This practice-led doctoral project explores the synthesis of the two powerful communicative modes of representation in contemporary culture: text and the photograph. The visual artworks created through this research use personal narrative in ways that seek to unsettle the recognised descriptive and representational modes and composites for using text and photographs. The majority of the works are large photographs combined with short stories. These personal narratives are made up of letters cut into the photograph and often form an additional shape or vignette within or over the photographic image. This configuration intends to disrupt the usual expectation for reading or illustrating narrative and aims to create new understanding of the nature of the photograph and the role it plays in creating narrative worlds.