"...

words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully

than either alone." - William Albert Allard
WhdisaPhotoEssay?
Uses photography and journali sm to t ell a
story.
The photos must work toget her to convey the
message, theme, and emotions of the essay.
The photographs should tell the story, while
the tex t provides support i ng i nforma ti on .
What isthe Purpose Photo Essay?

Communicate Informa ti on
Persuade the Aud i ence
Types of Photographic Essays

Narrative: tells a sequenti a l story

• Can be structured in several ways :
o Chronologically
o Highlights

Thema tic: focuses on a central theme

• Can be structured in several ways :
o Theme that links each photo
o Series of photos that feature different sub j ects .
vet the shot is replicated
Elements of aPhoto Essay

An Overarching Theme (What the essay is about)

o Poverty
o A Hike in the Swiss Alps
o The People of Lowell, Massachusetts

A Clear, Powerful Story (The specific message of the essay)

o Children living in poverty have difficulty in school
o One person's challenging experience hiking in the Swiss Alps.
o People in Lowell are diverse and friendly.

A Variety of Photographs
Textual Information (Titles, captions, descriptive text)
 Lead/Hook

Establishing Shot

Medium Shot
Types of Photos in Portrait

Photo Essay Detail

Each essay should include Action/Interaction Shot

a Lead/Hook, and a Signature Shot
Clincher/Closing, and a
mix of the other kinds of Clincher/Closing
photographs.
Fight like agirl: the female
boxers of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo
Hugh Kinsella Cunningham (2017)
 Subject name(s)
Location name(s)

Title, Captions, Date(s)

Backstory (what happened
and Text pri or to the photographs)
More informati on about the
Used to give the viewer
backstory or information subject(s), activity, or
that can't be seen in the location .
photographs. Quotes
Overview

8-10 photographs that either convey a narrative, or are

connected thematically
The final essay should be in the form of a Google Slides
slideshow (9-11 slides), complete with titles and captions
for each photograph.
There should be a title slide at the start of the slideshow
stating the title of the photo essay, your name, and the
date