I chose a newspaper at random and looked for two striking photos. I excluded sports photos as they tend to record a moment and don’t give a message in themselves.
The first photo is of Jeremy Corbyn at the Labour Party conference. It looks like a political poster. Lenin, Mao Tse Tung or even Hitler used the same sort of stance to mesmerise people. The stare, the fingers pointing etc. This is before words are added.:
1: The Guardian, Jeremy Corbyn Labour Conference.Captions I came up with are:
You! Yes You!
I thought of this as he obviously wants to get our attention. He points out of the frame directly at you. His eyes stare directly out at us and follow us around.
The people’s choice.
With the red background it reminded me of China’s people’s party posters used in the 50s to rally the people. This caption echos this feeling to give a different context to the photo.
Your country needs me!
This caption reinforces the strength of the image. It reminds us of times in the past when we needed strong leadership to help us in hard times. It reminded me of the poster showing Lord Kitchener with his gaze and fingers pointing from the image. It is very much staged and the caption used adds or subtracts from this staged strength.
Relay Captions
Focus. Trust. Commitment.
Your suffering is my focus.
I will deliver for you.
The meanings that could be conveyed from this photo are, anger, focus,blame, trust, determination, hard work, fixation, the clock is running,
Other meanings could trust me over everyone, experience, strength, courage, question me, question everything, I will lead you to better things.
The second photo I looked at is from a fashion shoot it is a strong image well composed and interesting to look at. It has leading lines in the procession models. My eye shoots around taking in information. It shows opulence and makes me think of dressing up for formal occasions.
2 The Guardian, Paris Fashion Show.[/caption]
Classic styles.
Couture for all occasions.
Relay
Classic. Iconic. Professional.
Smart easy to wear awe inspiring style.
Opulence for Women of style.
Other meanings to convey could be sophisticated, grown up, Colour for all occasions, stand out from the crowd, classical lines for smart people.
Both images stood out from the crowd in the paper. They are strong images. There meaning or context can be changed by adding words to the image. Or you can use text to reinforce the message of the image when done properly the text is equal to the image.
References
1; Asthuna, A., Elgot, J. and Masel, R. (2017). Jeremy Corbyn at Labour Conference. The Guardian., p.Front Cover middle column.
2: Marriott, H. (2017). Paris Fashion Week. The Guardian, pp.21 column 3.
Context and Narrative 