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To Tell a Story

They say a single picture is worth 1000 words, but can it be worth more than that? According to experts it can.

The National Portrait gallery of Australia has recently become home to “Life Dance”, the winner of this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize (NPPP).

The artist Elizabeth Looker sat down with an expert panel to discuss the evolution of storytelling through portraiture.

Penny Grist, Assistant Curator National Portrait Gallery; Gill Raymond, Online Manager National Portrait Gallery; Narelle Autio, photographer and judge of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2016; Hoda Afshar, winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015; and Elizabeth Looker, winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 discussed how photography can tell stories. Source: Samantha Marceddo
Penny Grist, Assistant Curator National Portrait Gallery; Gill Raymond, Online Manager National Portrait Gallery; Narelle Autio, photographer and judge of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2016; Hoda Afshar, winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015; and Elizabeth Looker, winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 discussed how photography can tell stories.
Source: Samantha Marceddo

She said, “It starts with a moment, the magic moment when you make a connection with your subject.”

Hoda Afshar, winner of the NPPP 2015, went on to explain, “People tend to pose in front of the camera, giving you a hint as to how they want to be portrayed.

“Sometimes we take hundreds of photos… the magical moment happens when your subject reveals a secret about themselves.”

Looker said, “My interests is in people, not the photographs I can take of them. My art is only successful if people can connect with the subject and draw their own interpretation from it.”

An audience member questioned the panel as to whether they felt the same emotional connection could be made with an online photograph as it could with one at an exhibition.

Narelle Autio, photographer and judge of the NPPP, explained, “We live in a world that is saturated with images due to social media and this makes forming an emotional connection harder.

“Professional photographs should only be viewed at an exhibition.”

This was met with controversy by some audience members.

Natalie Thomas, 26, believes, “This shows great fear. The online sphere has allowed for the democratisation of art which isn’t something to be afraid of.”

She continued, “Your responsibility as an artist is to document the world around you and by refusing to engage in forums of public discussion you are limiting your understanding of your own artwork.”

The exhibition will be showing at the National Portrait Gallery until 26 June 2016. Photos of the winning pieces can be found here.

 

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