The Photo Essay
THE PHOTO ESSAY
Thread Purpose
To post photo essays on a subject or a place, gain experience in visual storytelling, and learn to edit your own work ruthlessly. The idea is to provide a visual narrative that conveys a sense of place, theme or event - it's storytelling with images (think National Geographic photojournalistic style).
Elements of a Photo Essay
Ever notice how most National Geo stories start with an aerial or sweeping photo then moves closer into the subject? It's storytelling. While there is no set formula for this, some elements in a photo essay could include:
1. Opening Photo - Introduces subject in the broadest sense.
2. Moving In - Dropping into the scene and bringing your audience with you.
3. Environmental Portrait - Places people in the context of the story and the surroundings.
4. Details - Moving in very close. Capturing details can draw viewer in so they can almost touch, smell, or taste this environment.
5. The Moment - Every situation has that "moment" - an awesome action shot, a telling look or gesture, something special. Ready, steady, wait for it, wait for it .... click!
6. Conclusion. An image that concludes the story. It could resolve a conflict or just nicely wrap things up. Think cowboy riding off into the sunset, for instance.
Edit Ruthlessly
It is difficult to succinctly convey a story through images but it is critical to edit your own work ruthlessly. (This is my greatest challenge). If you don't, your essay is likely to end up like the dreaded Uncle Fred's two-hour vacation slideshow (here's Aunt Margaret in front of the Eiffel Tower, etc.) with a bored audience. People's attention spans are short.
The other truism is that people will remember you for your weakest shot - include one too many images, or one that doesn't live up to the quality of the rest, and the whole tapestry of the story unwinds. A great photo essay doesn't satisfy, it leaves the viewer wanting more!
Please don't be Uncle Fred
Please post your photo essay; we're all interested in your storytelling. But please, no more than 10 images. Don't be Uncle Fred. Remember that few magazine or newspaper feature stories have even 10 photos with them.
Thread Purpose
To post photo essays on a subject or a place, gain experience in visual storytelling, and learn to edit your own work ruthlessly. The idea is to provide a visual narrative that conveys a sense of place, theme or event - it's storytelling with images (think National Geographic photojournalistic style).
Elements of a Photo Essay
Ever notice how most National Geo stories start with an aerial or sweeping photo then moves closer into the subject? It's storytelling. While there is no set formula for this, some elements in a photo essay could include:
1. Opening Photo - Introduces subject in the broadest sense.
2. Moving In - Dropping into the scene and bringing your audience with you.
3. Environmental Portrait - Places people in the context of the story and the surroundings.
4. Details - Moving in very close. Capturing details can draw viewer in so they can almost touch, smell, or taste this environment.
5. The Moment - Every situation has that "moment" - an awesome action shot, a telling look or gesture, something special. Ready, steady, wait for it, wait for it .... click!
6. Conclusion. An image that concludes the story. It could resolve a conflict or just nicely wrap things up. Think cowboy riding off into the sunset, for instance.
Edit Ruthlessly
It is difficult to succinctly convey a story through images but it is critical to edit your own work ruthlessly. (This is my greatest challenge). If you don't, your essay is likely to end up like the dreaded Uncle Fred's two-hour vacation slideshow (here's Aunt Margaret in front of the Eiffel Tower, etc.) with a bored audience. People's attention spans are short.
The other truism is that people will remember you for your weakest shot - include one too many images, or one that doesn't live up to the quality of the rest, and the whole tapestry of the story unwinds. A great photo essay doesn't satisfy, it leaves the viewer wanting more!
Please don't be Uncle Fred
Please post your photo essay; we're all interested in your storytelling. But please, no more than 10 images. Don't be Uncle Fred. Remember that few magazine or newspaper feature stories have even 10 photos with them.
0
Comments
Yesterday I had limited time to do some shooting in an unfamiliar town. I carved out about an hour between a meeting and my commute back home across the mountains so I decided to head down to the fairgrounds in Ellensburg, Washington. This small Eastern Washington city is in the heart of cowboy country and hosts a fairly famous rodeo every year. As it turns out, they have smaller events going on all the time.
Yesterday, it was practice time for the Cascade Cow Cutters with some amazing riders and horses. The idea here is to cut a calf from the herd and keep them from rejoining the herd for several minutes.
I think there are at least two too many images here. Which photos would you cut out of this story? (Hey! Be nice, ALL is NOT an option! ;-)
CASCADE COW CUTTERS
so with these.
Either the story or the photographs must have some sort of caption. For
example; the first caption might be "Cowboy X prepares for the upcoming
cow cutting competition.". Or for shot 6, "Cowgirl cuts a calf from the
herd". If I look at the WA picture of the horse, I think "nice shot. good
angle"--but I have no idea the significance of the shot in this series.
You need accurate captions. With out them, most photos cannot convey
a story the viewer is unfamiliar with by themselves because there is no
context (or not enough).
Using the NG example, the photographer and writer work together to
develop the story. Shots are chosen to match the story line. While
they're not always captioned, more often than not, the caption is a
short paragraph and if you look at only the pictures, the reader can
grasp an overview of the story.
I think Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Alan Harvey, and Robert Frank might disagree with your assertion concerning captions. Are you saying this would never work without captions, or just this particular series?
Personally, looking at those, I would cut #3 and #4, my reasoning is because they seem irrelevant to the story. while they are nice photos they do not feel like they add anything...
The other thing I notice, is that the last set of photos are a very similar feel, #6, and #7 especially so.., I find my self looking at them and thinking, "booorrring.... I just saw this one."
I think what needs to happen is for you to focus down and make it so each of the photos tells a different part of the story... otherwise it's like reading a book where every paragraph is a slightly reworded version of the first... it gets boring really quick...
Ben
I made some cuts above.
Tom
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
Captioned, I'd say leave them here. But if what you want is just pictures and
a bit of an explanation, then their respective categories would be fine too.
What I'd like to see is the captioned version.
Respectfully, I disagree but it's your forum. It may seem that I'm being obstinate but I really do believe there are few things more difficult and challenging than creating a photo essay to tell a story with few, if any words. I thought of it as an expansion of the idea behind the theme-based Last Photographer Standing contest. I was attempting to foster a new avenue for creative expression and discussion but it didn't meet your specifications. Sorry to waste your time in your forum.
We have guidelines, not set-in-concrete rules around here.
Post away, we love your images.
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Seastack, we may find that as your thread grows and this forum grows that it's a great fit, or we may move it to some other forum, but this thread is a GREAT IDEA. I'd love to see more photo essays along these lines. I've seen how much talent you have, and I love the idea of encouraging more photo essays, with or without words. The feedback that yours might not stand up without words is just that--feedback.
My opinion is that photo titles would be a) a great discipline, b)helpful to the viewer, and c) better than numbers, or at least, more interesting and engaging.
In short:
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
As far as captions go, I think they are important for the stand alone image, but I would give more leeway to a series of photo that are story telling.
So keep it up man
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
I think that is much better, It feels much more concise and to the point.