The Inner Workings of Narrative Photography

Narrative Photography:


The first thing that catches and holds my attention from the picture is the man sitting in a subway train. More specifically the fact of what the man is wearing: a cardboard box covering his head. A smiley-face icon is painted onto the front of the box facing the camera. The next object that caught my attention is the silver pole directly in front of the man - slightly off center. The only other object in complete clarity in the frame is a 'no smoking' sign in the upper right hand corner of the subway car. The shining red, is the only contrast to the rest of the shiny silver, and black reflected about the train. Almost everything else residing in the frame of the picture is out of focus. My feelings in relation to this particular picture are confusion and maybe a sense of calm. The  abstract sense of calm comes from the constant continuation of the colors - save the red from the no smoking sign. It is a familiar color blend and it is seen often throughout the picture of the subway car. even in the back with the lines blurred. I feel confusion perhaps from the point of view the picture is depicting. There is a man sitting on a subway train with a cardboard box on his head, but why? I cannot fully tell what  the purpose is of the man with the box covering his face. Why use cardboard? It perplexes me to think about the 'why' of the picture without knowing the reasoning behind it. The meaning, could be a variety of things. Just guessing the back story of the photo, for example: with the smiley -face on the cardboard, it could mean the opposite. That while the man's face (the cardboard) might give off the appearance of him being happy, he is not. He could be pretending to be happy while hiding behind false expressions. Or he could be tired and in need of a reprieve from the outside world, so he masks his pain.