Initially, I only wanted to make a picture of a bench, a tree and the old man on a hill, in silhouette. Then I saw the potential for a short narrative – with a very similar, epic story by Christophe Chabouté, The Park Bench, at the back of my mind. So this is also a homage to one of my favorite graphic novels.
What fascinates me in hindsight is the fact that their simplicity allows for these seven pictures to be reshuffled into different stories (which I did, deciding on this version as the story I originally wanted to tell):
- You could swap the second and the fifth picture, which might mean she stays away or he loses her.
- You could move the pictures of the empty bench and see what that would do to the pace of the story.
- You could start with the two of them meeting, then him being there alone, her alone, him alone again, the bench eventually remaining empty: a tale of missed opportunities.
It’s a bit like the Tarot cards telling the stories in Italo Calvino’s novel The Castle of Crossed Destinies.
On an entirely different note: Could this be a suitable entry for the lens artists’ challenge no. 300: Delicate? Because that’s how this story feels to me.
empire of lights 
Fantastic! I really enjoyed scrolling down and having you tell me this story. And yes, it is delicate.
Glad to hear of your reading/scrolling process and how the story unfolded for you. Thanks, Sofia!
Big kudos on your creativity in this one Tobias. I loved the way one could create a story around them, and/or change their order to change the story. Fantastic.
Every once in a while, a picture turns out to be the seed for a story to be told in a sequence of pictures… Thanks for visiting and commenting, Tina!
Tobias, what a creative view on the challenge topic. Yes, the photos are so delicate in themselves and also in the story they can tell.
So glad you “see” it, thanks!
A fabulous take on, Tobias! Love it! And the idea of changing the puzzle is just brilliant. Of course it is delicate – in every way. Thank you for a gorgeous entry!
So glad you like it! Thank you!
You are welcome