So.
We continually story our lives for ourselves and for others; that is to say, I believe that individuals perpetually structure (and reconstruct and even deconstruct) their lives. They tell stories about themselves to themselves, and offer versions to others; trying out their narratives in social arenas sometimes.
We do this with our images too; taking photos of ourselves in familiar places, in new places and with different people. We look at things with our eyes, through camera lenses and on screens. We use images to tell stories, to reinforce stories, to collect data; we arrange and re-arrange the images and look at the world in different ways.
I think that in creating the narratives about ourselves, we draw on larger ‘grand narratives’ about life; the story of a marriage; of a person growing up; of a person having a career, for example. I think we structure our stories in relation to others we know and understand the meanings and significances of lives in relation to others we see. Our local stories are saturated with the cultural values of our social worlds. So, I value things in my life which my culture values. (it is hard not to.) 
Schriffin says that:
‘we construct our own individual experiences as a way to positon ourselves in relation to social and cultural expectations’
(Schriffin, 1996:2)
And Benwell and Stokoe (2006: 139) say that this is a ‘kind of interdependency betweeen personal stories and culturally circulating plotlines’ .
I am interested in this and the way this happens; that we draw on narratives around us and see our lives in relation to them and perceive our own stories as being similar to, or different from, these.
I am fascinated for example, by the story of transformations that are so commonly told on tv;the ongoing project of the self. Self improvement, self enhancement - looking 10 years younger; better dressed; fitter; slimmer; richer, etc etc. The ‘truth’ of these stories is so embedded in our culture; i.e. that it can only be a GOOD THING to live a life where one is forever on a JOURNEY, to one or another of those things.
Here are some figs:
