Discussion: photo theory
Here is a set of discussion questions on the theme of photo and media theory.
You’ll need to spend some time with The Last Salmon Run story to answer these questions.
The questions will direct you to the correct part of the story.
What effect does layering the illustration over the top of the photograph have in the following image? How does it make you feel?
2. How does the photographer attempt to incorporate the notion of Two Eyed Seeing into The Last Salmon Run? Has it been successful? Discuss.
3. Using Google, search for news stories about salmon decline in British Columbia. Note down the kinds of images you find and their ability to help tell the story. How does The Last Salmon Run differ from these news stories? Discuss.
4. In The Last Salmon Run, the following two images are the first that you see on the homepage and at the start of the visual story. Why has the photographer chosen to lead with these images over others in the project?
5. How might ‘image-led’ stories be more inclusive than text heavy stories?
6. How do the images in The Last Salmon Run help you connect with the story?
7. Watch the following video made with footage taken at the Kwantlen Nation’s First Salmon Ceremony.
a) What effect does the combination of different media have on the viewer?
b) Why might the photographer have chosen to combine the media in this way?
c) What do you notice about the interaction between audio and visual media?
d) What effect does vertical video have on viewers? Why?
8. The Last Salmon Run uses “infinite scroll” to take viewers through the entire story, while also giving the option to fast forward through chapters listed at the top.
a) What effect does infinite scroll have on storytelling?
b) What are the advantages and disadvantages of chapter based storytelling?
9. Choose a chapter from The Last Salmon Run.
a) Discuss why the photographer might have chosen to display certain images larger than others?
b) How can the size of an image help determine the narrative flow of a story?
10. How effective do you think image-led stories like The Last Salmon Run are in communicating complex narratives?
