What is a photo essay and how do images tell a story?
The classic photo essay is a form of storytelling. It presents a narrative through a series of photographs. It can evoke emotions and convey messages by showcasing a subject or theme through carefully created and curated photographs.
One of the first photographers to develop the photo essay format was W. Eugene Smith. His work “Country Doctor” in 1948 for Life magazine is considered the first extended editorial photo story. The essay illustrated the power of visual storytelling, showcasing the life of a rural doctor in Kremmling, Colorado.
Photo essays are widely used in journalism, marketing and commercial projects. It can offer a dynamic and engaging presentation of visual content that engages and holds the attention of the viewer.
The blueprint for a photo essay typically has the following eight different types of images:
- Overall Shot
- Medium View
- Close Up
- Portrait
- A Sequence
- An Action Shot
- A Closer or End Shot
- A Signature Image
If a photo story contains strong images in these categories the chances are it will be successful in engaging your audience and telling your story.
These eight photo essay points are a guide. There are always new, innovative and creative ways to present your story.
Photo essays can be short and straight to the point or a more complex work, allowing you to go deeper into a story and show new and different sides to an issue or theme.
Some Photo Essay Types
A-Day-In-The-Life (Documentary) essay: This type tells the story of a day in the life of a particular subject. These essays can be informative and emotionally evocative, giving the audience an intimate glimpse into the world of another person, business or organization.
Historical (Photojournalistic) essay: This type of essay focuses on documenting historical sites, landmarks, events, programs or people. Creating images for this purpose can record a complete story for archival purposes. An example of this is the U.S. Federal Government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA). Created in 1937 to combat rural poverty during the Great Depression, the agency was famous for its small but highly influential photography program that documented the challenges of rural poverty. These photographs form an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1944.
Behind-The-Scenes (BTS) essay: When given unique access the photographer can show all the working parts of an event or production— all the major people, processes and actions, how it all moves and comes together.
Event essay: Specific events like concerts, festivals, parades, markets, places where people are working, performing and coming together can be interesting subjects for a photo essay. The viewer can be interested in seeing the pre-production, the event/show, interesting and influential people involved, and also the postproduction or aftermath.
Social Justice and Advocacy: This type of essay often examines the stark realities of local, national or global issues. It can be used not only to inform but as a call to action for the viewer to support a certain cause.
Nature and Conservation: This collection of images can show environments and highlight their value and interconnectedness. It can focus on different themes such as areas under threat, decline, renewal or natural beauty.
Culture and Traditions: Capturing festivals, rituals and community events provides insights and understanding about the diversity and vibrancy of society.
Before-and-After Comparisons: These essays show change over time. Whether it’s an urban landscape, a personal health issue, or life stage change these essays capture growth or decline.
Thematic essay: A collection of images captured and curated to show themes such as identity and isolation, or power and control.
Portrait essay: A people-centered photo essay might concentrate on individual personalities or professions. It can be a series of close-up portraits or a series showing how they navigate through life or events. This type of essay can be a way to feature the abilities, traits, skills, tools of the trade or achievements of an individual or group.
Timeline essay: This can be a more instructional storytelling essay in a definite chronological order. The emphasis is on telling the audience “this happened, then this, followed by this.” It gives a true sense of how something occurred in order.
Whether it’s documenting a local story, reporting on a global issue or used for marketing purposes, a good photo essay can influence how other people see the world. The photo essay has the unique power to tell a story that inspires, evokes emotion and creates engagement with the viewer.
If you are curious about how a photo essay might work for your organization, give me a call.
I would welcome the opportunity to create your photo essay and tell your story.
