We are all users, and creators exploring the 21st century digital narrative world; using our photographs as a technique of communication. There is a narrative, or story, in every picture we produce. Each individual picture should lead us in and around it, permitting us to map out a journey or to link it with other images to create a narrative.

The narrative starts with an idea, thought or movement of wanting to communicate something.
Creating a narrative, or story, in a photograph deals in frozen moments of time but often the impact of a powerful news or advertising photo lies in what makes us imagine has gone before or is about to happen.
In this sense narrative is often signalled, depending on angle, information given, construction of imaged characters and whether or not black and white film stock is involved. The difference in black and white often signals ‘pastness’ and ‘present day’ in the story.
The digital computer has allowed us not only to combine the diverse traditional media’s, but also to store, order and access them approximately  instantaneously,  in any way we choose.  Now, we can design multiple pathways through bodies of data and allow interaction by a user (ourselves and other ‘Picture This’ users). Their experience can be non-linear; they and we can move backwards, forwards and sideway through the collective images stored in each project; thus creating a digital narrative.
Each individual picture has its own narrative, that links together with others to create an interactive story.  The user becomes the director, viewing the sequence of our collective  images; put together in any order he or she chooses to create a personal reading of events.
Building a Digital Narrative together, with our individual images here on the ‘Picture This’ space allows others and ourselves to create another story. Each of our pictures will have its own narrative and also a community narrative when posted in the same project.
Our collective individual pictures can give someone an understanding of something in time but also can allow them to create their own story and reading of it.
Most of us tell stories all the time, recalling an event in our lives, chitchat about people, telling jokes, family photo’s etc. We make stories as a connecting and enjoyable way, of making sense and meaning of the world.  Photographs can tell a story, in a distinct way. An individual picture or single frame can be powerful in a fictional or factual form.
Creating a narrative, or story is a way in which meanings can be constructed.
The story that I experience will be different from the story that you will experience.  Our combined digital narrative images allows the user of ‘Picture This’ the chance, to add to the body of data at the same time as exploring it.

Pointers for creating a Digital Narrative:


 1) Think about the way you approach  ‘Digital Narrative’

 2) Allow space for action for possibilities.
 
 3) Have a sense of where other people are today.

 4) Think about the way you journey through this project.

 5) What is it that you are trying to say or communicate?

 6) Re-think how you can communicate what you want to say.

 7) Throw out what you do not need.

 8)  Trust your instincts as to what feels right.

 9) Be aware of how other people will react to what you create

10) Have fun, story making is a fantasy world!


History is synchronic- it is what we compose about what we assemble about it, now.  History is made now; coming to a conclusion about it, at the moment.  Our digital narratives are a piece of our history.

This is an opportunity for us to communicate and create an individual narrative that can be joined with others to create a user friendly global digital narrative.

Here is an example of a Digital Narrative in one frame!