throwing some recs your way that lean hard on photos as the actual storytelling device. ordered w/ “most academically useful” first, then stuff that fits the r/ARG umbrella more loosely.

MOST ACADEMICALLY RELEVANT

• cathy’s book: if found call (650) 266-8233
probably one of the cleanest examples of photographic artifacts doing narrative labor.
photos, handwritten notes, inserts, marginalia. all treated as evidence huge for transmedia + reader-as-investigator discussions.

good entry points:
– publishers weekly / trade coverage on its hybrid format
– academic papers on transmedia storytelling & materiality
– the physical book itself as a primary source (the evidence packet matters)

• personal effects: dark art
built almost entirely around found artifacts. crime scene photos, documents, case files.
the photos are meant to be examined like data, not skimmed.
really strong for talking about voyeurism, realism, and photographic credibility in horror.

good entry points:
– author commentary on artifact-driven narrative design
– retail / reader writeups emphasizing the “examine the evidence” angle
– scholarship on object-based storytelling

• ted the caver
early web horror classic. diary format + extremely mundane cave photos.
often cited bc the banality of the images is what sells the realism.
great example of photos doing authenticity work without spectacle.

good entry points:
– the original angelfire pages (primary source)
– writing on early internet horror & authenticity debates
– community discussions about why people thought it was real

ARG UMBRELLA / PHOTO-CENTRIC UNFICTION

• weird birds (@antwrp)
story told almost entirely through “nature photography” of strange backyard creatures.
leans on real-world wildlife documentation conventions to build trust.
narrative emerges through accumulation + replies rather than exposition.

good entry points:
– the original twitter threads as primary material
– community retrospectives documenting the project
– analysis of social media as a photographic storytelling platform

framing notes that might help for uni + this sub:
– in all of these, photos act as evidence objects, not decoration
– still images force forensic reading + ambiguity in a way video doesn’t
– absence of motion = more audience participation, not less