Story of the Image

Action. The action shown in an image suggests its “plot” or story, the events surrounding the moment it captures. Figure 14.2 shows Batman eating a quick dinner or late-night snack. It suggests his earlier actions driving to the place, parking outside, ordering his food, and taking a seat at a small corner table.

Background. The background in an image shows where and when the action takes place. In Figure 14.2, the background is a bagel and donut shop on a winter night. This eatery — well lit and ordinary — sharply contrasts with its only customer, the figure of Batman, who is dark and mysterious, both in costume and mission. Because he is usually engaged in dangerous and high-minded crime-fighting crusades, the background seems designed to surprise viewers, who might ask, “What is the Dark Knight doing in a place like this?” Beyond the physical details of the photograph’s background, fans will know that Batman is the secret disguise of the billionaire industrialist-playboy Bruce Wayne, a man traumatically orphaned who has vowed to devote his life to bringing criminals to justice. For anonymity, he does his crime-fighting and detective work clothed in the mystique and costume of Batman, a creature of the night. Throughout all his comic-book exploits, he is known for his intelligence, athleticism, command of technology, sense of justice — and damaged psyche.