Photographers hold in their hands a powerful tool that enables them to capture a moment in time. The concept of telling a story in mere milliseconds is nothing new, but the ability to layer narratives within a single frame, express emotion and document history is a skill that photographers can spend years perfecting.
So how do the professionals do it? Ahead of the 2022 Redline Challenge, on the theme of A Split Second Story, we spoke to five Canon Ambassadors working in different photographic genres, to understand how they interpret storytelling and capture meaning in a single image.
Born in the UK to Egyptian parents, the work of documentary photographer Laura El-Tantawy is underpinned by a narrative of identity and belonging. Helen Bartlett is one of the UK's most respected family photographers, choosing to shoot in black and white in natural surroundings to allow her subjects space to tell their story. Kenyan wildlife photographer Clement Kiragu is known for his striking images and believes he can give animals a voice and use photography to tell their stories. Poland's Marcin Kin has travelled the globe, capturing the intricacies of extreme sports. The final Ambassador to share their take on storytelling with photography is South African photojournalist Gulshan Khan, who aims to bring attention to the issues she sees around her, such as plastic pollution, access to water, safe housing and gender.