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How to Create a Photo Essay in 9 Steps (with Examples)
Photo Editing , Tutorials
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What is a photo essay?
- Photo essays vs photo stories
- How photo essays help you
- 9 Steps to create photo essays
How to share your photo essays
Read Time: 11 minutes
Gather up a handful of images that seem to go together, and voila! Itâs a photo essay, right? Well… no. Though, this is a common misconception.
In reality, a photo essay is much more thoughtful and structured than that. When you take the time to craft one, youâre using skills from all facets of our craft – from composition to curation.
In this guide, youâll learn what makes a photo essay an amazing project that stretches your skills. You'll also learn exactly how to make one step by step.
- Photo essay vs photo story
A photo essay is a collection of images based around a theme, a topic, a creative approach, or an exploration of an idea. Photo essays balance visual variety with a cohesive style and concept.
What's the difference between a photo essay and a photo story?
The terms photo essay and photo story are often used interchangeably. Even the dictionary definition of “photo essay” includes using images to convey either a theme or a story.
But in my experience, a photo essay and a photo story are two different things. As you delve into the field of visual storytelling, distinguishing between the two helps you to take a purposeful approach to what youâre making .
The differences ultimately lie in the distinctions between theme, topic and story.
Themes are big-picture concepts. Example: Wildness
Topics are more specific than themes, but still overarching. Example : Wild bears of Yellowstone National Park
Stories are specific instances or experiences that happen within, or provide an example for, a topic or theme. Example: A certain wild bear became habituated to tourists and was relocated to maintain its wildness
Unlike a theme or topic, a story has particular elements that make it a story. They include leading characters, a setting, a narrative arc, conflict, and (usually) resolution.
With that in mind, we can distingush between a photo essay and a photo story.
Themes and Topics vs Stories
A photo essay revolves around a topic, theme, idea, or concept. It visually explores a big-picture something .
This allows a good deal of artistic leeway where a photographer can express their vision, philosophies, opinions, or artistic expression as they create their images.
A photo story  is a portfolio of images that illustrate – you guessed it – a story.
Because of this, there are distinct types of images that a photo story uses that add to the understanding, insight, clarity and meaning to the story for viewers. While they can certainly be artistically crafted and visually stunning, photo stories document something happening, and rely on visual variety for capturing the full experience.
A photo essay doesnât need to have the same level of structured variety that a photo story requires. It can have images that overlap or are similar, as they each explore various aspects of a theme.
Photo essays can be about any topic. If you live in a city, consider using your nature photography to make an essay about the wildlife that lives in your neighborhood .Â
The role of text with photos
A photo story typically runs alongside text that narrates the story. We're a visual species, and the images help us feel like we are there, experiencing what's happening. So, the images add significant power to the text, but they're often a partner to it.
This isnât always the case, of course. Sometimes photo stories donât need or use text. Itâs like reading a graphic novel that doesnât use text. Moving through the different images that build on each other ultimately unveils the narrative.
Photo essays donât need to rely on text to illuminate the images' theme or topic. The photographer may use captions (or even a text essay), or they may let the images speak for themselves.
Definitions are helpful guidelines (not strict rules)
Some people categorize photo essays as either narrative or thematic. That's essentially just calling photo stories ânarrative photo essaysâ and photo essays âthematic photo essays.â
But, a story is a defined thing, and any writer/editor will tell you themes and topics are not the same as stories. And we use the word âstoryâ in our daily lives as itâs defined. So, it makes far more sense to name the difference between a photo essay and a photo story, and bask in the same clarity writers enjoy .
Photo stories illustrate a particular experience, event, narrative, something that happened or is happening.
Photo essays explore an idea, concept, topic, theme, creative approach, big-picture something .
Both photo essays and photo stories are immensely powerful visual tools. And yes, the differences between them can certainly be blurred, as is always the case with art.
Simply use this distinction as a general guideline, providing extra clarity around what youâre making and why you're making it.
To dig into specific types of images used to create powerful photo stories, check out this training: 6 Must-Have Shots for a Photo Story.Â
Meanwhile, letâs dig deeper into photo essays.
Photo essays are a chance to try new styles or techniques that stretch your skills and creativity. This image was part of an essay exploring simplicity and shape, and helped me learn new skills in black and white post-processing.
How photo essays improve your photography
Creating photo essays is an amazing antidote if youâve ever felt a lack of direction or purpose in your photography. Photo essays help build your photographic skills in at least 3 important ways.
1. You become more strategic in creating a body of work
It's easy to get stuck in a rut of photographing whatever pops up in front of you. And when you do, you end up with a collection of stand-alone shots.
These singles may work fine as a print, a quick Instagram post, or an addition to your gallery of shots on your website. But amassing a bunch of one-off shots limits your opportunities as a photographer for everything from exhibits to getting your work published.
Building photo essays pushes you to think strategically about what you photograph, why, and how. You're working toward a particular deliverable â a cohesive visual essay â with the images you create.
This elevates your skills in crafting your photo essay, and in how you curate the rest of your work, from galleries on your website to selecting images to sell as prints .
2. You become more purposeful in your composition skills
Composition is so much more than just following the rule of thirds, golden spirals, or thinking about the angle of light in a shot.
Composition is also about thinking ahead in what youâre trying to accomplish with a photograph – from what youâre saying through it to its emotional impact on a viewer â and where it fits within a larger body of work.
Photo essays push you to think critically about each shot – from coming up with fresh compositions for familiar subjects, to devising surprising compositions to fit within a collection, to creating compositions that expand on whatâs already in a photo essay.
Youâre pushed beyond creating a single pleasing frame, which leads you to shoot more thoughtfully and proactively than ever.
(Hereâs a podcast episode on switching from reactive shooting to proactive shooting.)
3. You develop strong editing and curation skills
Selecting which images stay, and which get left behind is one of the hardest jobs on a photographerâs to-do list. Mostly, itâs because of emotional attachment.
You might think itâs an amazing shot because you know the effort that went into capturing it. Or perhaps when you look at it, you get a twinge of the joy or exhilaration you felt the moment you captured it. Thereâs also the second-guessing that goes into which of two similar images is the best – which will people like more? So youâre tempted to just show both.
Ultimately, great photographers appear all the more skilled because they only show their best work. That in and of itself is a skill theyâve developed through years of ruthlessly editing their own work.
Because the most powerful photo essays only show a handful of extraordinary images, youâre bound to develop the very same critical skill (and look all the more talented because of it).
Photo essays are also a great stepping stone to creating photo stories. If youâre interested in moving beyond stand-alone shots and building stories, shooting photo essays will get your creative brain limbered up and ready for the adventure of photo stories.
A photo essay exploring the natural history of a favorite species is an exciting opportunity for an in-depth study. For me, that was a photo essay on emotive images of the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) as it hunts in streams.Â
9 Simple steps to create your photo essays
1. clarify your theme.
Choose a theme, topic, or concept you want to explore. Spend some time getting crystal clear on what you want to focus on. It helps to write out a few sentences, or even a few paragraphs noting:
- What you want the essay to be about
- What kinds of images you want to create as part of it
- How youâll photograph the images
- The style, techniques, or gear you might use to create your images
- What âsuccessâ looks like when youâre done with your photo essay
You donât have to stick to what you write down, of course. It can change during the image creation process. But fleshing your idea out on paper goes a long way in clarifying your photo essay theme and how youâll go about creating it.
2. Create your images
Grab your camera and head outside!
As youâre photographing your essay, allow yourself some freedom to experiment. Try unusual compositions or techniques that are new to you.
Stretch your style a little, or âtry onâ the style of other photographers you admire who have photographed similar subjects.
Photo essays are wonderful opportunities to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and grow as a photographer.
Remember that a photo essay is a visually cohesive collection of images that make sense together. So, while you might stretch yourself into new terrain as you shoot, try to keep that approach, style, or strategy consistent.
Donât be afraid to create lots of images. Itâs great to have lots to choose from in the editing process, which comes up next.
3. Pull together your wide edit
Once youâve created your images, pull together all the images that might make the cut. This could be as many as 40-60 images. Include anything you want to consider for the final essay in the wide edit.
From here, start weeding out images that:
- are weaker in composition or subject matter
- stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the collection
- Are similar to other stronger images in the collection
It's helpful to review the images at thumbnail size. You make more instinctive decisions and can more easily see the body of work as a whole. If an image is strong even at thumbnail size to stand out from similar frames while also partnering well with other images in the collection, that's a good sign it's strong enough for the essay.
4. Post-process your images for a cohesive look
Now itâs time to post-process the images. Use whatever editing software youâre comfortable with to polish your images.
Again, a photo essay has a cohesive visual look. If you use presets, filters, or other tools, use them across all the images.
5. Finalize your selection
Itâs time to make the tough decisions. Select only the strongest for your photo essay from your group of images.
Each image should be strong enough to stand on its own and make sense as part of the whole group.
Many photo essays range from 8-12 images. But of course, it varies based on the essay. The number of images you have in your final photo essay is up to you.
Remember, less is more. A photo essay is most powerful when each image deserves to be included.
6. Put your images in a purposeful order
Create a visual flow with your images. Decide which image is first, and build from there. Use compositions, colors, and subject matter to decide which image goes next, then next, then next in the order.
Think of it like music: notes are arranged in a way that builds energy, or slows it down, surprise listeners with a new refrain, or drop into a familiar chorus. How the notes are ordered creates emotional arcs for listeners.
How you order your images is similar.
Think of the experience a viewer will have as they look at one image, then the next, and the next. Order your images so they create the experience you want your audience to have.
7. Get feedback
The best photographers make space for feedback, even when itâs tough to hear. Your work benefits from not just hearing feedback, but listening to it and applying what you learn from it.
Show your photo essay to people who have different sensibilities or tastes. Friends, family members, fellow photographers – anyone you trust to give you honest feedback.
Watch their reactions and hear what they say about what theyâre seeing. Use their feedback to guide you in the next step.
8. Refine, revise, and finalize
Let your photo essay marinate for a little while. Take a day or two away from it. Then use your freshened eyes and the feedback you received from the previous step to refine your essay.
Swap out any selects you might want to change and reorder the images if needed.
9. Add captions
Even if you donât plan on displaying captions with your images, captioning your images is a great practice to get into. It gives context, story, and important information to each image. And, more than likely, you will want to use these captions at some point when you share your photo essay, which we dive into later in this article.
Add captions to the image files using Lightroom, Bridge, or other software programs.
Create a document, such as a Google or Word doc, with captions for each image.
In your captions, share a bit about the story behind the image, or the creation process. Add whatever makes sense to share that provides a greater understanding of the image and its purpose.
Photo essays allow you to explore deliberate style choices, such as a focus on shapes, patterns, textures, and lines. Since each photo is part of a larger essay, it encourages you to be bold with choices you might not otherwise make.Â
5 Examples of amazing nature photo essays
1. “how the water shapes us” from the nature conservancy.
This gorgeous essay, crafted with the work of multiple photographers, explores the people and places within the Mississippi River basin. Through the images, we gain a sense of how the water influences life from the headwater all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Notice how each photographer is tasked with the same theme, yet approaches it with their own distinct style and vision. It is a wonderful example of the sheer level of visual variety you can have while maintaining a consistent style or theme.
View it here
2. “A Cyclist on the English Landscape” from New York Timesâ The World Through A Lens series
This photo essay is a series of self-portraits by travel photographer Roff Smith while âstuckâ at home during the pandemic. As he peddled the roads making portraits, the project evolved into a âcelebration of traveling at homeâ. Itâs a great example of how visually consistent you can be inside a theme while making each image completely unique.
3. “Vermont, Dressed In Snow” from New York Timesâ The World Through A Lens series
This essay by aerial photographer Caleb Kenna uses a very common photo essay theme: snow. Because all images are aerial photographs, thereâs a consistency to them. Yet, the compositions are utterly unique from one another. Itâs a great example of keeping viewers surprised as they move from one image to the next while still maintaining a clear focus on the theme.
4. “Starling-Studded Skies” from bioGraphic Magazine
This beautiful essay is by Kathryn Cooper, a physicist trained in bioinformatics, and a talented photographer. She used a 19th century photographic technique, chronophotography, to create images that give us a look at the art and science of starling murmurations. She states: âIâm interested in the transient moments when chaos briefly changes to order, and thousands of individual bodies appear to move as one.â This essay is a great example of deep exploration of a concept using a specific photographic technique.
View it here  (Note: must be viewed on desktop)
5. “These Scrappy Photos Capture the Action-Packed World Beneath a Bird Feeder” from Audubon Magazine
This photo essay from conservation photographer Carla Rhodes explores the wildlife that takes advantage of the bounty of food waiting under bird feeders . Using remote camera photography , Rhodes gives viewers a unique ground-level perspective and captures moments that make us feel like weâre in conversation with friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. This essay is a great example of how perspective, personality, and chance can all come into play as you explore both an idea and a technique.
25 Ideas for creative photo essays you can make
The possibilities for photo essays are truly endless – from the concepts you explore to the techniques you use and styles you apply.
Choose an idea, hone your unique perspective on it, then start applying the 9 simple steps from above.Â
- The life of a plant or animal (your favorite species, a species living in your yard, etc)
- The many shapes of a single species (a tree species, a bird species, etc)
- How a place changes over time
- The various moods of a place
- A conservation issue you care about
- Math in nature
- Urban nature
- Seasonal changes
- Your yard as a space for nature
- Shifting climate and its impacts
- Human impacts on environments
- Elements: Water, wind, fire, earth
- Day in the life (of a person, a place, a stream, a treeâŠ)
- Outdoor recreation (birding, kayaking, hiking, naturalist journaling…)
- Wildlife rehabilitation
- Lunar cycles
- Sunlight and shadows
- Your local watershed
- Coexistence
As you zero in on a photo essay theme, consider two things: what most excites you about an idea, and what about it pushes you out of your comfort zone. The heady mix of joy and challenge will ensure you stick with it.Â
Your photo essay is ready for the world! Decide how youâd like to make an impact with your work. You might use one or several of the options below.
1. Share it on your website
Create a gallery or a scrollytelling page on your website. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website where people can peruse your photo essay and the rest of the photography you have.
Putting it on your website and optimizing your images for SEO helps you build organic traffic and potentially be discovered by a broader audience, including photo editors.
2. Create a scrollytelling web page
If you enjoy the experience of immersive visual experiences, consider making one using your essay. And no, you donât have to be a whiz at code to make it happen.
Shorthand helps you build web pages with scrollytelling techniques that make a big impression on viewers. Their free plan allows you to publish 3 essays or stories.
3. Create a Medium post
If you donât have a website and want to keep things simple, a post on Medium is a great option.
Though itâs known for being a platform for bloggers, itâs also possible to add images to a post for a simple scroll.
And, because readers can discover and share posts, itâs a good place for your photos to get the attention of people who might not otherwise come across it.
4. Share it on Instagram
Instagram has changed a lot over the last couple of years, but itâs still a place for photographers to share their work thoughtfully.
There are at least 3 great ways to share your photo essay on the platform.
– Create a single post for each image. Add a caption. Publish one post per day until the full essay is on your feed. Share each post via Instagram Stories to bring more attention and interaction to your photo essay.
– Create a carousel post. You can add up 10 photos to a carousel post, so you may need to create two of them for your full photo essay. Or you might create a series of carousel posts using 3-4 images in each.
– Create a Reel featuring your images as a video. The algorithm heavily favors reels, so turning your photo essay into a video experience can get it out to a larger audience.
I ran a âcreate a reelâ challenge in my membership community. One member created a reel with her still images around a serious conservation issue. It gathered a ton of attention and landed her opportunities to share her message through YouTube and podcast interviews and publishing opportunities. Watch it here.
5. Exhibit it locally
Reach out to local galleries, cafes, pubs, or even the public library to see if theyâre interested in hanging your photo essay for display. Many local businesses and organizations happily support the work of local artists.
6. Pitch your photo essay to publications
One of the best ways to reach an audience with your work is to get it published. Find publications that are a great fit for the theme and style of your photo essay, then pitch your essay for consideration. You gain a fantastic opportunity to share your work widely and can earn a paycheck at the same time.
Remember that if you want to get your photo essay published, you may want to hold back from sharing it publicly before you pitch it to publications.
PIN THIS FOR LATER
Jaymi Heimbuch
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How to Create an Engaging Photo Essay (with Examples)
Photo essays tell a story in pictures. They're a great way to improve at photography and story-telling skills at once. Learn how to do create a great one.
Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles
Photography is a medium used to tell stories – sometimes they are told in one picture, sometimes you need a whole series. Those series can be photo essays.
If you’ve never done a photo essay before, or you’re simply struggling to find your next project, this article will be of help. I’ll be showing you what a photo essay is and how to go about doing one.
You’ll also find plenty of photo essay ideas and some famous photo essay examples from recent times that will serve you as inspiration.
If you’re ready to get started, let’s jump right in!
Table of Contents
What is a Photo Essay?
A photo essay is a series of images that share an overarching theme as well as a visual and technical coherence to tell a story. Some people refer to a photo essay as a photo series or a photo story – this often happens in photography competitions.
Photographic history is full of famous photo essays. Think about The Great Depression by Dorothea Lange, Like Brother Like Sister by Wolfgang Tillmans, Gandhi’s funeral by Henri Cartier Bresson, amongst others.
What are the types of photo essay?
Despite popular belief, the type of photo essay doesn’t depend on the type of photography that you do – in other words, journalism, documentary, fine art, or any other photographic genre is not a type of photo essay.
Instead, there are two main types of photo essays: narrative and thematic .
As you have probably already guessed, the thematic one presents images pulled together by a topic – for example, global warming. The images can be about animals and nature as well as natural disasters devastating cities. They can happen all over the world or in the same location, and they can be captured in different moments in time – there’s a lot of flexibility.
A narrative photo essa y, on the other hand, tells the story of a character (human or not), portraying a place or an event. For example, a narrative photo essay on coffee would document the process from the planting and harvesting – to the roasting and grinding until it reaches your morning cup.
What are some of the key elements of a photo essay?
- Tell a unique story – A unique story doesn’t mean that you have to photograph something that nobody has done before – that would be almost impossible! It means that you should consider what you’re bringing to the table on a particular topic.
- Put yourself into the work – One of the best ways to make a compelling photo essay is by adding your point of view, which can only be done with your life experiences and the way you see the world.
- Add depth to the concept – The best photo essays are the ones that go past the obvious and dig deeper in the story, going behind the scenes, or examining a day in the life of the subject matter – that’s what pulls in the spectator.
- Nail the technique – Even if the concept and the story are the most important part of a photo essay, it won’t have the same success if it’s poorly executed.
- Build a structure – A photo essay is about telling a thought-provoking story – so, think about it in a narrative way. Which images are going to introduce the topic? Which ones represent a climax? How is it going to end – how do you want the viewer to feel after seeing your photo series?
- Make strong choices – If you really want to convey an emotion and a unique point of view, you’re going to need to make some hard decisions. Which light are you using? Which lens? How many images will there be in the series? etc., and most importantly for a great photo essay is the why behind those choices.
9 Tips for Creating a Photo Essay
Credit: Laura James
1. Choose something you know
To make a good photo essay, you don’t need to travel to an exotic location or document a civil war – I mean, it’s great if you can, but you can start close to home.
Depending on the type of photography you do and the topic you’re looking for in your photographic essay, you can photograph a local event or visit an abandoned building outside your town.
It will be much easier for you to find a unique perspective and tell a better story if you’re already familiar with the subject. Also, consider that you might have to return a few times to the same location to get all the photos you need.
2. Follow your passion
Most photo essays take dedication and passion. If you choose a subject that might be easy, but you’re not really into it – the results won’t be as exciting. Taking photos will always be easier and more fun if you’re covering something you’re passionate about.
3. Take your time
A great photo essay is not done in a few hours. You need to put in the time to research it, conceptualizing it, editing, etc. That’s why I previously recommended following your passion because it takes a lot of dedication, and if you’re not passionate about it – it’s difficult to push through.
4. Write a summary or statement
Photo essays are always accompanied by some text. You can do this in the form of an introduction, write captions for each photo or write it as a conclusion. That’s up to you and how you want to present the work.
5. Learn from the masters
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Making a photographic essay takes a lot of practice and knowledge. A great way to become a better photographer and improve your storytelling skills is by studying the work of others. You can go to art shows, review books and magazines and look at the winners in photo contests – most of the time, there’s a category for photo series.
6. Get a wide variety of photos
Think about a story – a literary one. It usually tells you where the story is happening, who is the main character, and it gives you a few details to make you engage with it, right?
The same thing happens with a visual story in a photo essay – you can do some wide-angle shots to establish the scenes and some close-ups to show the details. Make a shot list to ensure you cover all the different angles.
Some of your pictures should guide the viewer in, while others are more climatic and regard the experience they are taking out of your photos.
7. Follow a consistent look
Both in style and aesthetics, all the images in your series need to be coherent. You can achieve this in different ways, from the choice of lighting, the mood, the post-processing, etc.
8. Be self-critical
Once you have all the photos, make sure you edit them with a good dose of self-criticism. Not all the pictures that you took belong in the photo essay. Choose only the best ones and make sure they tell the full story.
9. Ask for constructive feedback
Often, when we’re working on a photo essay project for a long time, everything makes perfect sense in our heads. However, someone outside the project might not be getting the idea. It’s important that you get honest and constructive criticism to improve your photography.
How to Create a Photo Essay in 5 Steps
Credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh
1. Choose your topic
This is the first step that you need to take to decide if your photo essay is going to be narrative or thematic. Then, choose what is it going to be about?
Ideally, it should be something that you’re interested in, that you have something to say about it, and it can connect with other people.
2. Research your topic
To tell a good story about something, you need to be familiar with that something. This is especially true when you want to go deeper and make a compelling photo essay. Day in the life photo essays are a popular choice, since often, these can be performed with friends and family, whom you already should know well.
3. Plan your photoshoot
Depending on what you’re photographing, this step can be very different from one project to the next. For a fine art project, you might need to find a location, props, models, a shot list, etc., while a documentary photo essay is about planning the best time to do the photos, what gear to bring with you, finding a local guide, etc.
Every photo essay will need different planning, so before taking pictures, put in the required time to get things right.
4. Experiment
It’s one thing to plan your photo shoot and having a shot list that you have to get, or else the photo essay won’t be complete. It’s another thing to miss out on some amazing photo opportunities that you couldn’t foresee.
So, be prepared but also stay open-minded and experiment with different settings, different perspectives, etc.
5. Make a final selection
Editing your work can be one of the hardest parts of doing a photo essay. Sometimes we can be overly critical, and others, we get attached to bad photos because we put a lot of effort into them or we had a great time doing them.
Try to be as objective as possible, don’t be afraid to ask for opinions and make various revisions before settling down on a final cut.
7 Photo Essay Topics, Ideas & Examples
Credit: Michelle Leman
- Architectural photo essay
Using architecture as your main subject, there are tons of photo essay ideas that you can do. For some inspiration, you can check out the work of Francisco Marin – who was trained as an architect and then turned to photography to “explore a different way to perceive things”.
You can also lookup Luisa Lambri. Amongst her series, you’ll find many photo essay examples in which architecture is the subject she uses to explore the relationship between photography and space.
- Process and transformation photo essay
This is one of the best photo essay topics for beginners because the story tells itself. Pick something that has a beginning and an end, for example, pregnancy, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the life-cycle of a plant, etc.
Keep in mind that these topics are linear and give you an easy way into the narrative flow – however, it might be difficult to find an interesting perspective and a unique point of view.
- A day in the life of ‘X’ photo essay
There are tons of interesting photo essay ideas in this category – you can follow around a celebrity, a worker, your child, etc. You don’t even have to do it about a human subject – think about doing a photo essay about a day in the life of a racing horse, for example – find something that’s interesting for you.
- Time passing by photo essay
It can be a natural site or a landmark photo essay – whatever is close to you will work best as you’ll need to come back multiple times to capture time passing by. For example, how this place changes throughout the seasons or maybe even over the years.
A fun option if you live with family is to document a birthday party each year, seeing how the subject changes over time. This can be combined with a transformation essay or sorts, documenting the changes in interpersonal relationships over time.
- Travel photo essay
Do you want to make the jump from tourist snapshots into a travel photo essay? Research the place you’re going to be travelling to. Then, choose a topic.
If you’re having trouble with how to do this, check out any travel magazine – National Geographic, for example. They won’t do a generic article about Texas – they do an article about the beach life on the Texas Gulf Coast and another one about the diverse flavors of Texas.
The more specific you get, the deeper you can go with the story.
- Socio-political issues photo essay
This is one of the most popular photo essay examples – it falls under the category of photojournalism or documental photography. They are usually thematic, although it’s also possible to do a narrative one.
Depending on your topic of interest, you can choose topics that involve nature – for example, document the effects of global warming. Another idea is to photograph protests or make an education photo essay.
It doesn’t have to be a big global issue; you can choose something specific to your community – are there too many stray dogs? Make a photo essay about a local animal shelter. The topics are endless.
- Behind the scenes photo essay
A behind-the-scenes always make for a good photo story – people are curious to know what happens and how everything comes together before a show.
Depending on your own interests, this can be a photo essay about a fashion show, a theatre play, a concert, and so on. You’ll probably need to get some permissions, though, not only to shoot but also to showcase or publish those images.
4 Best Photo Essays in Recent times
Now that you know all the techniques about it, it might be helpful to look at some photo essay examples to see how you can put the concept into practice. Here are some famous photo essays from recent times to give you some inspiration.
Habibi by Antonio Faccilongo
This photo essay wan the World Press Photo Story of the Year in 2021. Faccilongo explores a very big conflict from a very specific and intimate point of view – how the Israeli-Palestinian war affects the families.
He chose to use a square format because it allows him to give order to things and eliminate unnecessary elements in his pictures.
With this long-term photo essay, he wanted to highlight the sense of absence and melancholy women and families feel towards their husbands away at war.
The project then became a book edited by Sarah Leen and the graphics of Ramon Pez.
Picture This: New Orleans by Mary Ellen Mark
The last assignment before her passing, Mary Ellen Mark travelled to New Orleans to register the city after a decade after Hurricane Katrina.
The images of the project “bring to life the rebirth and resilience of the people at the heart of this tale”, – says CNNMoney, commissioner of the work.
Each survivor of the hurricane has a story, and Mary Ellen Mark was there to record it. Some of them have heartbreaking stories about everything they had to leave behind.
Others have a story of hope – like Sam and Ben, two eight-year-olds born from frozen embryos kept in a hospital that lost power supply during the hurricane, yet they managed to survive.
Selfie by Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman is an American photographer whose work is mainly done through self-portraits. With them, she explores the concept of identity, gender stereotypes, as well as visual and cultural codes.
One of her latest photo essays was a collaboration with W Magazine entitled Selfie. In it, the author explores the concept of planned candid photos (‘plandid’).
The work was made for Instagram, as the platform is well known for the conflict between the ‘real self’ and the one people present online. Sherman started using Facetune, Perfect365 and YouCam to alter her appearance on selfies – in Photoshop, you can modify everything, but these apps were designed specifically to “make things prettier”- she says, and that’s what she wants to explore in this photo essay.
Tokyo Compression by Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf has an interest in the broad-gauge topic Life in Cities. From there, many photo essays have been derived – amongst them – Tokyo Compression .
He was horrified by the way people in Tokyo are forced to move to the suburbs because of the high prices of the city. Therefore, they are required to make long commutes facing 1,5 hours of train to start their 8+ hour workday followed by another 1,5 hours to get back home.
To portray this way of life, he photographed the people inside the train pressed against the windows looking exhausted, angry or simply absent due to this way of life.
You can visit his website to see other photo essays that revolve around the topic of life in megacities.
Final Words
It’s not easy to make photo essays, so don’t expect to be great at it right from your first project.
Start off small by choosing a specific subject that’s interesting to you –Â that will come from an honest place, and it will be a great practice for some bigger projects along the line.
Whether you like to shoot still life or you’re a travel photographer, I hope these photo essay tips and photo essay examples can help you get started and grow in your photography.
Let us know which topics you are working on right now – we’ll love to hear from you!
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Ana Mireles is a Mexican researcher that specializes in photography and communications for the arts and culture sector.
Penelope G. To Ana Mireles Such a well written and helpful article for an writer who wants to inclue photo essay in her memoir. Thank you. I will get to work on this new skill. Penelope G.
Herman Krieger Photo essays in black and white
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How to create a photo essay
By Marissa Sapega
According to LDV Capital, there will be 45 billion cameras in the world by 2022 . The proliferation of smartphones with hi-res cameras â coupled with our obsession with documenting the mundane on social media â has led to a glut of images shared on the web .
We're talking 3.2 billion images shared online every single day.
A decade ago, observers were predicting that this would spell the end of professional photography. But as we all know from our Instagram feeds, the need for professional photography â properly produced, contextualised, and published â has never been greater.
With the emergence of next generation digital publishing platforms, we're seeing a new era for photographic essays. Many of the most powerful examples are from journalism, where immersive photos are transforming long-form journalism into a more dynamic and interactive experience.
But powerful photos â coupled with immersive, interactive digital storytelling techniques â are being increasingly incorporated in marketing and communications across multiple industries, from brands to nonprofits.
In this guide, we'll cover:
- The main types of photo essays
- The new era of photo essays
- Tips for making thoughtful and powerful photo essays
- How to make a compelling photo essay
- We'll also provide a range of photo essay examples as we go
If you're looking for more examples, check out our roundup of photo essay examples .
Let's dive in!
What do the BBC, Tripadvisor, and Penguin have in common? They craft stunning, interactive web content with Shorthand. And so can you! Publish your first story for free â no code or web design skills required. Sign up now.
Types of photo essays
There are two primary types of photo essays: thematic and narrative.
Thematic photo essays
Thematic essays focus on a topical story (like a natural disaster). One example of a great thematic essay comes from NBC News Olympics photos: Emotion runs high .
This piece encapsulates the overall gloom of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics â through a series of powerful behind-the-scenes photographs of athletes in varying levels of distress â but does not focus on a particular subject.
Another example of a great photo story comes from the BBC. In â From Trayvon Martin to Colin Kaepernick , they tell the story of how Black Lives Matter became entwined with sports.
Narrative photo essays
Narrative photo essays take the story a step further and tell a specific story through images.
One striking example is SBS's 28 Days in Afghanistan . This narrative essay documents photojournalist Andrew Quilty's time in the war-ravaged nation through stark photographs and supplementary text.
What is a photo essay in 2023?
A traditional photo essay aims to replace the written word with photographs. Done poorly, it is nothing more than series of images lumped together. Done well, though, the photojournalist or artist takes the reader on an engaging journey.
The main difference between photo essays of yore and photo essays in 2023 is the sophistication of digital publishing. With the rise of digital storytelling platforms, we're seeing a rise in truly interactive and immersive digital photo essays.
Today, many digital photo essays include quotes and text to supplement the visuals and are formatted using interactive scrollytelling techniques. Scrollytelling is a form of visual storytelling that leverages user engagement (scrolling) to reveal images and text in an interesting and dynamic way. The interactivity compels the viewer to continue consuming the content, and creators have a wide latitude when designing the overall effect.
Given the benefits of a more dynamic and interactive form of photo essays, itâs easy to see why they have become so popular in recent years. But as with any photo essay, creating an exceptional digital photo essays requires planning, structure, and know-how.
Let's take a closer look with ten tips for great photo essays.
Looking to learn more about interactive visual storytelling? Check out our guide, 8 tips for powerful visual storytelling .
10 tips for great photo essays
1. Create visual structure
An authentic photo essay requires visual markers to help transform a collection of images into a narrative. For example, photo chapter headings in Growing up young introduce each new girl in the story.
Similarly, in SBSâs photojournalism story â 28 days in Afghanistan , mentioned above â each dated header delineates a part of the story, providing an easy-to-follow chronological structure and pace.
Daniel Boud intersperses his own thoughts in between a haunting series of photographs of the iconic Sydney Opera House as it underwent a restoration during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in The Sydney Opera House at Rest .
Text can add depth to the photo essayâbut take care where you add it. It should support and enhance the final product, not overshadow it.
2. Make it interactive
In 2023, the best photo essays are interactive.
One great example of an interactive photo essay is WaterAidâs essay, Water and Climate . This photo essay highlights the people climate change has impacted most brutally, including a video, stark close-up photography, and graphics to get its point across.
The photo essay uses minimal text, preferring to allow the images to speak for themselves. As a user scrolls, it exposes them to more content. Each visual and supplemental text further immerses the viewer into the story until the end, where they encounter a call to action to join WaterAid in helping those in need.
Nonprofits like WaterAid often use interactive photo essays to compel people to act , because they work. Half the battle of convincing someone to part with their money is creating an emotional connection with themâsomething a photo essay does particularly well.
3. Produce more content than you need
Have you ever seen how much film footage ends up on the cutting room floor for the average movie (known as the shooting ratio)? Itâs a lot.
Why is this? First, filmmakers know that many of the shots they take will be either poor-quality or simply not up to their exacting standards. Second, if a director included all the footage they took throughout the entire production in the final product, her movie would be a bloated mess.
The editorâs job is to strip away the dead weight to reveal a clean, refined, final product that keeps viewers raptly engaged. However, an editor may struggle to do his job if the director has not provided enough usable footage.
The same principles apply to creating an exceptional photo essay. Always assemble more visuals and content than you think youâll need so you can use the cream of the crop for the final product. Shedding content may be difficult, but itâs necessary, so be prepared to edit your piece without mercy.
Publishing photos on the web, but confused about the range of file formats? Check out our guide to file formats .
4. Use only the best photos
A photo essay is not an excuse to throw together all the imagery you have. Just like any good story, it needs a focused and compelling narrative that keeps things connected. Each image needs to bring something to the table.
Remember that photo quality plays a significant role in the overall caliber of a photo essay. If your iPhone isnât doing your subject justice, donât be afraid to pull in a professional to make your work come alive.
A great example of this comes from Sky Sports. In their photo essay, Pictured: Diego Maradona , they had to be ruthless when deciding upon the imagery to include.
They no doubt had hundreds â perhaps thousands â of photos to choose from from the many photo shoots in Maradona's life. Yet they knew that each one had to be poignant and compelling in its own way.
5. Donât be afraid to edit your photos
Not everyone can be Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz. Happily, with the readily available photo-editing software like Photoshop and high-quality cameras on every smartphone, you donât need to be. Do your best to acquire top-quality photos, but donât be timid about improving them!
Thanks to heavy exposure to advertising, viewers today now expect doctored images. Whether youâre refining a photo for a flawless finish or adding a touch of grittiness, use this expectation to your advantage. Dial up the contrast, crop out unnecessary elements, and use filters if they suit your needs.
6. Visit the archives
With so many gleaming, airbrushed-to-perfection photographs online today, exposure to imagery thatâs not polished within an inch of its life can be a refreshing change.
For example, take a look at Mancityâs My Debut Trevor Francis (v Stoke 1981) , which exclusively uses archival images. Not only was this a necessity (the focus was on a decades-old football match), but it lent the entire piece a tattered legitimacy. You wouldnât expect âInsta-worthyâ images because thatâs not the experience the author is trying to convey.
7. Storyboard before building
You wouldnât build a house without drafting a blueprint, would you? (Well, not unless you werenât too invested in the end-product.) Much like a blueprint, a storyboard helps you convert the vision inside your head into a concrete plan for construction. It can also contribute to your shot list for your photography project.
Storyboarding forces you to take a step back and evaluate how each element fits into the larger narrative. You may find that half your content is no longer necessary, and thatâs okay. It may seem like a barrier to âgetting to the fun partâ of adding fancy flourishes and creative details, but itâs a critical step for building a good photo essay that genuinely influences viewers.
8. Experiment!
While there are certainly best practices to follow when creating a photo essay, no âone true pathâ will culminate in perfection every time. Photo essays are a way to express a story; such art is not limited to a template or cookie-cutter outputs.
So, mix it up! Test out different photos, filter effects, text, quotes, and visuals. Pretend youâre playing with a Rubikâs cube when youâre storyboarding and shuffle the content around with abandon. There is no right way to draft a photo essay, and youâll never settle on one that you believe best conveys your story without a bit of experimentation. (Of course, your first iteration may end up being your best, but at least this way you wonât have any doubts.)
9. Combine data and maps
Adding hard metrics and maps to a photo essay can help support a narrative in ways that photographs canât. In this essay on segregation in Detroit , NBC included interactive maps of the city that underscored the severity of Detroitâs redlining policy.
These maps drive home this multimedia photo essayâs primary takeaway: Detroitâs enforced segregation has resulted in almost a century of lower quality of life for its black residents.
10. Get inspired
No matter how compelling the vision in your head is, you can still benefit from a little inspiration. If you're looking for photo essay ideas, consider:
- Focusing on a single subject for a day (known as a day in the life photo essay).
- Document local events, such as art shows, protests, or community gatherings â this is an endless source of photo essay topics.
- Capture social issues from your local area.
- Start a photo series, in which you document the same specific subject over a period of time.
- Research the great photo essayists from history, such as W. Eugene Smith, and James Nachtwey.
- Dive into the archives of the great photo essay magazines, such as National Geographic and Life Magazine.
- Do some research on your potential subject. This will help you formulate different angles from which to approach your photo essay.
- Sign up to Shorthand's newsletter , which rounds up the best visual stories on the web every other week.
Now, let's dive into how to make a stunning photo essay using Shorthand.
How to make a stunning digital photo essay
Traditionally, photo essays on the web were little more than a series of images pasted into a blog post. Because most blogs are structured primarily for words, these photos essays didn't do justice to their source media.
However, as web browsers became more powerful and bandwidth increased, a range of content platforms â including no-code digital storytelling platforms like Shorthand â have evolved to make it easier to create stunning visual stories. We've linked to many of these in this guide.
In this section, we're going to run through how to make a photo essay using Shorthand. If you're not a Shorthand customer, you can sign up here and follow along.
1. Create a new story
In your Shorthand dashboard, click 'New Story.' If you'd like, you can choose from any of our templates to help you get started. For now, though, we're going to start with a blank canvas.
The template chooser
2. Add your title image
Every photo essay needs a stunning title image to hook the reader. Depending on what kind of photo essay you're creating, this could be a photo of the subject or theme of the piece. You can also choose to add a title, subtitle, and author.
3. Add a text section
Every photo essay needs a written introduction, to help contextualise the images that follow. Simply click 'New Section' and 'Text', before pasting in your introductory copy.
Adding a Text section.
4. Add your first photo
Now it's time to add the first photo in your essay. Simply click 'New Section' and 'Media.' In photo essays, hierarchy is critical, so make sure you've thought about which photo is most appropriate at the top of your essay. In Shorthand, your photo will appear in all its full-screen glory.
Image in a 'Media' section.
5. Add a Reveal section
You also have the option of adding a 'Reveal' section, which allows you to add text that floats over your images. This text can act as a commentary or de facto caption for each photo in your essay.
Simply click 'New Section' and 'Reveal.' You'll be able to also upload a version of the image for mobile, and set focus areas to make sure the most important parts of your image are shown.
A 'Reveal' section with accompanying text box.
6. Add transition effects
Depending on the nature of your photo essay, you may wish to add transition effects between some images. A âRevealâ section is the best way to achieve this. You'll have the option of choosing from several types of transitions that occur as your reader scrolls from one full-screen image to the next, and each image can have its own text box, too.
Testing a Reveal section in the Shorthand editor
7. Add Scrollmation effects
If you want to use images in concert with large amounts of text, then consider using Shorthand's Scrollmation feature. This allows you to transition through a range of images as the reader scrolls down a column of text.
To do this â you guessed it â simply click 'New Section' and 'Scrollmation' or 'Background Scrollmation.'
The difference between the two is simple: In a Scrollmation section, the text appears in a column beside your images, while in a Background Scrollmation section, images fill the screen and the text column appears over the images. A sequence of related images can give the effect of animation triggered by the readerâs scrolling.
A Scrollmation section within the editor
Background Scrollmation in the editor
8. Add a Media Gallery
If you have many different images, and want to create a mosaic effect in your essay, then you can use a media gallery. To do this, simply click 'New Section' and 'Media Gallery.'
You can then upload your images, and experiment with their size and arrangement to achieve your intended effect.
Creating a Media Gallery section in the editor
9. Preview your story
Photo essays â more than many other genres of content on the web â can run into problems with different screen sizes. Before you publish, make sure you test your story using Shorthand's preview option.
You'll be able to see what your story looks like on desktop, mobile, and tablet viewports, and make adjustments as needed. You can also share your preview link with collaborators, and get pre-publication feedback and quality-assurance.
Story previews in the editor, simulating a phone and iPad.
10. Publish đ
The final step is to publish your essay to the world! You now have an immersive, potentially interactive photo essay â without writing a line of code.
Contemporary photo essays are creative endeavours rife with opportunities for interactivity. Organisations and artists alike use them as modern, impactful vehicles to convey powerful stories. Try creating one for yourself using Shorthand for free today!
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23 Photo Essay Ideas and Examples (to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!)
A Post By: Kevin Landwer-Johan
Looking for inspiration? Our 23 photo essay ideas will take your photography skills to new heights!
A single, strong photograph can convey a lot of information about its subject – but sometimes we have topics that require more than one image to do the job. That’s when it’s time to make a photo essay: a collection of pictures that together tell the bigger story around a chosen theme.
In the following sections, we’ll explore various photo essay ideas and examples that cover a wide range of subjects and purposes. From capturing the growth of your children to documenting local festivals, each idea offers an exciting opportunity to tell a story through your lens, whether you’re a hobbyist or a veteran professional.
So grab your camera, unleash your creativity, and let’s delve into the wonderful world of photo essay examples!
What is a photo essay?
Simply put, a photo essay is a series of carefully selected images woven together to tell a story or convey a message. Think of it as a visual narrative that designed to capture attention and spark emotions.
Now, these images can revolve around a broad theme or focus on a specific storyline. For instance, you might create a photo essay celebrating the joy of companionship by capturing 10 heartwarming pictures of people sharing genuine laughter. On the other hand, you could have a photo essay delving into the everyday lives of fishermen in Wales by following a single fisherman’s journey for a day or even a week.
It’s important to note that photo essays don’t necessarily have to stick to absolute truth. While some documentary photographers prefer to keep it authentic, others may employ techniques like manipulation or staging to create a more artistic impact. So there is room for creativity and interpretation.
Why you should create a photo essay
Photo essays have a way of expressing ideas and stories that words sometimes struggle to capture. They offer a visual narrative that can be incredibly powerful and impactful.
Firstly, photo essays are perfect when you have an idea or a point you want to convey, but you find yourself at a loss for words. Sometimes, emotions and concepts are better conveyed through images rather than paragraphs. So if you’re struggling to articulate a message, you can let your photos do the talking for you.
Second, if you’re interested in subjects that are highly visual, like the mesmerizing forms of architecture within a single city, photo essays are the way to go. Trying to describe the intricate details of a building or the play of light and shadows with words alone can be challenging. But through a series of captivating images, you can immerse your audience in the architecture.
And finally, if you’re aiming to evoke emotions or make a powerful statement, photo essays are outstanding. Images have an incredible ability to shock, inspire, and move people in ways that words often struggle to achieve. So if you want to raise awareness about an environmental issue or ignite a sense of empathy, a compelling series of photographs can have a profound impact.
Photo essay examples and ideas
Looking to create a photo essay but don’t know where to start? Here are some handy essay ideas and examples for inspiration!
1. A day in the life
Your first photo essay idea is simple: Track a life over the course of one day. You might make an essay about someone else’s life. Or the life of a location, such as the sidewalk outside your house.
The subject matter you choose is up to you. But start in the morning and create a series of images showing your subject over the course of a typical day.
(Alternatively, you can document your subject on a special day, like a birthday, a wedding, or some other celebration.)
2. Capture hands
Portraits focus on a subject’s face – but why not mix it up and make a photo essay that focuses on your subject’s hands?
(You can also focus on a collection of different people’s hands.)
Hands can tell you a lot about a person. And showing them in context is a great way to narrate a story.
3. Follow a sports team for a full season
Sports are all about emotions – both from the passionate players and the dedicated fans. While capturing the intensity of a single game can be exhilarating, imagine the power of telling the complete story of a team throughout an entire season.
For the best results, you’ll need to invest substantial time in sports photography. Choose a team that resonates with you and ensure their games are within a drivable distance. By photographing their highs and lows, celebrations and challenges, you’ll create a compelling photo essay that traces their journey from the first game to the last.
4. A child and their parent
Photographs that catch the interaction between parents and children are special. A parent-child connection is strong and unique, so making powerful images isn’t challenging. You just need to be ready to capture the special moments as they happen.
You might concentrate on a parent teaching their child. Or the pair playing sports. Or working on a special project.
Use your imagination, and you’ll have a great time with this theme.
5. Tell a local artist’s story
I’ve always enjoyed photographing artists as they work; studios have a creative vibe, so the energy is already there. Bring your camera into this environment and try to tell the artist’s story!
An artist’s studio offers plenty of opportunities for wonderful photo essays. Think about the most fascinating aspects of the artist’s process. What do they do that makes their art special? Aim to show this in your photos.
Many people appreciate fine art, but they’re often not aware of what happens behind the scenes. So documenting an artist can produce fascinating visual stories.
6. Show a tradesperson’s process
Do you have a plumber coming over to fix your kitchen sink? Is a builder making you a new deck?
Take photos while they work! Tell them what you want to do before you start, and don’t forget to share your photos with them.
They’ll probably appreciate seeing what they do from another perspective. They may even want to use your photos on their company website.
7. Photograph your kids as they grow
There’s something incredibly special about documenting the growth of our little ones. Kids grow up so quickly – before you know it, they’re moving out. Why not capture the beautiful moments along the way by creating a heartwarming photo essay that showcases their growth?
There are various approaches you can take, but one idea is to capture regular photos of your kids standing in front of a distinct point of reference, such as the refrigerator. Over a year or several years, you can gather these images and place them side by side to witness your childrens’ incredible transformations.
8. Cover a local community event
A school fundraiser, a tree-planting day at a park, or a parade; these are are all community events that make for good photo essay ideas.
Think like a photojournalist . What type of images would your editor want? Make sure to capture some wide-angle compositions , some medium shots, and some close-ups.
(Getting in close to show the details can often tell as much of a story as the wider pictures.)
9. Show fresh market life
Markets are great for photography because there’s always plenty of activity and lots of characters. Think of how you can best illustrate the flow of life at the market. What are the vendors doing that’s most interesting? What are the habits of the shoppers?
Look to capture the essence of the place. Try to portray the people who work and shop there.
10. Shoot the same location over time
What location do you visit regularly? Is there a way you can make an interesting photo essay about it?
Consider what you find most attractive and ugly about the place. Look for aspects that change over time.
Any outdoor location will look different throughout the day. Also think about the changes that occur from season to season. Create an essay that tells the story of the place.
11. Document a local festival
Festivals infuse cities and towns with vibrant energy and unique cultural experiences. Even if your own town doesn’t have notable festivals, chances are a neighboring town does. Explore the magic of these celebrations by documenting a local festival through your lens.
Immerse yourself in the festivities, arriving early and staying late. Capture the colorful displays and the people who make the festival come alive. If the festival spans multiple days, consider focusing on different areas each time you visit to create a diverse and comprehensive photo essay that truly reflects the essence of the event.
12. Photograph a garden through the seasons
It might be your own garden . It could be the neighbor’s. It could even be the garden at your local park.
Think about how the plants change during the course of a year. Capture photos of the most significant visual differences, then present them as a photo essay.
13. Show your local town or city
After spending several years in a particular area, you likely possess an intimate knowledge of your local town or city. Why not utilize that familiarity to create a captivating photo essay that showcases the essence of your community?
Delve into what makes your town special, whether it’s the charming streets, unique landmarks, or the people who shape its character. Dedicate time to capturing the diverse aspects that define your locale. If you’re up for a more extensive project, consider photographing the town over the course of an entire year, capturing the changing seasons and the dynamic spirit of your community.
14. Pick a local cause to highlight
Photo essays can go beyond passive documentation; they can become a part of your activism, too!
So find a cause that matters to you. Tell the story of some aspect of community life that needs improvement. Is there an ongoing issue with litter in your area? How about traffic; is there a problematic intersection?
Document these issues, then make sure to show the photos to people responsible for taking action.
15. Making a meal
Photo essay ideas can be about simple, everyday things – like making a meal or a coffee.
How can you creatively illustrate something that seems so mundane? My guess is that, when you put your mind to it, you can come up with many unique perspectives, all of which will make great stories.
16. Capture the life of a flower
In our fast-paced lives, it’s easy to overlook the beauty that surrounds us. Flowers, with their mesmerizing colors and rapid life cycles, offer a captivating subject for a photo essay. Try to slow down and appreciate the intricate details of a flower’s existence.
With a macro lens in hand, document a single flower or a patch of flowers from their initial shoots to their inevitable wilting and decomposition. Experiment with different angles and perspectives to bring viewers into the enchanting world of the flower. By freezing these fleeting moments, you’ll create a visual narrative that celebrates the cycle of life and the exquisite beauty found in nature’s delicate creations.
17. Religious traditions
Religion is often rich with visual expression in one form or another. So capture it!
Of course, you may need to narrow down your ideas and choose a specific aspect of worship to photograph. Aim to show what people do when they visit a holy place, or how they pray on their own. Illustrate what makes their faith real and what’s special about it.
18. Historic sites
Historic sites are often iconic, and plenty of photographers take a snapshot or two.
But with a photo essay, you can illustrate the site’s history in greater depth.
Look for details of the location that many visitors miss. And use these to build an interesting story.
19. Show the construction of a building
Ever been away from a familiar place for a while only to return and find that things have changed? It happens all the time, especially in areas undergoing constant development. So why not grab your camera and document this transformation?
Here’s the idea: Find a building that’s currently under construction in your area. It could be a towering skyscraper, a modern office complex, or even a small-scale residential project. Whatever catches your eye! Then let the magic of photography unfold.
Make it a habit to take a photo every day or two. Watch as the building gradually takes shape and evolves. Capture the construction workers in action, the cranes reaching for the sky, and the scaffolding supporting the structure.
Once the building is complete, you’ll have a treasure trove of images that chronicle its construction from start to finish!
20. Document the changing skyline of the city
This photo essay example is like the previous one, except it works on a much larger scale. Instead of photographing a single building as it’s built, find a nice vantage point outside your nearest city, then photograph the changing skyline.
To create a remarkable photo essay showcasing the changing skyline, you’ll need to scout out the perfect vantage point. Seek high ground that offers a commanding view of the city, allowing you to frame the skyline against the horizon. Look for spots that give you an unobstructed perspective, whether a rooftop terrace, a hillside park, or even a nearby bridge.
As you set out on your photography expedition, be patient and observant. Cities don’t transform overnight; they change gradually over time. Embrace the passage of days, weeks, and months as you witness the slow evolution unfold.
Pro tip: To capture the essence of this transformation, experiment with various photographic techniques. Play with different angles, framing, and compositions to convey the grandeur and dynamism of the changing skyline. Plus, try shooting during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset , when the soft light bathes the city in a warm glow and accentuates the architectural details.
21. Photograph your pet
If you’re a pet owner, you already have the perfect subject for a photo essay!
All pets , with the possible exception of pet rocks, will provide you with a collection of interesting moments to photograph.
So collect these moments with your camera – then display them as a photo essay showing the nature and character of your pet.
22. Tell the story of a local nature preserve
Ah, the wonders of a local nature preserve! While it may not boast the grandeur of Yosemite National Park, these hidden gems hold their own beauty, just waiting to be discovered and captured through the lens of your camera.
To embark on this type of photo essay adventure, start by exploring all the nooks and crannies of your chosen nature preserve. Wander along its winding trails, keeping an eye out for unique and captivating subjects that convey the essence of the preserve.
As you go along, try to photograph the intricate details of delicate wildflowers, the interplay of light filtering through a dense forest canopy, and the lively activities of birds and other wildlife.
23. Show the same subject from multiple perspectives
It’s possible to create an entire photo essay in a single afternoon – or even in a handful of minutes. If you don’t love the idea of dedicating yourself to days of photographing for a single essay, this is a great option.
Simply find a subject you like, then endeavor to capture 10 unique images that include it. I’d recommend photographing from different angles: up above, down low, from the right and left. You can also try getting experimental with creative techniques, such as intentional camera movement and freelensing. If all goes well, you’ll have a very cool set of images featuring one of your favorite subjects!
By showcasing the same subject from multiple perspectives, you invite viewers on a visual journey. They get to see different facets, textures, and details that they might have overlooked in a single photograph. It adds depth and richness to your photo essay, making it both immersive and dynamic.
Photo essay ideas: final words
Remember: Photo essays are all about communicating a concept or a story through images rather than words. So embrace the process and use images to express yourself!
Whether you choose to follow a sports team through a thrilling season, document the growth of your little ones, or explore the hidden treasures of your local town, each photo essay has its own magic waiting to be unlocked. It’s a chance to explore your creativity and create images in your own style.
So look at the world around you. Grab your gear and venture out into the wild. Embrace the beauty of nature, the energy of a bustling city, or the quiet moments that make life special. Consider what you see every day. What aspects interest you the most? Photograph those things.
You’re bound to end up with some amazing photo essays!
Now over to you:
Do you have any photo essay examples you’re proud of? Do you have any more photo essay ideas? Share your thoughts and images in the comments below!
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Kevin Landwer-Johan is a photographer, photography teacher, and author with over 30 years of experience that he loves to share with others.
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How to create an outstanding Photo Essay
If you are working on your photo essay and would wish to know how to create a successful one, we have some tips, tricks, and techniques outlined in this article. With the sophistication of digital publishing, you need to be on your A-game when creating digital photos that tell a story.
As a custom essay writing service , our ultimate goal in this article is to guide you on creating a photo essay without straining. We like it when writing, and creativity is fun altogether. Therefore, we have outlined examples, classifications, and a framework that you can use when creating your photo essay.
This article also bears the definition of what a photo essay is. And although you could use this as a professional or a student, you can pay someone to do your essay on our website. When you do so, a polished essay writer will work with you in creating a good photo essay,
We have creatives with expertise, a knack for experimentation, critical thinking and creativity, and an insatiable urge to produce top content. If it sounds like you could use our help, let us know the best way we can assist you in creating a perfect photography essay.
If, however, all you need is insights to point you in the right direction, here is how to create a good photo essay without straining. Let’s explore!
What is a Photo Essay?
Visual storytelling appeals to everyone who has a sense of sight.
Unlike your typical essay in college, a photo essay is a project where you present a series of photographs or images to tell a story, share a narrative, or push a theme/agenda. Thus, a photo essay facilitates picture-led storytelling , which is a creative innovation in photojournalism.
It is also known as a photographic or picture essay. A great photo essay powerfully evokes emotions and appeals to the understanding of its intended audience without using words or with minimal words alongside the series of images.
A perfectly-created photo essay narrates a story using many photographs that take the viewer along your narrative journey. Indeed, it proves that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, since there are many pictures/images, you could say a photo essay is rich in words, flavor, and content, yet it does not have words.
Talking of photo essays, Ansel Adams is one of the revered and famous photo essayists. Other photo essayists include James Nachtwey, Eugene Smith, and Nancy Borowick .
How to Create a Photo Essay in a step-by-step format
Here is a step-by-step approach to follow to successfully create a compelling and engaging photo essay:
Step 1 – Do your Research
If you are to create an attractive and relevant photo essay, begin by researching the best framework to adopt. Look at what people are doing out there and find out how creatively you can do it better. There are inexhaustible ideas and concepts that you can explore when writing a photo essay. If you’ve not chosen a topic, thorough research can help you decide on a topic and handle it well.
Step 2 - Choose a theme for your photo essay
With the research, you can already identify a specific theme or narrative for your picture essay. Therefore, highlight the theme or narrative, write some notes about the direction you will tackle and how you will reach and satisfy your audience.
Step 2 – Choose a topic that aligns with the theme
Following the findings from your research, choose a great topic. You are not that lucky photo essayist who opportunistically happens upon a story and turns it into a brilliant photo essay. Therefore, you should choose an attractive, reasonable, short, and memorable topic. You are free to select any topic that interests you and one that you find fun to work on. Your chosen theme or narrative can help define the topic for your photo essay.
Step 3 – Pick your subjects
With the theme/narrative and the topic, you can then choose your subjects. These are the people, things, sceneries, or places of central focus in your photography essay.
The subjects are the ones that give your photo essay a voice, strengthen your narrative, and engage the audience.
Step 4 – Select your top images
Define the appropriate number of images that you intend to use when telling the story. For example, if you intend to leave the audience under suspense, choose which images to use and their order of appearance. Your photo essay project does not have to use all your images but the best.
The best way to integrate your theme, narrative, and subjects is to create a storyboard that helps you decide how to tell the story. Then, when you lay your ideas out, a storyboard helps you focus on what is essential, especially when you have little control over a given subject.
Step 5 – ask for insights and input from others
After creating the storyboard, choosing the photos, and writing a narrative or theme statement, you can share it with someone knowledgeable for critique. You should also invite views and comments from another person. Ensure that you give the entire photo cache to the person so that they can choose, then compare with your best photos and tweak your choice accordingly.
Step 6 – Write the captions and text
With everything set, write the accompanying content for your photo essay. As well, make sure you caption each photo to enhance your visual narrative. Nothing is cast in stone here because you can also drop using image captions. You can experiment with lighting, tone, color, composition, angles, and location so that the narrative flows. Also, don’t forget to create introductory messages and closing messages. You need to have your signature introductory and closing images well-decided.
Step 7 – Edit your work
Now that you have created a photo essay, it is now time to edit everything. You can ask for help or rest and do it when you are energetic and objective. If you want a skilled essay writer to write you an excellent narrative to post alongside your photo essay, you can always trust our essay website. We can also edit the narrative to maintain a good flow.
Step 8 – Publish/submit your work
If everything else is okay, convert the photo essay to the correct format and submit or publish it. Remember, photo essays can be a portion of a webpage, a webpage, a document, fashion publication, photo editorial, collage of images, or mixed media.
Helpful Tips when compiling your Photographic Essay
If you are on track to become a photo essayist, you need to grasp the most critical photo essaying tips, techniques, and tricks. Here is some best advice you could use to find a subject for your photo essay.
1. Try to tell a diverse and confident story
When you get out there to tell a story, make sure you do it most awesomely. Understand your target audience, do anything that will resonate with their needs, appeal to their emotions, logic, and thoughts, and leave them musing over your narrative. It is, therefore, vital that you consider what your key message will be and be confident when handling it in your photo essay.
2.Storyboard before building
Architects, surgeons, artists, engineers, you name the profession, all begin with either a sketch, blueprint or a plan to visualize the entire concept or creation before its actualization. In the real of photo essays, you have to be invested right from the beginning. Therefore, you need to create a storyboard that helps you to convert your vision, abstract thoughts, and ideas to a concrete plan that you can execute to succeed in your project. A storyboard also doubles as a shortlist for your photography project.
When storyboarding, you will notice that you take an outsider view, which helps you evaluate how every element fits into the larger picture – your narrative/theme. When doing it, you can discard otherwise burdensome but irrelevant content, which saves you time and leaves you to focus more.
Storyboarding is a critical, creative step when building a perfect photo essay as it ensures the flow to your viewers.
3. Have a visual structure
A contemporary photo essay follows a simple or basic framework that gives your theme direction and scope. Therefore, having a visual structure, marker, or framework helps you transform the photo series into a narrative. For instance, this Growing up young photo essay published in the BBC chooses to have quotes from the subjects running alongside the photos. Likewise, the picture essay done by photojournalist Stefanie Glinski titled One Month in Kabul Under Taliban rule – a photo essay has narrative and captions to further illustrate the themes, content, and narratives.
4. Have a variety of images
To write an exceptional photo essay, ensure that you have as many photos or images as possible. Assemble as much as you think you will need for the project, then use your ruthless photo editing skills to pick the best photos.
Although shedding content hurts, it’s the only best way to achieve the best piece. It is also better to be in a dilemma of which photos to use than wish that you included a specific shot. Having multiple shots ensures that everything is captured. Then compiling your photo series becomes easier.
5. Edit your photos well
When editing, do it ruthlessly. While you cannot be Annie Leibovitz, Stefanie Glinski, or Ansel Adams, you certainly have to up your game to be at par with them. You can either use a professional editor. Alternatively, you can edit your photos using Photoshop, Illustrator, or other image-editing software. Whatever you choose your struggle to be, ensure that you end up with high-quality photos that make sense to your theme or narrative. If you have to refine an image to remove blemish or flaws, use it as long as it ends up fine. Make sure that the focus of each photo is visible and that unwanted areas are cropped out. If you are editing on your own, edit the photos a few days after the shoot to have an objective mind when doing it.
6. Choose the top 10 images
You are not just going to lazily throw images and words all over a structure and have it for the best photo essay out there. Instead, you need to select quality photos that will tell your narrative. Be keen enough to ensure that any photo that makes it to the top 10 list is compelling and poignant. If you notice that you don’t have good equipment to produce or capture quality photos, don’t be afraid to pull in a professional photographer.
7. Use outside input to perfect your choice
When working on a photo essay project, you are not necessarily an island. The photo essayists we’ve mentioned work with teams. You equally need to get a trusted, visually active, and sophisticated individual, professional, or friend to help you.
Have them look at the photos you took and ask them to choose the best. As well, provide them with a written description of your narrative and ask them to select their 10 best photos.
Compare their choice with yours and if they differ, make a point of asking the reason. Listen keenly and tweak your narrative and choice as they most likely reflect what an audience would perceive from the photo essay.
8. Select the best photos from the best
Based on the reasons from your external source (friend, editor, or photographer), select the 10 best photographs to use in telling your story. As well, change the narration if there is a need to tweak it.
9. Write reasonable captions
For your final choice of 10 images, write a befitting caption that will help to enhance your visual narrative. You need to be concise, brief, and clear. If the photos have a strong or exciting background story you wish to run, have the narrative written as content alongside the photos.
However, if you feel like the images can stand alone without captions, don’t beat yourself over it; leave them out. After all, using captions is not a must.
Look at this example of Black Lives Matter Photo Essay (Link to external site).
Apart from the caption, you can add text that contains data, complex metrics, or maps to support your narrative. Using maps can help drive the point home.
10. Focus on the details
Yes, the devil is always in the details. When you eventually display your photo essay to an audience, everybody analyzes it their way. However, when you capture the details, you will take care of each perspective, judgment, and reasoning from your audience. Ensure that you place everything in context and that everything is up to date.
11. Make it fun
Unlike college essays that come with challenges, creating a photo essay should be fun. Therefore, enjoy every bit of the project. Doing so helps you to step up your game, inspire creativity, and relaxes your mind. There is nothing creative and innovative you cannot do in a photo essay with a let loose sort of spirit.
12. Set the scene
When telling a story through photography, you are equally writing your story. Therefore, ensure that you set a scene to capture the moment that appeals to your audience.
For the events that you have no control over, try as much as possible to take photos that match your narrative or theme.
13. Experiment more when taking photos
There is no single bullet to creating an outstanding photo essay. To achieve perfection, let your photo essay express your story in the best way it can. Therefore, you need to test filter effects, use fonts, adjust the visuals, check the contrast, adjust color, hue, and feel, and crop your photos well. With experimentation comes creativity and innovativeness, which birth perfection.
Classification of Photo Essays
In terms of classification, there are two general classes of photo essays where all the genres of photo essays fall. These classes are narrative and thematic.
1. Narrative Photo Essays
A narrative photo essay, as the name suggests, tells a specific story. But, mainly, these types of photo essays tend to tell a peculiar and more direct story.
Unlike thematic photo essays, narrative photo essays give less freedom to the photo essayist. The use of text is to have some sense of completion to the story.
For instance, the 28 Days in Afghanistan by Andrew Quilty published in the SBS is a narrative photo essay that documents the photographer’s experience in the war-torn nation using both text and unadulterated photos.
The picture essay by photojournalist Stefanie Glinski titled One Month in Kabul Under Taliban rule – a photo essay also falls under this category as it highlights her one-month encounter in Kabul.
2. Thematic photo Essays
Thematic photo essays are topic-specific. For example, they can be on politics, pollution, police brutality, global pandemic, poverty, crime, etc.
You have the freedom of choosing the subjects, location, and you do not necessarily have to incorporate text.
An example of a thematic photo essay is the “ They call us bewitched ” picture essay published in the Guardian. We also bumped into the Olympics Photos: Emotion runs high by the NBC News, which we find as an excellent thematic photo essay. Next, look at this Hurricane Katrina photo essay. It is thematic in the sense that it focuses on a natural disaster. Finally, if you want more examples, this photo essay titled “ From Trayvon Martin to Colin Kaepernick ” details the theme of Black Lives Matter/ police brutality.
Typical Photo Essay Examples/Genres to inspire your creativity
- The daily life photo essay – A Day-in-the-life photo essay tells a story about the day-to-day life of a given subject. It could be a lawyer, president, celebrity, farmer, industrialist, pope, student, etc. most of these photographic essays evoke emotions and help the audience enter into the subject's world.
- Transitioning through life photo essay – These are essays that detail photos of how people transform through life. It can be a photo of a celebrity, president, farmer, or famous person since they were young to date.
- Special events photo essays – As the name suggests, these are photo essays on special events, festivities, and occurrences. The events can be weddings, burials, art exhibitions, car shows, auction events, or celebrations. They have very elaborate and relatable background objects that connect to the main idea.
- Family photo essays – These can be photo essays on family members. You can include photos that show how the family has grown or detailing the family tree. They can also be family business photos that detail the leaders assigned roles to family businesses.
- Protest photo essays – These are thematic photo essays that detail how protests occurred and paint a clear picture of the theme of such protests as the Black Lives Matter protests. When creating a protest photo essay, you should have information about the particular protest. Focus on incidents and protests that occurred in history.
- Sports photo essays – Sports essays can be on sports events such as Olympics, Wimbledon, football leagues, or about sportsmen and women. For instance, the Skysports’ picture essay on Diego Maradona titled Diego Maradona: Images of a football Icon .
- Medical Photo Essays – Organizations such as WHO , Universities , or CDC have various examples of medical photo essays. These visual illustrations focus on medical research, medical practice, diseases, and medical breakthroughs.
- Scientific Photo Essays – Like medical essays, these photo essays detail scientific encounters, breakthroughs, inventions, etc.
- Celebrity photo essays – You can create a photo essay on a celebrity.
- Political photo essays are photo essays that capture and narrate political events, history, and news in a series of photographs and narratives. It could be about leftist and rightist politics or geopolitics as well as policy-making.
- War photo essays – Captures the critical and significant elements of conflict, war, and peace. There are many samples online.
- Timelapse photo essays – These are transformational photo essays that capture the changes of a subject through time. They might take longer to develop and can be on buildings, estates, cities, trees, or landscapes.
- Relationship photo essays – This photo essay genre captures the interaction between people, families, and loved ones. It is the most common assignment in journalism class. It offers an excellent chance to capture emotions like love, family, and friendship.
- Poverty photo essays – This genre of photo essays captures poverty from the standpoint of the subject. They can contain infrastructure, housing, amenities, food, water, etc. They are very emotional and can use narratives. They are the same as drought photo essays that capture how the drought has ravaged a geographic region of interest.
- City photo essays – These are photographic essays that capture a city's feel, life, and pleasures. They are thematic in nature and allow you to focus on specific areas, moods, and feeling that such places evoke.
- Education photo essays – Details issues in education. For instance, it can be a photo essay showing the disparity in access, challenges in education, or infrastructure in education. An example is The Many Faces of Learning, published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Another one is Embracing Education , published by the Lutheran World Federation.
As long as you can think of any topic, there is always a picture or photo essay genre where it can fall under. Remember, you can be asked to create a photo essay on a Word Document or PDF for class, which is where you get the chance to display your prowess and creativity.
Common Photo Essay Examples
Here are the famous photo essays that you can draw inspiration from:
- Various American Natural Sites by Ansel Adams
- “Everyday” by Noah Kalina
- “Signed, X” by Kate Ryan
- “The Vietnam War” by Philip Jones Griffiths
- “The Great Depression” by Dorothea Lange
Structure/Anatomy of a Photo Essay
Here is a blueprint or skeleton of how a basic photo essay can look like
Introductory text/content
This is where you type the text that explains or introduces the photo essay to your audience.
Signature Image
This is the strongest image that has a visual impact on the story you are running. It should be an image that invites the viewers to your story to be interested in looking further. In simple terms, this is your window, attention grabber, or icon; make it count.
This is the picture of a key player or the main subject of your story. You must ensure that the foreground and background elements reinforce the theme or narrative.
Where the subject is caught in real moments, such as in environmental portraits, is reportedly more compelling. You can use a series of posed portraits as well.
Overall wider view
This is the photograph that gives the viewers a sense of the place or part of the place where the story happens. You use such images to create a scene. It can also be a series of detailed images bundled together to set the scene.
Here, you need to follow up with a photograph that explains the finer details. The photo can be abstract but eye-catching in the sense that it draws the attention of the audience. It should be an image that reveals to the audience some aspect that is otherwise missed in a wider shot. You are allowed to use series of small detail photos as a mosaic in one image .
When defining an action, look for a photograph that shows the main theme in your story. For instance, if it is a Black Lives Matter protest, focus on a photo that captures banners, police, and protesters. Specifically, focus on the most poignant or dramatic images that capture people interacting with one another. You can as well capture gestures or moments that amplify the visual narrative you want to communicate.
Closing Photo and text
This is the powerful closing photograph that lets your audience ponder more about your visual narrative. You can follow it with a text highlighting the thoughts you want the audience to reason with as they come to the end of your photo essay.
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18 Immersive Photo Essay Examples & Tips
By Tata Rossi 13 days ago, Professional photography
A photo essay tells a story or evokes emotion through a series of photographs. The essays allow you to be creative and fully explore an idea. Such essays exist in a variety of forms â from photos only to images with brief comments or written essays accompanied by shots. Choose a photo essay example that you can easily do based on your professional level and the equipment you use.
1. Protests
- View the âResistanceâ photo essay by David Moore .
A great idea for photo essays for students is to shoot the protest to show its power. You can capture people with signs and banners to demonstrate what they are standing for. Besides, you can learn how to capture moving subjects. Use the best example of photo essay and donât forget about angles, composition, and framing.
To create a photo essay , go up to the front and photograph the leader of the protesters walking forward. After that, go back to the end of the group to take pictures of families joining the protest. As a result, you will gain experience shooting big groups of people in motion.
2. Transformation
- View the âA Self-Portrait Every Dayâ photo essay by Noah Kalina .
This idea is all about capturing the way a person changes. You may take photos of a pregnant woman and then capture the same model with a child. By documenting the development of the child for several years, you can tell a great story in the form of a photo essay.
However, you can also create a photo essay about the transformation of different objects. For instance, you can create a time-lapse series to capture the history of a renovated building. While you will have to take a lot of similar photos to bring this idea to life, it will allow you to achieve an impressive result.
3. Local Event
- View the âMonday Marathonâ photo essay by Quinn G. Perini .
Whether you are a resident of a large city or a small town, you can find an opportunity to visit a local event, like a marathon or a festival. This is a nice chance to follow modern photography trends and bring photo essay ideas to life.
You can capture the before-and-after stages of the event. Arrive earlier and take pictures of the preparation activities, then shoot the actual event starting with the official beginning.
Keep photographing even when the event is over and capture the cleaning up and disassembling processes.
4. Photowalk
- View the âEmpty Campusâ photo essay by Elise Trissel .
Explore the location where you live and find interesting objects to capture in the vicinity. Using the most interesting photo essay examples, you can decide how to make the best decisions. Donât hurry and try to discover which angles you can use to capture the unique atmosphere of each place.
If you live in the city, you may capture architectural details, wide shots of busy streets, or just take photos of passersby and street signs. Think about the details that make every location unique. For instance, you can try capturing reflections to see how they allow you to see the city from an unusual angle. You can find reflections everywhere, so be sure to pay attention to mirrored buildings, puddles, and fountains.
5. Place Over Time
- View the âAt Home in the Ozarksâ photo essay by Kylee Cole .
If you want to document changes and show how the streets, buildings, and parks in your city change over time, select your favorite locations and start to visit them regularly to capture the way they look during different seasons.
- View the âLast Momentsâ photo essay by Ross Taylor .
You donât necessarily have to focus on profound photo essay topics to evoke emotions. Capturing pets enjoying their worry-free and untroubled life seems like an easy but interesting activity.
Choose any animal â from a domestic bird to a dog, cat, or horse. For more emotional images, use such pet photography ideas when your pet is still a baby and recreate these shots when it is older or is in its final days.
7. Street Style
- View the Tribal Street Photography photo essay by Hans Eijkelboom .
People often express themselves with the help of clothes. The way passers-by on the streets are dressed may reflect the clothing style of a whole society. Thatâs why you can travel around the world and capture peopleâs outfits in various areas. When taking portrait photos in the streets, you can also include some of the surroundings to put them in the context.
You can ask people in the streets to pose for you or try to capture them in movement. Select a suitable location for taking photos and create a photo essay to document what kinds of people one can meet in this location. When doing urban photography , you should ask people for permission before taking photos of them. You can ask their contacts and send them your photos later.
8. Abandoned Building
- View the âLost Collectiveâ photo essay by Bret Pattman .
Old buildings are excellent architecture photography essay topics for students since you can capture a large number of elements. They allow you to imagine what a particular street looked like in the past. You may use a photo essay example for students as references.
Get approval before going in, but mind that such places are far from being totally safe. Bring various lenses: the macro lenses â for details and the wide-angle one â when you want to include many elements in one shot.
9. Alternative Lifestyles
- View the âLast Nomad Hippiesâ photo essay by Roberto Palomo .
Some people decide to lead a lifestyle that differs from the one generally accepted by society. Explore different areas and look for people with an unusual way of living. You can capture candid photos of regular people or take pictures of a person with an unusual hobby.
Take pictures of those, who reside in extraordinary conditions, representatives of various subcultures, or the LBGTQ community. These photo essay topics show other people that it is okay to go out of their comfort zone and run against the wind.
10. Social Issues
- View the âJuveniles in Prisonâ photo essay by Isadora Kosofsky .
The best photo essay examples for students are related to social issues, like unemployment, domestic violence, gender discrimination, and more. Address the topic carefully and look for a proper perspective.
Your shots may draw the peopleâs attention to a truly burning and relevant matter and have a stronger effect than any text.
11. Behind the Scenes
- View the âFollow Meâ photo essay by Marius Masalar .
If you are going to visit an event, get ready to take some behind-the-scenes photos. For instance, you can document the preparations for a festival. Capture the work of the lead event planner and other professionals to tell the story of the festival from an unusual angle.
Alternatively, you can capture the events happening backstage during a drama production. Take pictures of actors and actresses when they are getting ready for the performance. Try capturing the emotions of the main lead and show how stage workers make final preparations. You can also document the work of designers and makeup professionals.
12. Landmarks
- View the âVolte-Faceâ photo essay by Oliver Curtis .
The pictures of landmarks are typically taken from a certain spot. One of the best photo essay ideas is to try shooting sights from various angles. You will also have an opportunity to improve your composition and your framing skills.
If you take a look at any pictorial essay example, you will see that the variety of perspectives is endless: through the streets, in the morning, afternoon, and evening, with a drone or including reflections.
âą View the âFamilyâ photo essay by Olivia Moore .
You can capture the way family members interact with each other and demonstrate the strong connection they share. In some cases, it makes sense to focus on capturing candid photos when doing family photography .
However, you may also opt for a different approach and focus on more difficult social topics. For instance, if you want to examine the issue of immigration, you can take pictures of a family from another country. In addition, you may show how families cope with other social issues, including poverty or unequal access to healthcare.
14. A Day in the Life
- View the âA Day in the Life of Carlos Gaytanâ photo essay by Sandy Noto .
One of the best photo essays concepts is related to a day in a personâs life. The main character can be any person â a relative, family member, teacher, writer, or policeman.
People are generally interested in finding out facts about the lives and daily routines of others. The life of every human is incredible, especially if you learn it in more detail. This idea is especially suitable for taking documentary photos. For instance, you can select any photo essay sample you like and then capture a portrait of a person with the tools they use for their work.
15. Education
- View the âSchool Dayâ photo essay by Nancy Borowick .
You can also take great photos in the classroom capturing the interactions of teachers and their students. Avoid distracting them, as it will be easier for you to take natural shots. Using a variety of settings, you can make your photo essay more engaging. For instance, you may visit chemistry labs, capture teachers during a break, and take photos in other locations.
- View the âMeals From the Motherlandâ photo essay by James Tran .
You can also focus on specific meals to create a professional photo essay about food. To make it more attention-grabbing, try using different food photography ideas .
For instance, you can take photos of popular meals, capture the meals made by a specific person, or document cooking traditions in different countries. When taking photos in a restaurant, pay attention to the surroundings as well to capture the unique atmosphere of a place.
17. Capture the Neighbors
- View the âOur Neighborsâ photo essay by Jeanne Martin .
Regardless of the place where you live, you have to establish good relationships with your neighbors. People who live nearby can also be great models for professionals who specialize in portrait photography. To implement this idea, make sure to capture people at home or in front of their houses to include some of the surroundings in your photo essay.
You will discover many interesting facts about people who live nearby. Shooting a photo essay will allow you to learn them better and establish a strong connection with them. This way, you can create a sense of community and discover what holds its members together.
18. Climate Change
- View the âEffects of Climate Changeâ photo essay by Sanya Gupta .
It is possible to a variety of photo story ideas bring to life examining the impact of climate change. Travel to places most affected by climate change, for instance, glaciers or famous resorts.
Capture the way the continuous drought has influenced the environment, animals, and the inhabitants. As an alternative, take pictures of environmentalist protests or inexhaustible energy sources.
Photo Essay Tips for Students
Explore your topic . An in-depth exploration of the main topic of your photo essay will help you find the best ideas for conveying your message. You can also find some sources for inspiration and useful materials. This stage allows you to learn more about your subject and select the best way of organizing your photo essay.
Create a storyboard . Using a storyboard, you can better understand what shots you need to take and what order can help you to tell a story in the best way. It will also allow you to create the right mood.
Take as many pictures as you can . To create a compelling story, make sure to take a lot of photos. It will allow you to choose the best pictures for your photo essay. Besides, you will always have backup photos if some of your pictures get damaged.
Experiment with different techniques . By changing the angle and using a variety of editing techniques, you can transform the way your photos look. When taking photos, try using different angles to capture the subject in the best way. You can also try changing the distance from the model, using black-and-white film, or employing a range of developing methods.
Add text . While some photographers create photo essays without text, it can still help you bring your point across more clearly and make it easier for a viewer to understand what you imply. By providing extra information, such as some facts, you can change the perception of your image. If you donât know how to write descriptions, you can hire a professional writer to perform this task.
Enhance your photos . To edit your pictures, make sure to use professional photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Using the available tools, you can improve and change your photos. They allow you to fix issues with lighting, adjust WB, make colors richer, crop your pics to improve the composition, and perform other tasks. In case you need to edit your photos in a consistent style, you can use Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets.
In some cases, your pictures may require more advanced editing. If you see that your skills are insufficient or if you donât have enough time, you can outsource the task of enhancing your photos to the FixThePhoto team. They will professionally enhance your pictures for a budget price. Their prices start from $1.50 per photo.
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To streamline your workflow and quickly edit your essay photos like a pro, make sure to apply these actions to your photos. Even if you use a photo essay example when taking pictures, you can utilize these actions to give your images a professional feel, tweak colors, edit lighting, and improve the overall look of your pics.
In this bundle, you will find actions created by experienced professionals who used recent photo enhancement trends to create convenient editing tools. Here, you will find a collection of brushes, patterns, overlays, and other effects for editing your photos in a realistic way.
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Photography Terms
9th - 12th  , photography basics, 9th - university  , multiplication word problems, mobile devices.
Photojournalism Assessment
12 questions
Communicating news by photographs, especially in magazines, is called ______________.
Photography
Photojournalism
Attempts to show significant and historical events while producing truthful photography.
Street Photography
Documentary Photography
Photo Essays
Increasing the visual importance of some visual elements in an image, or making them more noticeable.
Subordination
Decreasing the visual importance of some visual elements in an image, or making them less noticeable.
A set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story, or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer.
Photo Essay
Type of photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places.
Refers to your location when taking a photograph (shooting from below, shooting from above, shooting eye level, etc.)
Refers to how objects relate to one another in size
Refers to light and dark tones in your image, which emphasize specific parts of the composition
Refers to the moment you capture the photograph. If you are good at this, you'll be able to capture crucial moments.
States that an image is best when its subjects are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds.
Leading Lines
Rule of Thirds
Lines that lead a viewer's eye into the image, or into a key point in the image, are called ______________.
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Iâm So Sick of Opioid Disaster Porn
I know that the photo essays showing the stark hell of addiction are trying to help. but they miss a huge part of the storyârecovery..
Over the past couple of years, photojournalists have aimed their lenses at Americaâs most pressing public health emergency: the opioid overdose crisis. The March issue of Time did something the magazine had never done before: dedicate an entire issue to the work of one photographer, pre-eminent war photographer James Nachtwey, shooting one topic, the multitude of devastation wrought by Americaâs deadliest drug crisis in history, in black and white. Close-ups focus in on public injection and first responders bringing people back to life. Nachtweyâs images convey a battle being lost in his own country; the suffering, in this case, is at home.
As in his war photography, Nachtweyâs motivation to shoot â The Opioid Diaries â is genuine, even noble. In a tearful speech about the project at the Newseum in D.C., Nachtwey said itâs his and Timeâs wish that the photo essay prompt âmore effective ways of dealing withâ the crisis among decision-makers. But in their laudable quest to document reality, projects like âThe Opioid Diaries,â the New Yorkerâs similarly themed â Faces of an Epidemic ,â and even the Pulitzer Prizeâwinning â Seven Days of Heroin â from the Cincinnati Enquirer actually fail to capture it.
Rather, these glossy, often black-and-white images document a reductive slice of what the opioid crisis really is. Yes, there are funerals and overdoses, but theyâre not the whole story. Nachtweyâs âOpioid Diariesâ is described as a âvisual record of a national emergency,â but by zooming in on only the most severe cases, shooting people at their lowest lows, and neglecting to capture even the possibility of recovery, he misses a whole side of the story. In the end, the portrait painted is so stark and dire that not only does it not reflect the current reality, it feels like a representation that could end up being harmful for people living with addiction who want to get better but feel helpless and hopeless.
Whereâs the dignity afforded to other chronic illnesses? The choice to only show the dark side of addiction is like doing a spread on cancer but only showing bald people on their deathbeds, or commissioning a photo essay on HIV/AIDS that only features emaciated gay men. The respect media gives to other chronic illnesses is missing in these depictions of addiction.
And addiction is a chronic illnessâone that tells a uniquely human story of psychological entanglement and contradictory motives. There are numerous theories of what causes drug addiction. But it tends to start (obviously) with liking the feelings that drugs produce (warmth, euphoria, belonging) or the erasure of other feelings (trauma, loneliness, anxiety)âusually both at once. After continued use, the body comes to depend on the drug to function, as life becomes more and more dysfunctional. Desire for the drug eventually becomes an act of survival. True addiction feels like being trapped in an escapable loop: You need the thing thatâs destroying you.
The thing is, it is escapable. More often than not , thereâs a third act to the story of addiction, one that hinges on personal growth and transformation. The latest national survey estimates that 22.35 million (or 1 in 10) adults in the U.S. have âresolvedâ an addiction. But public perception is skewed toward severe cases, thanks to narratives like the ones featured on A&Eâs Intervention , where the addictions are always intense and require expensive rehab. The lives of millions of people who have recovered, some without any formal help whatsoever, are left out. That third act is largely absent from these projects.
And people who have overcome their addictions are an important part of the crisis. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, best explained why in her recent piece for Scientific American: âViewing [addiction] as a treatable medical problem from which people can and do recover is crucial for enabling a public-healthâfocused response that ensures access to effective treatments and lessens the stigma surrounding a condition that afflicts nearly 10 percent of Americans at some point in their lives.â
Itâs also no coincidence that Time and the New Yorker decided to capture overdoses in black and white. In âFaces of an Epidemic,â text describing the crisis as a âmass-casualty eventâ is overlaid on a low-contrast, gray-washed looped video of a suburban Ohio street, producing a feeling of eerie horror. Itâs a ghostâs vantage point. Nachtweyâs stark images in Time are even more brutal. Black-and-white photos are âvisceralâ and âevocative,â photojournalist Ryan Christopher Jones, whose work frequently appears in the New York Times, told me. âItâs tied to our cultural memory of how war and devastation have historically been visualized.â Jones says that depicting a modern drug crisis in black and white makes us feel like weâre looking at war. To me, itâs highly produced disaster porn.
To be fair, Nachtwey at least attempted to shoot recovery. The third act of âThe Opioid Diariesâ is titled âAftermath, Resilience & Recovery.â But the first image in this section is of a 29-year-old woman experiencing withdrawal in a jail cell; a heart is etched next to the words âI miss my kids!!!â on the black concrete wall next to which she is shivering. (Withdrawal from heroin feels like having 24/7 goosebumps.) The next image is of a man, looking worn down, who volunteered for the jailâs ârehabilitation programââwhatever that is, if not a cruel redundancy. The third image is of another woman experiencing withdrawal in jail. Next is a man in handcuffs who is going back to jail after relapsing during drug court. I think you see the pattern (there are some photos that donât involve jailâbut those mostly show death).
Yes, itâs a sad truth that people are jailed rather than given medical help. But despite Nachtweyâs intention to show this to inspire âmore effectiveâ solutions, it seems likely that images like these instead further entrench the notion that addiction is a sin or crime and that jail is the right place for people with addiction. What the photo essays donât capture is that when people with opioid addiction are released from jail, their risk of overdosing is astronomical thanks to their diminished tolerance. In fact, the prison conditions for people with addiction are so atrocious that they are currently being investigated as a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act , because life-saving medication that reduces the risk of overdose is being withheld. Sure, an argument could be made that showing addiction as a crime may motivate more humane fixes. But why not show what those more effective solutions would look like, too, at least to underscore the vast difference between them and incarceration?
Last October in Slate, I covered the increasing role that recovery activists are playing in the national dialogue about the overdose crisis. I went back to a few of those activists to ask what they thought about the photo essays. âThey didnât finish that article!â Garrett Hade, of Facing Addiction, told me about Timeâs essay. âThereâs a part after the criminal justice system. What happened to that person when they were released from probation and donât have to go to court anymore? Did they get support? Are they employed?â Recovery activist Cortney Lovell told me that the âcontinued use of glorified drug paraphernalia in media only further stigmatizes an already vulnerable group of people.â For contrast, Lovell pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâs â Rx Awareness â media campaign, which featured her in September 2017. Though not perfect, the CDCâs campaign didnât feature disaster porn. Unlike the hopelessly dark, Requiem for a Dream âstyle images featured in major media outlets, the CDC featured the faces of healthy people who have moved beyond their addictions.
Similarly, Jones, who only shoots in colorâbecause, as he put it, âwe live in colorâârecently photographed a number of people who have recovered from opioid addiction, including me, for a new photo essay in the New York Times that attempts to capture the third act of the story that is too often ignored. The project features close-ups taken by Jones next to words from Maia Szalavitz describing our different journeys, showing what our lives look like after addiction ends. Jones and Szalavitz teamed up out of mutual dissatisfaction over the yearâs biggest opioid packages. Unique to their project is showcasing a diversity of pathways, bucking the status quo that prioritizes 12-step-style abstinence. The decision to use close-ups is also important: Thereâs no room for readers to distance themselves from the subjects; theyâre forced to look us in the eye instead of at our scars.
This photo essay is similar to the Timesâ â Faces of HIV â published in June 2013. Both show a variety of faces from different walks of life, people in suits at work, a black woman kissing her relative, a Native American woman in Minnesota who turned to her familyâs spiritual tradition for help. The takeaway is powerful: Once thought to have a death sentence, people with HIV today are by and large living fruitful lives. The same is true today with addictionâand seeing it could make a world of difference.
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1. Narrative Essay: Telling a Story2. Descriptive Essay: Painting a Picture3. Expository Essay: Just the Facts4. Persuasive Essay: Convince Me -a series of pictures that evokes an emotion,conveys an idea, or tells a storyartist's personal ideas through narration orexposition in the same way an essay does, but does so through photographs
Photo Essay Flashcards | Quizlet Photo Essay 5.0 (1 review) Photo essay Click the card to flip đ Ito ay ang pag-aayos ng mga larawan upang maglahad ng mga ideya Click the card to flip đ 1 / 14 Flashcards Learn Test Match Q-Chat Created by pow_bejer Students also viewed Filipino 100 terms Yakuzaboogie Preview Fil Nakalarawang sanaysay 12 terms
Golden hour the time shortly before sunset or after sunrise (30 minutes) when the light is softer and more flattering, featuring reddish colors in the sky Blue hour the time (30 minutes) right before sunrise or twilight that is tranquil and serene,featuring bluish colors in the sky Arrangement the picture's structure or organization Audience
Updated: January 29, 2024 Read Time: 11 minutes Gather up a handful of images that seem to go together, and voila! It's a photo essay, right? Well⊠no. Though, this is a common misconception. In reality, a photo essay is much more thoughtful and structured than that.
1,260+ Featured Photographers 2,360+ Photography Guides & Gear Reviews How to Create an Engaging Photo Essay (with Examples) Photo essays tell a story in pictures. They're a great way to improve at photography and story-telling skills at once. Learn how to do create a great one. Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles
The idea of a photo essay is to create a whole, not a bunch of random parts. Think gestalt. The images must interact with each other. Repetition helps achieve this end. Recurring themes, moods ...
1. Create visual structure. An authentic photo essay requires visual markers to help transform a collection of images into a narrative. For example, photo chapter headings in Growing up young introduce each new girl in the story.. Similarly, in SBS's photojournalism story â 28 days in Afghanistan, mentioned above â each dated header delineates a part of the story, providing an easy-to ...
... Looking for inspiration? Our 23 photo essay ideas will take your photography skills to new heights! A single, strong photograph can convey a lot of information about its subject - but sometimes we have topics that require more than one image to do the job.
Art terms Photo essay Photo essay A photo essay is a form of visual storytelling that develops a narrative across a series of photographs. It originated during the late 1920s in German illustrated journals, initially presenting stories in the objective, distanced tone of news reporting.
Step 4 - Select your top images. Define the appropriate number of images that you intend to use when telling the story. For example, if you intend to leave the audience under suspense, choose which images to use and their order of appearance. Your photo essay project does not have to use all your images but the best.
photo essay a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. subgenre A specialized genre that defines a specific, more limited version of a more general genre, often by refining it with an adjective, such as the spaghetti western or slapstick comedy. text feature
Photo Essays. A photo essay is simply an essay that uses images to tell a story or make a point. In a photo essay, images are placed in a specific order in order to send a particular message to an audience. Some photo essays will have text to support the photos or provide details, but some photo essays will have no text at all.
5. Place Over Time. View the "At Home in the Ozarks" photo essay by Kylee Cole. If you want to document changes and show how the streets, buildings, and parks in your city change over time, select your favorite locations and start to visit them regularly to capture the way they look during different seasons. 6.
What is Photojournalism? According to the American Press Institute 's website, "Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also the...
377 plays. 6th. 10 Qs. The 'ph' Digraph. 67 plays. 2nd. Photojournalism Assessment quiz for 9th grade students. Find other quizzes for and more on Quizizz for free!
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Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Definition of a photo essay, Types of photo essays, Shots to get for a photo essay and more.
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5. Dapat may kaisahan ang mga larawan. 6. Tiyakin na sariling larawan ang gamit. 7. Huwag gumamit ng mga larawang minanipula upang ilabas ang gustong imahen. Pagbuo ng Photo Essay: Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like > blogs > social media, > nang-aaliw > nagbibigay impormasyon >nag-iimbita ng debate o nagpapasidhi ...
Nachtwey's images convey a battle being lost in his own country; the suffering, in this case, is at home. As in his war photography, Nachtwey's motivation to shoot " The Opioid Diaries ...
Go to the top of the set and click "flip terms and definitions": it looks like two arrows pointing in different directions, it should just be above the first term and to the right. the fill out the rest with the answer in the "term" section and the image in the "definition" section.
1 / 12 Flashcards Learn Test Match Q-Chat Created by ericadoucet Students also viewed Still photography (advertising and fashion) 10 terms emerald_nicholls Preview Advertising and Fashion 10 terms Nate_Stephens1 Preview Advertising and Fashion 2 12 terms alythea Preview MC 1313 MIDTERM 98 terms Mercy_Koehler Preview Photojournalism 10 terms