Pictures, a thousand words and images that spark a story

[stickygirl]

This keeps happening to me and I'm sure I'm not alone - seeing a photo that sparks a mood or perhaps initiates a cascade of ideas that become the bones of a story. I invite you to post an image and tell us what you see. Maybe we'll see something different? Perhaps your image will spark someone's else's imagination? I hope I've explained the concept well enough.

Here's mine and it doesn't really matter who the two people are, though they both appear in my Goalposts series. What caught my attention was the eyes of the woman looking away. Why? Has she simply been distracted or is she distancing herself emotionally? She looks a world away from the woman hugging her.

The other woman has buried her face, has thrown her arms around her friend and is emotionally in the moment.

Has an image caught your eye and why?

 

[Euphony]

As less emotionally inclined, I will admit I am cheating off your paper a bit.

I am struck by how stiff Mrs. Black jacket is, as if this display of PDA is not just her mood right now, but threatening to her socially or some such.

Most interesting dynamic to try to draw is whether Mrs. Jacket is projecting her intentions via said stiffness OR in a bit of a daze herself and friend is trying to pull her back into reality or at least acceptance a bit.

The latter is an easier sell than the former but I'm completely discounting a more complex situation than the initial read. (though, maybe feeling behind the emotional intelligence 8 ball, I just want to look more clever than I maybe am.)

*edit* Also, Mrs. Jacket making herself accommodatingly small for bodies "fitment." So, she's not completely adrift. Some level of her is there. How much of an auto-program she's running is up for debate.

 

[lovecraft68]

The woman in black looks totally stunned. Whatever happened that the other woman is hugging her hasn't sunk in yet.

beyond that, I see nothing to read into it naturally(as in if we try hard enough we could all make up something dirty about it)

 

[KeithD]

My take on Ms. Black Jacket is that she realizes she's on camera and that, because of what the world has become, although she would really like to give Ms. Red Jacket the emotional shared response she seeks, society will no longer let that happen without dragging her through the mud.

 

[lovecraft68]

My take on Ms. Black Jacket is that she realizes she's on camera and that, because of what the world has become, although she would really like to give Ms. Red Jacket the emotional shared response she seeks, society will no longer let that happen without dragging her through the mud.

What decade did your mind get stuck in? It wouldn't be anywhere near the 'taboo" if she was to be showing some type of affection here.

Crap, I forgot, you still think you're an edge lord because you pretend to be bi.

 

[KeithD]

What, your "spend your Christmas paying attention to oh woe is me" posts didn't satisfy you enough yesterday, Lovecraft68? Go fish, you sick little obsessed puppy.

 

[stickygirl]

Most interesting dynamic to try to draw is whether Mrs. Jacket is projecting her intentions via said stiffness OR in a bit of a daze herself and friend is trying to pull her back into reality or at least acceptance a bit.

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that

 

[Euphony]

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that

Felt like I was really stretching on her showing some intention (her eyes are really off in the distance) but I like to play with the extremes b/c you won't always see *exactly* what you want represented so play wildly in your imagination to get what you might need later.

If you like to write uncommon, it's understandable you'd find it difficult finding the uncommon so allowing yourself reality flexibility is a useful tool.

 

[lovecraft68]

I Agee. And to me, this doesn't seem to be a happy hug, but a comforting one. The woman in black looks small and upset. Maybe bad news; a bad action?

Tough last minute heartbreaking loss would be my guess.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Here is a picture that I have been contemplating for a couple of years. Judge for yourself:

Is her expression one of anticipation of what is to come, or satisfaction with what has just occurred?

 

[Rob_Royale]

I hadn't intended to find one but I did. In my first story, a May/Dec romance, I knew the couple would go out on a formal date. So during my planning stage, I did a search for a mature woman with a green dress and got this. The lovely lady instantly became the older woman in my story. She's strikingly beautiful.

 

[admirinbeauty]

Here is a picture that I have been contemplating for a couple of years. Judge for yourself:

Is her expression one of anticipation of what is to come, or satisfaction with what has just occurred?

She is anticipating. Perhaps an entry from behind?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I hadn't intended to find one but I did. In my first story, a May/Dec romance, I knew the couple would go out on a formal date. So during my planning stage, I did a search for a mature woman with a green dress and got this. The lovely lady instantly became the older woman in my story. She's strikingly beautiful.

I can also read into the image that the woman took time and made the effort to look this good, and appears proud about it. There is self-confidence evident in her as well.

 

[stickygirl]

I hadn't intended to find one but I did. In my first story, a May/Dec romance, I knew the couple would go out on a formal date. So during my planning stage, I did a search for a mature woman with a green dress and got this. The lovely lady instantly became the older woman in my story. She's strikingly beautiful.

She has that rather stiff posture of someone asked to pose for the camera but otherwise for a woman that age, she's rocking it.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

OK, not erotic by any means, but I find the clear, deep-seated, long-lasting love in this to be simply amazing. There’s a phenomenal story in there, with hardship and respect and toil and bliss and victory. I’ve been staring at it almost daily for a long time, but it still escapes me. Some day I will do it justice.

 

[Euphony]

OK, not erotic by any means, but I find the clear, deep-seated, long-lasting love in this to be sim0ly amazing. There’s a phenomenal story in there, with hardship and respect and toil and bliss and victory. I’ve been staring at it almost daily for a long time, but it still escapes me. Some day I will do it justice.View attachment 2197926

Reminds me of the movie Amour (2012).

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I totally solved the first picture. The girl is very emotional after her performance that she runs to the coach and hugs her vigorously and then we see the coach express this 'What the fuck? ' face.
The answer is she mistakenly ran to hug the coach of the opposing team

 

[gunhilltrain]

You are very weak in recognizing nuances to the point of blindness... not surprising at all.
A 70±year-old woman with self-confidence will not turn her face to the side when she looks at the camera, will not push Botox into her face, and will not be underweight – she is skin and bones!
She can't even smile for fear that her smile isn't pretty.
Even her pose with her right leg forward is a defensive position, and she has to use the railing to steady herself.

Who said she's more than seventy years old? I'm very bad at determining ages, but I'd guess she may be less than that. Maybe I'm also not good at reading body language, but I don't know what is significant about the position of her leg or the fact she's holding the railing. But, maybe you see some things that I don't.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I found this a few days ago, but I don't have a story for it right now. It's part of a Mambo dancing contest that must have been part of a street fair. Summer 1998, 161st Street and the Grand Concourse. An evocative photo, with the couple concentrating on their intense dance, the people watching from behind, and the two cops doing their cop thing. The building on the left is the former Concourse Plaza Hotel where my parents had their wedding reception in 1952.

Mambo dance 1998

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

Fascinating topic. I don't know if any specific photo directly inspired my writing, but specific photos definitely linger long enough in my mind to inform the themes I find interesting to explore. Like this photo of a couple getting hitched in the middle of a war zone:

Or this photo of a woman in Tehran risking her life to protest for a right I take for granted:


My admiration for such acts sometimes come out in my writing.

 

[Scareltt]

Fascinating topic. I don't know if any specific photo directly inspired my writing, but specific photos definitely linger long enough in my mind to inform the themes I find interesting to explore. Like this photo of a couple getting hitched in the middle of a war zone:
View attachment 2197948
Or this photo of a woman in Tehran risking her life to protest for a right I take for granted:
View attachment 2197950

My admiration for such acts sometimes come out in my writing.

I wonder if it’s going to be “Happily Ever-after” or something else.

I’m also following this.

It’s wonderful to see how everyone’s mind works.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I use a combo of images and music to spark of a story. One of the ones I'm working on now is a non-con story that this and a couple of other images sparked off. The song that goes with this one os Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. I usually try and find an image of the main character(s) to pin to my wall while I'm writing.

 

[Rob_Royale]

You are very weak in recognizing nuances to the point of blindness... not surprising at all.

@BobbyBrandt looks like you have a fan.

 

[gunhilltrain]

@BobbyBrandt looks like you have a fan.

I'm reminded of an Oscar Wilde quote. "Every effect one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular one must be a mediocrity."

 

[BobbyBrandt]

@BobbyBrandt looks like you have a fan.

I too am a fan...

...of the "ignore" feature on this forum.