Why you can’t create the perfect photo dump
Here’s what you missed
Hey, I’m Bonnie and welcome to a ✨ free edition ✨ of my newsletter. Each week I share insight into the art of being photogenic, Including how to pose, what to wear—fashionable style, makeup—and a lot of whatnot that may benefit your photo. Why, because you can do all that with a phone camera.
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A Wizard once wrote:
Women now post on Instagram as if they’re asking a riddle. It’ll be like a hot picture of them, followed by a picture of Daniel Radcliffe in drag, and then a blurry picture from a Saturday night, then the three drinks they had at brunch, and then a vague quote about the world coming to an end. And it’s all captioned with the word Recently. What’s going on here? Is Daniel Radcliffe okay? Is he sponsored by Aritzia? What does it all mean?
Jared Freid
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Dear Jared,
Color me amused by your TikTok. You make Recently sound like Russia in Winston Churchill’s day. Actually, there is no mystique recently relating to women, Instagram or dating hashtags for that matter, or to cis men who dress up like women, babushka to boot, for the ‘gram. We all started out as normal, average little children who grew up and developed magical senses that are sharpened by social media.
Women have never considered their sensual perception a bonus in any sense of wizardry. We call it cyber instinct. Without which we would be mortal and vulnerable. Someday, when your TikTok collabos with Aritzia develop, you too will know whenever whatever recently trended on social media even though you were in a Zoom meeting. You will see some rando slide into your DMs (“I can’t even begin to describe how photogenic her carousel dump was.”). And you will sense your online-only GF is lying to you about taking a dump in a carousel even while talking about the corporate merry-go-round and how her private business is none of your business.
Women are just normal people really. We don’t pretend to be perfect or have all the know-how involved in practice to make that happen. Why, recently, there’s a lot of evidence pointing to complete ignorance, for example:
What is a photo dump?
A photo dump is something all right, a thing in itself. That’s not the only thing. Some such thing (a photo album) is not some other thing (photo dump), nor is it some kind/sort/type of just anything (photo). There is something to it, not to say somewhat, somehow, someway, somewise, somebody, or someone, someplace, somewhere, somewhen, somewhither, sometime, someday. What I mean is with this photo dump thing. I’m not asking a rhetorical question here or compounding what with one thing and another how, why, who, where, or when, which has been somewhat of a problem, if you ask the Internet what’s what.
Because it is so early in the works, it is easy to say that we are either at the edge of a remarkable new and useful art or that we are careening down a photo-realistic rabbit hole in scrambled reflections of Humpty Dumpty, the articulate egg, soon to be an omelet. Still, I see through the looking glass the arrangement of carousel content for a photo dump arranged as the photo sequence reversed, turning back the clock on Instagram with reference to an intervening Facebook poke and album upload arranged as the mirror image of 2014 content for @hoarding grandma #gram #notforthegram #icebucketchallenge.
OK. Here is something we all agree on. In theory and practice, a photo dump is done on purpose; namely: to depict realism—opposed to idealism. It’s kind of a fearless realism made up of a fidelity to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization or the most typical views, details, and surroundings of a subject. What’s more, the recording of realism in an image of telling the “truth” about what you saw is also a purpose of art. So, something (photo dump) made up of a thing (art) is a thing (art) in itself (photo dump). Ding, ding! We have a winner! There you have it: the missing keyword: art. Which goes a longways to explain all the confusion. And we can deduce something else. Any composition for any purpose other than realism—be it, a photo album, photomontage, photo sequence, photo session, photo op, plus a long etcetera of illustrious photography—noway, nohow could be a photo dump. Which I have conveniently defined for us here.
Photo dump
pho·to·dump noun \ ˈfōtə-,ˈdəmp
: a compilation of digital material employing a high proportion of pictorial matter with photographic realism or naturalism in the realm of art especially from various sources, elements, or influences to post (a carousel) to the Instagram photo-sharing service.
There are principles of the visual arts and graphic design elements and there are purposes of art. Just because a photo dump is new to the art scene, it does not follow that we need to reinvent the wheel. Much like existing property law at the advent of the Internet was applied to Web addresses and domains and sites, existing art used as an analog can apply to our photo dump. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a (drum roll, please) collage! Of course, I swung my arm to the left to put an exclamation point on the end. I did it to signal to the band for a rim shot. Don’t laugh. In this technique photographs, news clippings (screenshots) or other objects (memes, GIFs, videos) are pasted on the painting surface and may be combined with painted areas. The cuttings and objects may be selected for their associative or representational values, or for the formal and textural qualities of the result. This technique was first accepted as a legitimate medium that could augment or be substituted for painting in fine arts in the 20th century. One of the first examples was executed by Pablo Picasso. Other artists using this technique include Braque, Max Ernst, and Kurt Schwitters. See, I said don’t laugh.
Any competent designer or graphic artist instinctively chooses a theme or leitmotiv for a given work and allows it to influence all his choice of form and line (of associative and representative images). Also, any given work needs critics using hindsight in the best tradition of Monday morning quarterbacks. Everyday life is acutely dependent on this perpetual motion of the supply chain in which content for photo dumps compete for the same material purpose (conform to the exact nature or depict every appearance of the subject that comes to the artist’s attention). In other words, you want to be doubly prepared, if not dually purposed, for the journey.
As long as you keep it real, any secondary purpose works as a theme for a photo dump on top of realism. Following are the purposes of art (1): ceremonial or ritualistic; (2): commemoration of an important event; (3): propaganda or social commentary; (4): recording of visual data with realism (image actualization of truth, real-life conformity, or adherence to naturalism); (5): stylizing of visual data with idealism, (image abstraction, obscurity, or allusion to reality); (6): creating beauty (pleasing to the eye); (7): storytelling; (8): intense emotion.
Note: purpose No. 4 (is a gimme), and the strikethrough of its rival, No. 5 (is a no-go).
Along with the above supplies inside a grab bag for the leitmotiv, the vantage is all yours with a magical sense of 20/20 vision, keen set on critical perceptions of the nature and demands of an event even after it has happened, in hindsight. Just up ahead is a road map of sorts. Glean it and read on.
Here are some actionable steps you can take to improve your next photo dump.
Use representational or associative values to pick your content.
Use formal and textural qualities in result to place your material.
Get inspired.
Use representational or associative values to pick your content.
Representational value is one of the few design elements known to carry on the literal meaning or symbolism of an otherwise intangible truth. Unlike imagism in poetry, symbolism is poetry in motion when someone catches and throws a ball and ranges in form from the allegorization of nature or life to the presentation of ideas, emotions, or states of mind through arrangements of lines and shapes or contrasts or blending of color. For instance, in the above photo dump, to give representational value to the ceremonial theme, I selected one picture of the wedding ceremony itself, another of the newlywed’s first dance, and one video of the wedding party. Looks like a ceremonious occasion. You betcha!
You can also use associative elements which involve forming mental connections or bonds between sensations, ideas, or memories. For example, the selection of content for a photo dump might include images like keys, locks, and doors to suggest themes of access, security, or transition. In my case, I am involving in-flight travel by airplane required to exhibit steadiness to wing and shot skyward to a destination wedding, the photo of the raw bar at the reception to connect the idea that our friend had just married and the world looked like his oyster, and a bottle of ibuprofen to hint at a hangover, forming a bond between physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol and memories of something that remains from what is past (as a surviving trait or custom).
In your own photo dumps, make sure to include representative and/or associative elements to clarify or emphasize your purpose to the viewer.
You can start by going through your camera roll and 'hearting' photos from an event or time period that align. This will help you begin to see patterns, which will lead you to the next step: placement.
Use formal and textural qualities in result to place your material.
The natural quality of a singing voice is enhanced by good placement as the assignment of a worker to a suitable job. The placement of lights for taking indoor portraits is key to the recording of natural quality as well. An arrangement of persons or sometimes of things usually having a common purpose or sentiment will foster harmony and balance, both of symmetry and asymmetry alike, to grab hold of the audience. A television lineup built to catch the attention of a TV audience viewing at home is no different from unscripted content viewed online. Ditto in real life. First impressions are lasting impressions; other first impressions are last impressions (read no bueno). Simple enough, in the arrangement of carousel content for a photo dump, the first image has to catch the eye right off the bat if there is any hope to see it get shared. Everyone knows that. After that, no one really knows. Stay tuned! Up next: selfie, outfit, food, friend, meme, meh. We find some guidance from principles of the visual arts. Look to feature add-on balance, proportion, harmony, rhythm, emphasis and unity. So here, I liken my lineup to the batting order of a baseball (or béisbol) team, and you may like that too.
Bear in mind the above principles come into play by design of the formal and textural qualities in result of the all-star placement of my five-image lineup:
1. The first image in the order is the leadoff. The leadoff player is traditionally one with a high on-base percentage, comfortably familiar and none too fancy. Just make a hit.
2. If the first image did its job, the second one can gamble every time on contact, make a sacrifice. This is my switch-hitter. The set-up man.
3. In the three-spot is the MVP of the line-up. Babe Ruth wore No. 3 because he batted third for the New York Yankees, “which was the style at the time,” according to Abe “Grandpa” Simpson. This is the best all-around image in the lineup, with the highest percentage of scoring a big-time performance that’ll knock your socks off.
4. The fourth position in the order is the cleanup spot, a flamboyant crowd-pleaser given to mad feats of daring. It’s almost always one of the best pics in the lineup, able to “clean” the bases of images before it so as to enable a fresh start. Think Ruth’s teammate, the “Iron Horse” No. 4, Lou Gehrig.
5. The fifth pose rounds out the heart of the order. It should have a high percentage of success. The main goal is to drive everything home, at times by intentionally walking, play it up, don’t take a low percentage swing for the fences and strike out on your last image, A small but bracing upshot like a jolt of horseradish. With an abrupt, sharp, jerky movement poised to become the chevron of my lineup, I keep the streak alive, and the crowd woke, with a quick hard jar potent as a jolting cup of joe.
Form and shape are areas or masses which define objects in space. Form and shape imply space; indeed they cannot exist without space. Form and shape repeat in my photo dump, from oyster shells to an ibuprofen bottle to circular dotted ceiling lights in the venue space at the reception. Notice these three images line up elementally but are unconnected in line, being neither situated near one another nor proximate to each other. Rather, the segmented trio is interposed and juxtaposed by human forms and rectangular windows. These varied shapes in the photo dump contribute to a dynamic visual flow, of a carousel. There also are photos and videos that play with camera distance to create the illusion of depth and proportion and size or scale. The photo dump is not a heap of selfsame selfies shot from about the same distance and camera angle in a rapid succession. Which is closer to a photo sequence in a photo session than content for a photo dump.. Instead, my first shot incorporates a flowing graceful gesture in a full-length dress to direct the eye to focus attention on the movement, followed by a close-up selfie, then I zoomed out to get a wide-angle airview (aerial photograph). This approach gives the overall piece spatial relationships that look less cluttered and repetitive.
Texture is a quality of an object that we sense through touch. It exists both as a literal surface we can feel and as a surface we can see, imagining the sensation we might experience if we touched it. Texture can also be portrayed in an image, suggested to the eye, which can refer to our memories of surfaces we have touched. Thus, a texture can be imaginary.
In my photo dump, I use both soft and harsher textures, but the most obvious is the photo with the oysters. Yes, wetness is a texture. Any surface is. That’s why texture is an element of result as is form.
Pro tip: If you want to get an overall or cursory look at a photo dump you are assembling, check out Canva dot-com to create a collage. The bird’s-eye view of carousel content is more easily arranged and effectively curated.
Get inspired.
This part features a triumvirate of photo dumps made with different thoughts and expressions. Not from Picasso, but Billie Eilish, my husband Michael, and Kylie Jenner. The content may at first appear randomly thrown together. But a closer inspection tells a different story of images purposefully selected for values and forms (including colors) and textures arranged in result as proof at last of a method to the madness.
Now role-play the thoughts and expressions of each character, or act a part of the art critic. Can you spot the representational or associative values of content, the formal and textural placement of material in result of principles of the visual arts? What purposes of art did you gather? Leave your review (or revue) in the comments section. The exercise should really get the creative juices flowing and may even be a real inspo to others. I look forward to reading your commentary.
Billie Eilish documents her month of January.
Michael (my husband) adds social commentary on his experience with the solar eclipse.
Kylie Jenner documents that women go through many changes during the period of motherhood.
Conclusion:
To create the perfect photo dump, select images with associative or representational values, and add balance and symmetry/asymmetry by the placement of material with formal and textural qualities in result.
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See ya next week!
Sincerely,
Bonnie