100 Words

What do you think when you see an image of an athletic black man in a classic business suit, an American flag or an empty chair?


If we share the same culture and similar experiences then it is likely that we will interpret the images we encounter in a similar fashion:  the fit and well dressed black man is a professional athlete, the American flag conjures feelings of patriotism and the empty chair reminds us of someone missing in our lives.  This is the power of photography, to convey in an instant a message that, as the expression goes, is worth a thousand words.


But in a digital world in which we are subject to thousands of images on a daily basis (the visual equivalent of a million words) our defense against emotional overload is an increasingly shortened attention span in which even the most evocative of images may hold us for mere seconds.  This book, then, is an invitation to pause and to look deeper into the street photography of Roxanne Bouché Overton, to allow time to explore smaller details not evident at first glance, and to consider the various stories that these photos might be speaking.


To spark your imagination, Sam Stapleton has provided an alternative interpretation of each image, drawing from his own unique life experiences.  As your experiences will be different from his, so too will your stories extend into new directions.  We ask you to immerse yourself in Roxanne’s images, read Sam’s stories and then allow time for your own stories to emerge.


With the inflation of imagery in our modern society, an image may no longer be worth a thousand words, but as Sam demonstrates, every image has a story worthy of at least a hundred words.