NARRATIVE PANORAMA

A panorama is a photograph that tells a story and showcases a wide view of the scene. The panorama was shot with film. This is different from a typical panorama taken on a cell phone because you cannot take it in one shot; you have to take it in increments. Personally, I started taking the photos as if I were started from the left side of the panorama. Once I shot and bracketed the images, I would take a few steps to the right and repeat the same process until I had all the pictures I wanted to make the panorama. Once the film is processed, the goal is to get a perfect first print. When the initial print is done, it serves as a guide for the other prints involved. The goal is to match the size and values. When all the prints are done, the last step is to tape them together.

The story behind my panorama is a childhood memory. When I was a little kid, my family would vacation in Vermont every year. While we were there, my sister and I would sit by the creek and try to catch frogs. When we would catch one, we would place it in a bucket to save until it was time to go back to the house. When that time came, we would set them free. In my panorama, the character is positioned off to the side and there is a wide view of the lake. In the photo, there is a bucked and baby shoes next to the model. The bucket is included to tell the story of the frog catching. The baby symbolizes that it is a childhood memory.

The title of my panorama is “Tadpole Memories.” The reason I titled it this way is because catching frogs is something I would do frequently as a child; it is a fond memory. I chose to use the word “tadpole” instead of “childhood” because it aids in the audience’s understanding of what is happening in the photo. It implies that the character is interacting with frogs. Also, a tadpole is a baby frog, which further implies that what is occurring in the photo is something the character would do as a child.

A problem that occurred was in the dark room. Getting a well-developed print is difficult on its own, however, matching the values and composition of three additional prints is even more difficult. Matching the prints took a lot of trial and error. Once the second photo is printed, it is necessary to come out of the dark room and compare it to the first print. From there, I assessed the issues then went back and applied the necessary steps in the dark room, usually by adding a filter. A filter creates more contrast. It makes the black values darker and the white values lighter. This process was done for every print following the first one.