If you’re a HarmonyWishes follower, I think we can assume you have good taste, no?  ☺  We may also assume that you have some interest in quality images. I’ve got you pegged, right?

I’ve been hard at work on a multimedia project here in my neighborhood in Oaxaca. Gathering a group of local illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, animators, musician and audio makers (to name a few), we’ve been creating a multimedia portrait of one of the oldest neighborhoods in Oaxaca—Xochimilco.  It’s fun to say!  Here, let me help you: soh-chee-MĒL-koh.

It’s been exciting and challenging to find ways to characterize and narrate the story of these cobblestone streets.  The process has made me think about how images are used to tell different stories. I’ve been hunting down examples where photography and  sound are used to convey a variety of messages.  I thought I might share a few of those sites with this “image-engaged” crowd. Here’s the first of several posts on my findings.

Screenshot, One in 8 Million, Photo: Todd Heisler, Text: Sarah Kramer

One in 8 Million

This is one of my favorite multi-media offerings on the NY Times website. The series was produced by Sarah Kramer and Alexis Mainland, with photographs from Todd Heisler. Here’s how they describe the project:

New York is a city of characters. On the subway and in its streets, from the intensity of Midtown to the intimacy of neighborhood blocks, is a 305-square-mile parade of people with something to say.  This is a collection of a few of their passions and problems, relationships and routines, vocations and obsessions. A new story will be added weekly.

So often these local stories don’t make it to the inked pages of national papers like the Times. I would wager that expanded reader use of online versions of newspapers has made it possible, and even necessary, for them to spotlight feature stories on the small scale, with personal character and universal appeal.  These are stories about people like you and me—told with quality. You’ll hear about Henrique Prince, the subway busker, or Alexandra Elman, the blind wine taster. Check out their depository; it is immense (but easy to sift through) and fascinating. I’m a fan!

I encourage you to think about the many ways the images in HarmonyWishes’ collection tell a story.  By sharing that image you extend the story past the lens or paintbrush, and into the lives of your own community. Are you curious to know from where a particular image was drawn, or what the story is behind it?

Well, let us know! We’re happy to share.

Cheers,
Megan