MedFoto, the photographic story
By Oriol Alamany, member of the organization and jury of MedFoto
Cover photo: heavyweitht by Edgar Madrenys.
If there is one thing that differentiates photography from cinema or video, it is that photography must show an event or tell a story in a single image, while video has the advantage of being able to narrate in a series of shots that are more or less combined in a good montage.
But in reality, photographs are not always necessarily to be seen or considered in isolation. Throughout history, artists and photojournalists have combined different images to create something more complex like a photographic reportage or montage.
© Edgar Madrenys – Homecoming. Photografic Story winner MedFoto 2023
A photo story about a subject or an event can provide much more information than a single photograph, as it can express it from different points of view. However, a good story is not the result of chance, as can sometimes happen with a photograph. In this case, there has to be a serious approach and a lot of thought has to go into what to do and how to organize it.
For all these reasons, last year, at MedFoto, we decided to add the category “Photographic story” to our competition, with the intention of promoting a type of photography that requires more time and involvement on the part of the photographer. The idea is to present a report of six photographs on a subject related to the Mediterranean in which the photographic quality, the interest of the story and the narrative treatment are valued.
How do I create a photographic story?
When considering a story, the first thing to do is to decide what it is going to be about: the variety of subjects is infinite. In the 2023 edition, for example, we received a variety of themes. From the daily life of a fisherman to a series of abstract details of a rescue tower on the beach or the winner, by Edgar Madrenys, which was a comprehensive chronicle of sea turtle recovery over several months of work. Good subject matter, a variety of images documenting the different phases of the process, great execution and a careful final selection
© José Ignacio Piris – Isca, the Last Fisherman of Cadaqués. Photographic Story finalist MedFoto 2023
But not all stories require months of work. They can also be a series of images of details of a particular place taken in a single day: a collection of abstractions of rocks on the coast, playing with the movement of the waves, the arrival of fishing boats in the harbour, a market, and so on.
After meditating at home, in front of a piece of paper, on what you want to do, in most cases it will be necessary to do some research and look for information on the subject in order to decide beforehand on a few of the images that you will have to shoot. Afterwards, once in the place, you can improvise if you come up with an unexpected image, but it is worth taking something planned with you. Try to take a variety of framing and lighting to get a good assortment of photographs.
It’s time to choose
Little by little, we will accumulate photographs on the subject. It seems that the easy part is already done. But the selection process is often the most difficult (perhaps we have accumulated dozens or hundreds of photos on the subject) and the one that defines the final direction of the story.
© Gemma Parés – The Sea Has Memory. Photographic Story finalist MedFoto 2023
First of all, we will discard the photographs that do not meet minimum quality standards. Then we will separate out the most outstanding and creative ones as long as they fit in with the whole. It is possible that we will have to discard some images that we like a lot or that we have had a hard time obtaining but that do not fit in the global set. Summarizing a story in just six photographs is a real challenge. Sometimes we can ask for the opinion of someone we trust, but always taking relative account of what they tell us. After all, we are the authors.
With the final choice made and the Raw files well processed, all that remains is to prepare the Jpeg files at 1920 pixels on the large side and submit them to MedFoto. If you win or are selected as a finalist, congratulations. And if you don’t, you will have enjoyed a creative process that will help you learn how to create a good reportage. In addition, you will be part of the most outstanding photographic competition in the Mediterranean in which, thanks to all of us, we disseminate its values and heritage.
