sink hole, it shows our characters in action taking the risk of going into it and exploring the area. Archetypes are just 1 of 4 kinds of visual story telling: “the four pillars of visual storytelling: authenticity, sensory, relevancy, and archetype”. (Jade Lien)
This peaceful, non-dramatic picture shows the beauty of nature. By using Dramaturgy, this image captivates the audience with the water, and the underwater cave, with the woman on a paddle board to show the scale of the cave in the beautiful spring that it is in. This image while mildly intimidating for anyone with a fear of underwater caves, resonates as a peaceful, there is no doubt that the person in this picture is enjoying their time outdoors in the springs.
Another character archetype image, we have a completely opposite take on an underwater cave here. Our character, a brave diver and underwater cave explorer is seen floating in the cave exploring it. The image shows that his archetype is the explorer/thrill seeker type and the image is this character in the middle of the action of exploring this underwater cave system.
Sources
Iveta. “Top 100 of the Most INFLUENTIAL Photos of All Time.” Bored Panda, 1 Jan. 1966, http://www.boredpanda.com/top-100-world-photos-influential-all-time/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.
Lien, Jade. “Worth 1,000 Words: The 4 Principles of Visual Storytelling.” Amplifi, 8 Dec. 2020, amplifinp.com/blog/4-principles-visual-storytelling/.
Bergström, Bo. Essentials of Visual Communication. Laurence King, 2012.
Dunbar, Brian. “The Pillars of Creation.” NASA, NASA, 22 Feb. 2018, http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-pillars-of-creation.
Design By Angel Vazquez 
I love the photos you selected. Every one is so vivid and contains such compelling imagery.
I thought your identification of the earth to the moon photo as a representation of non-dramatic storytelling was really insightful, as was your deeper analysis of how the image presents our planet against the void of space and tying it back to our human achievement of landing on the moon, where the photograph was taken—there’s a lot to unpack and you did a great job narrating your insights.
While you clearly tie each of the photos presented back to the source material covered in our readings, it could be helpful to add a couple of lines re-stating those themes and ideas here in your blog. I imagine that if I were a person not in the class who was reading your post, I wouldn’t clearly understand what you were referring to when, in each example, you say what the photos were various representations of.
As you have the opportunity, it might also be interesting to delve into the more granular details within the photos. For example, in the Muhammad Ali photo, you might talk about the crowds behind him, with photographers in the forefront leaning in to capture shots of the knockout—perhaps this says something about the spectator participation in this visceral moment? And how in the darkness of the deeper background you can see an arena filled with anonymous faces in what appears to even be a standing-room crowd of spectators. I’m also intrigued by Ali’s facial expression in his moment of victory.
That nebula image you shared is absolutely breathtaking. It’s hard to believe this is a real thing that exists in the universe. It really makes you stop and appreciate the wonder of what’s beyond our day-to-day existence. The images of the cave explorers and the underwater explorer both convey the same presentation of how small a human being is in the vastness of our own world as well. Both on (or in, in this case) land and under water.
Thanks much for sharing these photos. I enjoyed looking at them and experiencing how you view them as well!
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Hi Angel!
Wonderful descriptions of each photo. All of them were captivating, immersive, and outright mesmerizing. Each photo corresponded to its archetype or inherent quality that helps provide feeling and context. My favorite is the Earth from the Moon, providing a narrative that is thought-provoking and deep.
I suggest additionally discussing the composition of the photos as well. How does staging, perspective, and depth play a role in invoking emotions? How do light, color, and background aid the mood of the story? Overall, well done!
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