Write Something New Today: Tales from the Group Shot

Everyone is the hero of their own story

A few months ago I got my squirrelly little paws on a stack of vintage photos from a flea market and decided to use them as story inspiration (see Part 1: A Tale of Two Princes, here) — a creative scavenging practice I highly recommend because:

1. It gets your brain whirring about the way humans have been humaning for a long ol’ time, and even though a photograph only captures a tiny singular moment, we can still imagine the real person behind that frozen image — a person who laughed and argued and farted and loved and got irritated by itchy clothing and maybe sang beautifully or terribly and had funny little idiosyncrasies about the way they made their tea and perhaps secretly treasured some random object that had no monetary value but felt extra special because it was given to them by someone they cared about or reminded them of a memory they never wanted to forget.

2. The longer you gaze into these probably long-dead faces, the more you realise how infinite the possibilities for telling stories are, and how strong the urge is to explore why people do the things they do, why people feel the things they do, and how we can experience a bizarre sense of connection between people we’ve never met, or are, in fact, entirely fictional.

3. It’s free real estate for developing your characterisation skills (see all the above).

So, let’s go another round.

A Cast of Characters

Delving into my little paper bag of photos today, I was drawn to these two pictures depicting two large groups of people:

I love a group shot because there’s so much to discover — so many expressions, so many poses, so many thoughts in so many heads. So many potential secrets and personalities and backstories and tales to tell.

Take this one, for example:

So, what do we have here? A (mostly) female band on a stage with an elaborately painted backdrop, about to drop some sick beats at some unknown gig in some unknown place in some unknown time. (There are no clues scribbled on the back of this one, or in the photo itself, besides the initials TH on the decorations.)

As a whole, it’s a fantastically suspended moment — either between songs, mid-song, just before the concert is about to start, or perhaps right at the end, awaiting applause — and the angle places us in the position of the audience, which is already an interesting .viewpoint for a story.

Or maybe the whole thing is posed, and the auditorium behind the camera-person is empty. For what purpose was the photo taken, then? For promotion? Or just to commemorate the moment?

And what if we zoom in on some of the musicians and tell a story from their point of view…?

On the left: a mix of brass, strings, and what I think is a piano at the back. Some fabulous coiffed hairstyles. Smart, matching outfits. Varied responses to the camera here, but peering a little closer, I think this is definitely a posed picture.

“Look just like you’re about to play — but also make sure to smile!” perhaps the photographer told them. (The pianist and cellist are having none of it.)

Moving on, we’ve got percussion, a solo clarinet, an unwavering stare from the gal on double bass, and even a few instruments going unplayed — will someone be jumping up for a saxophone solo mid-song, perhaps? Or are they set up for another, different orchestra? Is this just one group in a battle of the bands?!

I love absolute suffer-no-fools poise of the conductor. “Just take your picture and get it over with so we can rehearse.”

And finally, THESE GUYS. Our token man, bringing up the rear with a little accordion action. And the belle of the ball on xylophone, in pride of place at the front of the stage. Notably younger than the others, and the only one aside from the conductor who gets to wear a fancy white dress — why is she the exception? And what a LOOK she’s giving the camera…

I want to know everyone’s backstory. I want to know about all the bickering and in-jokes and rivalry and alliances within the band. I want to hear the kind of music they play and watch them in full flow — immersed in their art. And I wanna find out who gets the blame when they play a bum note.

So many hypothetical stories and characters to follow in this one. But let’s double our money with another group shot containing no less than thirty potential fictional people:

At first I thought it said 1970 at the bottom, but I definitely don’t think that’s the case (looks more like W1170?) — the era seems a fair bit older than that, judging by the fashion styles and all those fabulous hats.

Anywho, plenty of interesting details to pick out without the need for context clues. In fact, it’s the questions these pictures raise that I find most useful when it comes to crafting imaginary stories around them:

How are all these people related? Are they one huge extended family? Friends? Neighbours? A street party? Members of some secret society, gathered for a summer picnic?

On that note: what is the occasion? It seems like a celebration, or at least a sunny day out, and most of them are smiling. A reunion, perhaps? A birthday? A public holiday?

And what else do we find when we zoom in?

Over on the left, we have a dapper little crew and a few similar-enough faces that I’m guessing there are likely some close relations here. Siblings, cousins, parents and children, aunts and uncles.

One thing I love about older photos is that often the fashion choices seem to be much more limited than they are now, so instead of a wide range of clothing to give clues to people’s personalities, you have to look closer at the finer details. The way one ties their scarf; where one parts their hair; the quality of one’s tailoring… Small, subtle differences in how each of them holds themselves that tells you a lot about what kind of person they might be.

I also wonder what’s on the front page of the newspaper tucked under that man’s arm. Whatever date it is — what was happening in the world? I wonder what the guy with the pipe is looking at, off camera. Or is he muttering something to the serious guy with the newspaper? I wonder, rather ominously, what happened to the woman with the red cross above her head — and who marked it on the photograph?

Over on the right, a whole load more personalities to choose from, and plenty more fantastic hats. I’m kinda impressed that the photographer managed to get everyone’s attention and a majority of smiles. I wonder what they said to get such big reaction (notwithstanding the sombre kids at the front). Did they get everyone to yell “nipples!” or tell a joke? Is it someone they know, or did they hire a photographer for the occasion?

I also found myself zoning in on the proud little boy with his toy boat and his neat (school?) uniform. How old would he be now, if he’s still alive? Does he remember that day? That beloved boat? Were the other children jealous? Did he let them play with it, too? Is there a lake nearby, or a pond, or a river, or the beach?

And my favourite of all, this woman, right in the middle of the crowd, eyes closed, head thrown back in glee. Who made her laugh? The photographer? Someone behind her? One of the women at her side? The child in her lap? Or is she just a little tipsy? What did her laugh sound like?

You could tell thirty different tales about this day. This photo. Or any picture of a group of people, really.

Because every single person has their own inner world going on inside — behind the picture — their own motivations and desires and interests and quarrels and resentments and dreams. Every person is the protagonist in their own narrative, which means there are an infinite number of stories to explore, and you can really hone your characterisation skills by trying out different perspectives.

Here’s how:

Tales from the Group Shot

Every character, in every scene — be it a short story, a novel, a play, a film — needs to be there for a reason. No matter how large or small their role, each character needs to have some kind of purpose, motivation, aim, or reaction to what’s going on.

Otherwise, what the hell are they doing there?

Take these group shot photos, for example.

It would probably be a little overwhelming to create a backstory and sense of purpose for each and every one of the pictures’ participants (although you’re welcome to try!), but I bet you could pick out a handful of your favourites and come up with some fairly in-depth character ideas. Like…

What are they doing there?

What mood are they in?

Who do they have beef with?

Who do they share knowing looks with?

What questions would they like to ask someone?

What secrets are they hiding?

What happened just before the photo was taken?

What happens directly afterwards?

What’s happening out of frame?

Spend a few minutes scribbling down your immediate thoughts and see if you can build up a sense of each person.

Are some of your characters’ motivations at odds with one another? Excellent.

Could there be something suspicious going on that none of them are talking about out loud? And as it simmers there, underneath, how do each of them react?

What if one of them makes some kind of life-changing decision that affects the other characters. What happens then?

There are a bazillion different ways you could go with this. See where your freewriting takes you. And after a while, you should start to see the invisible spiderweb of connections and consequences between your chosen characters.

Now:

Pick one or two perspectives and run with your ideas… Let their voices emerge and see what they have to say about the situation they’ve been frozen in. Set the camera rolling and let them tell their story.

Applying This Exercise to your WIP:

If you don’t feel like writing something new, you can totally give your work-in-progress the freeze frame moment, too.

Take a scene you’re working on — or perhaps one you’re a little stuck with — and imagine it encapsulated in a photo. Sketch it out with stick people if you like.

What’s the setting? Where are all your characters? What are they doing? What look is on each of their faces?

Now remember: everyone in this scene needs a reason to be there.

Treat your characters to the same list of questions above: What do they want? What are the connections? Where’s the tension? What’s hidden behind their outward appearance?

This stop-and-pause exercise is such a useful one to use in your writing — to remind you that your fictional characters should really be behaving and thinking like real human beings.

It also reminds you that interesting things happen when everyone feels like the protagonist of their own story — especially when their intentions and desires and actions collide.

And by freezing that moment in an imaginary photo, you give yourself the time and space to investigate all of this.

Because… (fuck, I’m gonna say it) …a picture really can tell a thousand words (I’m so sorry, please don’t unsubscribe).

Happy writing!

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