Annie Liebowitz:
Her photography creates a story within an image – the main subject of the composition is framed by items which makes the viewer wonder what, how and why things are going on in the picture. Taking it a step further, in her latest exhibition – Pilgrimage – these single images have been combined in a series of pictures to create a narrative of the development of modern history. She allowed her imagination and intuition to lead her on logical steps from one situation to another, for example a visit to the studio of the sculptor of the seated statue at the Lincoln Memorial, led to photographs of the Gettysburg battlefield and artefacts of Lincoln at the Smithsonian. The individual images each tell a story: A pigeon skeleton studied by Charles Darwin leads the viewer to wonder what was learned from the study, what conditions was he working in? What was he looking for? - But the overall presentation is a narrative in itself.
Edward Weston:
Many of his images are illustrative –
His portraits often have the subject placed in surroundings which show what their interests or situations are.
His images of architecture are often juxtaposed to give a sense of place or exaggerate shape / size or define better their purpose.
Connecticut Barn, 1941 
This study of abandoned shoes has a real story to tell:
Weston was a photographer with an eye for illustration which keeps the viewer intrigued and interested to find out more about the subject.
Don McCullin:
His images are so illustrative and powerful that they shock the viewer. His work as a war photographer was so graphic and shocking that he was forbidden to photograph the Falklands war, by the government.
These images are so well taken that the raw feeling of the situations is felt by the viewer:
Funerals of AIDS victims in Zambia
This takes illustrative photography to another level. While these bring views of reality to audiences, they impart such strong feelings that the viewer cannot be unaffected by them. Photography when used like this can be so powerful.
His exhibition at the Imperial War Museum – Shaped By War - would be an incredible event to see.
The three photographers studied all use illustrative images, but it distinctly different styles.
· Annie Liebowitz uses the form to group together items which combine to make an interesting image that tells a story – these images may also be used in making narrative essays.
· Edward Weston would position a subject in a situation, or identify items which have an interaction with the main subject. This interaction made the illustration work
· Don McCullin has the rare talent of portraying life (or death) as it is. He carefully frames his images to show the raw sentiments of the subjects which make the illustration shout out – these images would also be used as narratives for the situations he was reporting.
Narrative / Illustrative photography can tell a story, not only in a series of connected events, but also in a single image. The single image often works better than a whole sequence. The use of illustration in an image is an essential to making it work.
Links / books used in studies for this section:
http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/leibovitz/ - information on the ‘Pilgrimage’ exhibition by Annie Liebowitz.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204012004577070663442997528.html An article in the Wall Street Journal about Annie Liebowitz.
http://www.edward-weston.com/index.htm - the Edward Weston / Cole Weston family website with many of Edward’s images.
http://www.historytoday.com/blog/2011/10/shaped-war-photographs-don-mccullin Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin. One of many sites praising his work
The History of Photography – Beaumont Newhall
ISBN 0-87070-380-3
The Photographer’s Eye – Michael Freeman
ISBN – 10: 1905814-04-6
Complete Guide to Photography – John Hedgecoe
ISBN 1-84340-119-3
The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography – 4th Edition – Michael R. Peres
ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80740-9
Train Your Gaze – Roswell Angier
ISBN-10: 2-940373-37-X
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