by Gary Fong
Photographer: Aaron Hardin, website

 
What does a fish, a guitar, a cowboy hat, and an espresso machine have in common? Nothing that I can think of…except…maybe a critique about a collection of disjointed work… That would be the only commonality that comes to mind.

Aaron Hardin is in the beginning stages of a photo story about a second-generation, alternative country, barroom rock musician in the Deep South. He’s photographing elements of country music, lyrics, and pieces of memories that somehow come together in music.

In a photo essay, the issue is finding a story thread. Like in country music, the thread is accounts of a hard life brought to reality in music. In a picture story, the elements of a hard life should be visually relational.
 

Now for the Nit Picking

As Aaron develops his concept, I’m sure the relationship between a dead fish “sittin’ on a dock” and an espresso machine will meld together, but for now…I’m having a hard time seeing it. Maybe it’ll come in four-part harmony…but that’ll be after the music is written.

I would rather see visual elements of music, of the Deep South, and a slow pace of life that all contribute to the story thread. Each image should build upon the other.  Stronger images will hold the attention and take the viewer into a prescribed direction.  But each supportive image should contribute back to the story thread.

Where does Aaron go from here?  When he’s in the field, making picture of his concept, he needs to keep in mind what the visual elements his viewers will key off on when seeing the competed body of work.  For picture stories, it’s not enough to have a group of individual pictures. Those individual pictures must relate to each other. Corporately, those related pictures provide the viewer a greater understanding of the complete story.