picture sequence essay

Photo Essay

Photo essay generator.

We all know that photographs tell a story. These still images may be seen from various perspectives and are interpreted in different ways. Oftentimes, photographers like to give dramatic meaning to various scenarios. For instance, a blooming flower signifies a new life. Photographs always hold a deeper meaning than what they actually are.

In essay writing , photographs along with its supporting texts, play a significant role in conveying a message. Here are some examples of these kinds of photo-text combinations.

What is Photo Essay? A photo essay is a visual storytelling method that utilizes a sequence of carefully curated photographs to convey a narrative, explore a theme, or evoke specific emotions. It goes beyond individual images, aiming to tell a cohesive and impactful story through the arrangement and combination of pictures.

Photo Essay Format

A photo essay is a series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. It is a powerful way to convey messages without the need for many words. Here is a format to guide you in creating an effective photo essay:

1. Choose a Compelling Topic

Select a subject that you are passionate about or that you find intriguing. Ensure the topic has a clear narrative that can be expressed visually.

2. Plan Your Shots

Outline the story you wish to tell. This could involve a beginning, middle, and end or a thematic approach. Decide on the types of shots you need (e.g., wide shots, close-ups, portraits, action shots) to best tell the story.

3. Take Your Photographs

Capture a variety of images to have a wide selection when editing your essay. Focus on images that convey emotion, tell a story, or highlight your theme.

4. Edit Your Photos

Select the strongest images that best convey your message or story. Edit for consistency in style, color, and lighting to ensure the essay flows smoothly.

5. Arrange Your Photos

Order your images in a way that makes sense narratively or thematically. Consider transitions between photos to ensure they lead the viewer naturally through the story.

6. Include Captions or Text (Optional)

Write captions to provide context, add depth, or explain the significance of each photo. Keep text concise and impactful, letting the images remain the focus.

7. Present Your Photo Essay

Choose a platform for presentation, whether online, in a gallery, or as a printed booklet. Consider the layout and design, ensuring that it complements and enhances the visual narrative.

8. Conclude with Impact

End with a strong image or a conclusion that encapsulates the essence of your essay. Leave the viewer with something to ponder , reflecting on the message or emotions you aimed to convey.

Best Photo Essay Example?

One notable example of a powerful photo essay is “The Photographic Essay: Paul Fusco’s ‘RFK Funeral Train'” by Paul Fusco. This photo essay captures the emotional journey of the train carrying the body of Robert F. Kennedy from New York to Washington, D.C., after his assassination in 1968. Fusco’s images beautifully and poignantly document the mourning and respect shown by people along the train route. The series is a moving portrayal of grief, unity, and the impact of a historical moment on the lives of ordinary individuals. The photographs are both artistically compelling and deeply human, making it a notable example of the potential for photo essays to convey complex emotions and historical narratives.

Photo Essay Examples and Ideas to Edit & Download

• A Day in the Life Photo Essay
• Behind the scenes Photo Essay
• Event Photo Essay
• Photo Essay on Meal
• Photo Essay on Photo walking
• Photo Essay on Protest
• Photo Essay on Abandoned building
• Education photo essay
• Photo Essay on Events
• Follow the change Photo Essay
• Photo Essay on Personal experiences

Photo Essay Examples & Templates

1. narrative photo essay format example.

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2. Student Photo Essay Example

3. Great Depression Essay Example

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4. Example of Photo Essay

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5. Photo Essay Examples About Nature

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6. Travel Photo Example

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7. Free Photo Essay Example

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Most Interesting Photo Essays of 2019

Now that you are educated with the fundamentals of photo essays, why not lay eyes on some great photo essays for inspiration. To give you a glimpse of a few epitomes, we collected the best and fascinating photo essays for you. The handpicked samples are as follows:

8. Toys and Us

journals.openedition.org

This photo essay presents its subject which is the latest genre of photography, toy photography. In this type of picture taking, the photographer aims to give life on the toys and treat them as his/her model. This photography follows the idea of a toy researcher, Katrina Heljakka, who states that also adults and not only children are interested in reimagining and preserving the characters of their toys with the means of roleplay and creating a story about these toys. This photo essay is based on the self-reflection of the author on a friend’s toys in their home environment.

9. The Faces of Nature Example

godandnature.asa3.org

This photo essay and collection caters the creativity of the author’s mind in seeing the world. In her composition, she justified that there are millions of faces that are naturally made that some of us have not noticed. She also presented tons of photos showing different natural objects that form patterns of faces. Though it was not mentioned in the essay itself, the author has unconsciously showcased the psychological phenomenon, pareidolia. This is the tendency to translate an obscure stimulus that let the observer see faces in inanimate objects or abstract patterns, or even hearing concealed messages in music.

10. The Country Doctor Example

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This photo essay depicts the medical hardships in a small rural town in Colorado called Kremling. For 23 days, Smith shadowed Dr. Ernest Ceriani, witnessing the dramatic life of the small town and capturing the woeful crisis of the region. The picture in this photographic essay was photographed by Smith himself for Life magazine in 1948 but remained as fascinating as it was posted weeks ago.

11. New York City Coffeehouses

lens.blogs.nytimes.com

Café Latte, cappuccino, espresso, or flat white—of course, you know these if you have visited a coffee shop at least once. However, the photographer of this photo essay took it to a whole new level of experience. Within two to three days of visiting various coffee places, Mr. Gavrysh stayed most of his day observing at the finest details such as the source of the coffee, the procedure of delivering them, and the process of roasting and grounding them. He also watched how did the baristas perfect the drinks and the reaction of the customers as they received their ordered coffee with delights in their faces. Gavrysh did not mean to compose a coffeehouse guide, but to make a composition that describes modern, local places where coffee is sipped and treated with respect.

12. Hungry Planet: What The World Eats

13. Photo Essay Example

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14. Photo Essay in PDF

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15. Sample Photo Essay Example

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16. Basic Photo Essay Example

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17. Printable Photo Essay Example

One of the basic necessity of a person to live according to his/her will is food. In this photo essay, you will see how these necessities vary in several ways. In 2005, a pair of Peter Menzel and Faith D’ Aluisio released a book that showcased the meals of an average family in 24 countries. Ecuador, south-central Mali, China, Mexico, Kuwait, Norway, and Greenland are among the nations they visited.  This photo essay is written to raise awareness about the influence of environment and culture to the cost and calories of the foods laid on the various dining tables across the globe.

Photo essays are not just about photographic aesthetics but also the stories that authors built behind those pictures. In this collection of captivating photo essays, reflect on how to write your own. If you are allured and still can’t get enough, there’s no need for you to be frantic about. Besides, there are thousands of samples and templates on our website to browse. Visit us to check them all out.

What are good topics for a photo essay?

• Urban Exploration: Document the unique architecture, street life, and cultural diversity of urban environments.
• Environmental Conservation: Capture the beauty of natural landscapes or document environmental issues, showcasing the impact of climate change or conservation efforts.
• Everyday Life in Your Community: Showcase the daily lives, traditions, and activities of people in your local community.
• Family Traditions: Document the customs, rituals, and special moments within your own family or another family.
• Youth Culture: Explore the lifestyle, challenges, and aspirations of young people in your community or around the world.
• Behind-the-Scenes at an Event: Provide a backstage look at the preparation and execution of an event, such as a concert, festival, or sports competition.
• A Day in the Life of a Profession: Follow a professional in their daily activities, offering insights into their work, challenges, and routines.
• Social Issues: Address important social issues like homelessness, poverty, immigration, or healthcare, raising awareness through visual storytelling.
• Cultural Celebrations: Document cultural festivals, ceremonies, or celebrations that showcase the diversity of traditions in your region or beyond.
• Education Around the World: Explore the various facets of education globally, from classrooms to the challenges students face in different cultures.
• Workplace Dynamics: Capture the atmosphere, interactions, and diversity within different workplaces or industries.
• Street Art and Graffiti: Document the vibrant and dynamic world of street art, capturing the expressions of local artists.
• Animal Rescues or Shelters: Focus on the efforts of organizations or individuals dedicated to rescuing and caring for animals.
• Migration Stories: Explore the experiences and challenges of individuals or communities affected by migration.
• Global Food Culture: Document the diversity of food cultures, from local markets to family meals, showcasing the role of food in different societies.

How to Write a Photo Essay

First of all, you would need to find a topic that you are interested in. With this, you can conduct thorough research on the topic that goes beyond what is common. This would mean that it would be necessary to look for facts that not a lot of people know about. Not only will this make your essay interesting, but this may also help you capture the necessary elements for your images.

Remember, the ability to manipulate the emotions of your audience will allow you to build a strong connection with them. Knowing this, you need to plan out your shots. With the different emotions and concepts in mind, your images should tell a story along with the essay outline .

1. Choose Your Topic

• Select a compelling subject that interests you and can be explored visually.
• Consider the story or message you want to convey. It should be something that can be expressed through images.

2. Plan Your Essay

• Outline your narrative. Decide if your photo essay will tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end, or if it will explore a theme or concept.
• Research your subject if necessary, especially if you’re covering a complex or unfamiliar topic.

3. Capture Your Images

• Take a variety of photos. Include wide shots to establish the setting, close-ups to show details, and medium shots to focus on subjects.
• Consider different angles and perspectives to add depth and interest to your essay.
• Shoot more than you need. Having a large selection of images to choose from will make the editing process easier.

4. Select Your Images

• Choose photos that best tell your story or convey your theme.
• Look for images that evoke emotion or provoke thought.
• Ensure there’s a mix of compositions to keep the viewer engaged.
• Sequence your images in a way that makes narrative or thematic sense.
• Consider the flow and how each image transitions to the next.
• Use juxtaposition to highlight contrasts or similarities.

6. Add Captions or Text (Optional)

• Write captions to provide context or additional information about each photo. Keep them brief and impactful.
• Consider including an introduction or conclusion to frame your essay. This can be helpful in setting the stage or offering a final reflection.

7. Edit and Refine

• Review the sequence of your photos. Make sure they flow smoothly and clearly convey your intended story or theme.
• Adjust the layout as needed, ensuring that the visual arrangement is aesthetically pleasing and supports the narrative.

8. Share Your Essay

• Choose the right platform for your photo essay, whether it’s a blog, online publication, exhibition, or print.
• Consider your audience and tailor the presentation of your essay to suit their preferences and expectations.

Types of Photo Essay

Photo essays are a compelling medium to tell a story, convey emotions, or present a perspective through a series of photographs. Understanding the different types of photo essays can help photographers and storytellers choose the best approach for their project. Here are the main types of photo essays:

1. Narrative Photo Essays

• Purpose: To tell a story or narrate an event in a chronological sequence.
• Characteristics: Follows a clear storyline with a beginning, middle, and end. It often includes characters, a setting, and a plot.
• Examples: A day in the life of a firefighter, the process of crafting traditional pottery.

2. Thematic Photo Essays

• Purpose: To explore a specific theme, concept, or issue without being bound to a chronological sequence.
• Characteristics: Centers around a unified theme, with each photo contributing to the overall concept.
• Examples: The impact of urbanization on the environment, the beauty of natural landscapes.

3. Conceptual Photo Essays

• Purpose: To convey an idea or evoke a series of emotions through abstract or metaphorical images.
• Characteristics: Focuses on delivering a conceptual message or emotional response, often using symbolism.
• Examples: Loneliness in the digital age, the concept of freedom.

4. Expository or Informative Photo Essays

• Purpose: To inform or educate the viewer about a subject with a neutral viewpoint.
• Characteristics: Presents factual information on a topic, often accompanied by captions or brief texts to provide context.
• Examples: The process of coffee production, a day at an animal rescue center.

5. Persuasive Photo Essays

• Purpose: To convince the viewer of a particular viewpoint or to highlight social issues.
• Characteristics: Designed to persuade or elicit action, these essays may focus on social, environmental, or political issues.
• Examples: The effects of plastic pollution, the importance of historical preservation.

6. Personal Photo Essays

• Purpose: To express the photographer’s personal experiences, emotions, or journeys.
• Characteristics: Highly subjective and personal, often reflecting the photographer’s intimate feelings or experiences.
• Examples: A personal journey through grief, documenting one’s own home during quarantine.

7. Environmental Photo Essays

• Purpose: To showcase landscapes, wildlife, and environmental issues.
• Characteristics: Focuses on the natural world or environmental challenges, aiming to raise awareness or appreciation.
• Examples: The melting ice caps, wildlife in urban settings.

8. Travel Photo Essays

• Purpose: To explore and present the culture, landscapes, people, and experiences of different places.
• Characteristics: Captures the essence of a location, showcasing its uniqueness and the experiences of traveling.
• Examples: A road trip across the American Southwest, the vibrant streets of a bustling city.

How do you start a picture essay?

1. choose a compelling theme or topic:.

Select a theme or topic that resonates with you and has visual storytelling potential. It could be a personal project, an exploration of a social issue, or a visual journey through a specific place or event.

2. Research and Conceptualize:

Conduct research on your chosen theme to understand its nuances, context, and potential visual elements. Develop a conceptual framework for your photo essay, outlining the key aspects you want to capture.

3. Define Your Storytelling Approach:

Determine how you want to convey your narrative. Consider whether your photo essay will follow a chronological sequence, a thematic structure, or a more abstract and conceptual approach.

4. Create a Shot List:

Develop a list of specific shots you want to include in your essay. This can help guide your photography and ensure you capture a diverse range of images that contribute to your overall narrative.

5. Plan the Introduction:

Think about how you want to introduce your photo essay. The first image or series of images should grab the viewer’s attention and set the tone for the narrative.

6. Consider the Flow:

Plan the flow of your photo essay, ensuring a logical progression of images that tells a cohesive and engaging story. Consider the emotional impact and visual variety as you sequence your photographs.

7. Shoot with Purpose:

Start capturing images with your conceptual framework in mind. Focus on images that align with your theme and contribute to the overall narrative. Look for moments that convey emotion, tell a story, or reveal aspects of your chosen subject.

8. Experiment with Perspectives and Techniques:

Explore different perspectives, compositions, and photographic techniques to add visual interest and depth to your essay. Consider using a variety of shots, including wide-angle, close-ups, and detail shots.

9. Write Descriptive Captions:

As you capture images, think about the accompanying captions. Captions should provide context, additional information, or insights that enhance the viewer’s understanding of each photograph.

What are the key elements of a photo essay?

1. Theme or Topic:

Clearly defined subject matter or theme that unifies the photographs and tells a cohesive story.

2. Narrative Structure:

An intentional narrative structure that guides the viewer through the photo essay, whether chronological, thematic, or conceptual.

3. Introduction:

A strong introduction that captures the viewer’s attention and sets the tone for the photo essay.

4. Captivating Images:

A series of high-quality and visually compelling images that effectively convey the chosen theme or story.

5. Variety of Shots:

A variety of shots, including wide-angle, close-ups, detail shots, and different perspectives, to add visual interest and depth.

6. Sequencing:

Careful sequencing of images to create a logical flow and emotional impact, guiding the viewer through the narrative.

7. Captions and Text:

Thoughtful captions or accompanying text that provide context, additional information, or insights, enhancing the viewer’s understanding.

8. Conclusion:

A concluding section that brings the photo essay to a satisfying close, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

Purpose of a Photo Essay

With good writing skills , a person is able to tell a story through words. However, adding images for your essay will give it the dramatic effect it needs. The photographs and the text work hand in hand to create something compelling enough to attract an audience.

This connection goes beyond something visual, as photo essays are also able to connect with an audience emotionally. This is to create an essay that is effective enough to relay a given message.

5 Tips for Creating a Photo Essay

• Don’t be afraid to experiment. Find the right angle and be dramatic with your description, just be creative.
• Pay attention to detail. Chances are, your audience will notice every single detail of your photograph.
• Shoot everything. Behind a single beautiful photo is a hundred more shots.
• Don’t think twice about editing. Editing is where the magic happens. It has the ability to add more drama to your images.
• Have fun. Don’t stress yourself out too much but instead, grow from your experience.

What is a photo essay for school?

A school photo essay is a visual storytelling project for educational purposes, typically assigned to students. It involves creating a narrative using a series of carefully curated photographs on a chosen theme.

How many pictures should be in a photo essay?

The number of pictures in a photo essay varies based on the chosen theme and narrative structure. It can range from a few impactful images to a more extensive series, typically around 10-20 photographs.

Is a photo essay a story?

Yes, a photo essay is a visual storytelling form. It uses a series of carefully curated photographs to convey a narrative, evoke emotions, or communicate a specific message or theme.

What makes a photo essay unforgettable?

An unforgettable photo essay is characterized by a powerful theme, emotionally resonant images, a well-crafted narrative structure, attention to detail, and a connection that leaves a lasting impact on viewers.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Create a Photo Essay on the theme of urban exploration.

Discuss the story of a local community event through a Photo Essay.

How to Make a Photo Essay: 5 Tips for Impactful Results

A Post By: Christina N Dickson

Want to tell meaningful stories with your photos? That’s what a photo essay is all about: conveying concepts and narratives through a series of carefully chosen images.

While telling a story with photos can be a daunting task, there are several easy tips and techniques you can use in your photo essays to create striking, stunning, eye-opening results.

And that’s what I’m going to share in this article: five photo essay tips that you can immediately apply to your photography. You’ll leave as a better photo essayist than when you arrived!

Let’s get started.

What is a photo essay?

A photo essay is a collection of images placed in a specific order to convey certain emotions , specific concepts, or a progression of events.

In other words:

The photo essay tells stories just like a normal piece of writing , except with images instead of words. (Here, I’m using the term “story” loosely; as mentioned above, photo essays can encapsulate emotions or concepts in addition to traditional, time-based narratives.)

Plenty of world-class photojournalists use photo essays, including Lauren Greenfield, James Nachtwey, and Joachim Ladefoged. But the photo essay format isn’t exclusive to professionals, and photo essays don’t need to cover dramatic events such as wars, natural disasters, and social issues. Whether you are a complete beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional, the photo essay is a great way to bring your images to life, tell relevant stories about your own surroundings, and touch your family, friends, and coworkers.

So without further ado, let’s look at five easy tips to take your photo essays to the next level, starting with:

1. Find a topic you care about

Every good photo essay should start with an idea .

Otherwise, you’ll be shooting without a purpose – and while such an approach may eventually lead to an interesting series of photos, it’s far, far easier to begin with a topic and only then take out your camera.

As I emphasized above, a photo essay can be about anything. You don’t need to fixate on “classic” photo essay themes, such as war and poverty. Instead, you might focus on local issues that matter to you (think of problems plaguing your community). You can also think about interesting stories worth telling, even if they don’t have an activism angle.

For instance, is there an area undergoing major development? Try documenting the work from start to finish. Is there a particular park or nature area you love? Create a series of images that communicate its beauty.

One key item to remember:

Photo essays are most powerful when you, as the photographer, care about the subject. Whether you choose to document something major and public, like an environmental crisis, or whether you choose to document something small and intimate, like the first month of a newborn in the family, make sure you focus on a topic that matters to you .

Otherwise, you’ll struggle to finish the essay – and even if you do successfully complete it, viewers will likely notice your lack of passion.

2. Do your research

The best photo essays involve some real work. Don’t just walk around and shoot with abandon; instead, try to understand your subject.

That way, you can capture a more authentic series of photos.

For instance, if you document a newborn’s first month , spend time with the family. Discover who the parents are, what culture they are from, and their parenting philosophy.

If you cover the process of a school’s drama production, talk with the teachers, actors, and stagehands; investigate the general interest of the student body; find out how the school is financing the production and keeping costs down.

If you photograph a birthday party, check out the theme, the decorations they plan on using, what the birthday kid hopes to get for their gifts.

If you’re passionate about your topic, the research should come easy. You should enjoy learning the backstory.

And then, when it comes time to actually shoot, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the topic. You’ll know the key players in the story, the key ideas, and the key locations. You’ll be able to hone in on what matters and block out the flashy distractions.

Make sense?

3. Find the right angle

Once you’ve done your research, you’ll know your topic inside and out.

At which point you’ll need to ask yourself:

What is the real, authentic story I want to tell?

Every story has a hundred different angles and perspectives. And trying to share the story from every perspective is a recipe for failure.

Instead, pick a single angle and focus on it. If you’re documenting a local issue, do you want to focus on how it affects children? The physical area? The economy? If you’re documenting a newborn’s first month, do you want to focus on the interaction between the newborn and the parents? The growth of the newborn? The newborn’s emotions?

As you’ll find out during your research, even stories that seem to be completely one-sided have plenty of hidden perspectives to draw on.

So think about your story carefully. In general, I recommend you approach it from the angle you’re most passionate about (consider the previous tip!), but you’re always free to explore different perspectives.

4. Convey emotion

Not all photo essays must convey emotion. But the most powerful ones do.

After all, think of the stories that you know and love. Your favorite books, movies, and TV shows. Do they touch you on an emotional level?

Don’t get me wrong: Every photo essay shouldn’t cover a sappy, heartstring-tugging tale. You can always focus on conveying other emotions: anger, joy, fear, hurt, excitement.

(Of course, if your story is sappy and heartstring-tugging, that’s fine, too – just don’t force it!)

How do you convey emotions, though? There’s no one set way, but you can include photos of meaningful scenes – human interactions generally work well here! – or you can simply show emotion on the faces of your photographic subjects . Really, the best way to communicate emotions through your photos is to feel the emotions yourself; they’ll bleed over into your work for a unique result.

5. Plan your shots

Once you’ve done the research and determined the angle and emotions you’d like to convey, I recommend you sit down, take out a pen and paper, and plan your photo essay .

Should you extensively visualize each photo? Should you walk through the venue, imagining possible compositions ?

Honestly, that’s up to you, and it’ll depend on how you like to work. I do recommend that beginners start out by creating a “shot list” for the essay. Here, you should describe the main subject, the narrative purpose of the image, plus any lighting or composition notes. Once you become more experienced, you can be looser in your planning, though I still recommend you at least think about the different shots you want to capture.

You can start by planning 10 shots. Each one should emphasize a different concept or emotion, but make sure to keep a consistent thread running through every composition; after all, the end goal is to create a powerful series of images that tell a story.

One final tip:

While you should stick to your plan pretty closely, at least at first, don’t ignore the potential for spontaneity. If you see a possible shot, take it! You can later evaluate whether it’s a worthwhile addition to your essay.

Photo essay tips: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about what photo essays are, and – hopefully! – how to create a beautiful essay of your own.

Just remember: storytelling takes practice, but you don’t have to be an incredible writer to pull off a powerful photo essay. All you need is a bit of photographic technique, some creativity, and a lot of heart.

Once you start to tell stories with your photos, your portfolio will never be the same!

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for doing photo essays? Do you have any essays you’re proud of? Share them in the comments below!

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

is a visionary artist and philanthropist in Portland Oregon. Her work includes wedding photography www.BrideInspired.com and leadership with www.RevMediaBlog.com .

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Advice for an Unforgettable Photo Essay

Six steps for turning your images into a memorable photo essay, from curating your best work to crafting a title.

A man sits alone on a chair on the side of the road. We see him from above, surrounded by grey cobblestones neatly placed, a broken plastic chair, and some pylons scattered along the curb. A street cat wanders out of the frame and away from the man. He appears lonely, the only person inhabiting the place in which he seems so comfortably seated. As the eye wanders throughout the frame, however, the viewer discovers more: a vast city cast beyond the street and behind the man’s chair. This image closes Sarah Pannell’s photo essay Sehir , a quiet study of urban life.

Possibilities, discovery, and stories: these are some of the most effective elements of a photo essay. Collections of images can help produce a narrative, evoke emotion, and guide the viewer through one or more perspectives. A well-executed photo essay doesn’t rely on a title or any prior knowledge of its creator; it narrates on its own, moving viewers through sensations, lessons, and reactions.

Famous photo essays like Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith or Gordon Parks’ The Harlem Family are acclaimed for showing a glimpse into the lives of the sick and impoverished. Other well-made photo essays offer a new way to look at the everyday, such as Peter Funch’s much-reposted photo series 42nd and Vanderbilt , for which Funch photographed the same street corner for nine years. As shown by these photographers’ experiences with the medium, a collection of photos can enliven spaces and attitudes. Strong photo essays can give voice to marginalized individuals and shine a spotlight on previously overlooked experiences.

You don’t necessarily need to be a documentary photographer to create a powerful photo essay. Photo essays can showcase any topic, from nature photography to portraiture to wedding shots. We spoke to a few photographers to get their perspectives on what makes a good photo essay, and their tips for how any photographer can get started in this medium. Here are six steps to follow to create a photo essay that tells a memorable story.

Choose a specific topic or theme for your photo essay.

There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. Narrative photo essays focus on a story you’re telling the viewer, while thematic photo essays speak to a specific subject.

The most natural method for choosing a topic or theme for your photo essay is to go with what you know. Photograph what you experience. Whether that includes people, objects, or the things you think about throughout the day, accessibility is key here. Common topics or concepts to start with are emotions (depicting sadness or happiness) or experiences (everyday life, city living).

For photographer Sharon Pannen , planning a photo essay is as simple as “picking out a subject you find interesting or you want to make a statement about.”

From Paper & Stories , a photo series by Sharon Pannen for Schön! Magazine.

Consider your photo subjects.

The subjects of your photographs, whether human or not, will fill the space of your photos and influence the mood or idea you’re trying to depict. The subject can determine whether or not your photos are considered interesting. “I always try to find someone that catches my eye. I especially like to see how the light falls on their face and how a certain aesthetic might add to their persona,” says photographer Victoria Wojtan .

While subjects and their interest factor are, well, subjective, when considering your subjects, you should ask yourself about your audience. Do other people want to see this? Is my subject representative of the larger idea my photo essay is trying to convey? Your projects can involve people you know or people you’ve only just met.

“Most projects I work on involve shooting portraits of strangers, so there’s always a tension in approaching someone for a portrait,” says photographer Taylor Dorrell . For Wojtan, that tension can help build trust with a subject and actually leads to more natural images “If there’s tension it’s usually because the person’s new to being photographed by someone for something that’s outside of a candid moment or selfie, and they need guidance for posing. This gives me the opportunity to make them feel more comfortable and let them be themselves. I tend to have a certain idea in mind, but try to allow for organic moments to happen.”

Aim for a variety of images.

Depending on your theme, there are a few types of photos you’ll want to use to anchor your essay. One or two lead photos should slowly introduce the viewer to your topic. These initial photos will function in a similar way to the introductory paragraph in a written essay or news article.

From there, you should consider further developing your narrative by introducing elements like portraiture, close ups, detail shots, and a carefully selected final photo to leave the viewer with the feeling you set out to produce in your photos. Consider your opening and closing images to be the most important elements of your photo essay, and choose them accordingly. You want your first images to hook the viewer, and you also want your final images to leave a lasting impression and perhaps offer a conclusion to the narrative you’ve developed.

Including different types of photos, shot at different ranges, angles, and perspectives, can help engage your viewer and add more texture to your series.

Says photographer Taylor Dorrell: “After I have a group of images, I tend to think about color, composition, the order the images were taken, the subject material, and relevance to the concept.”

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay White Fences : “White Fences is an ongoing photo series that explores the theme of suburban youth in the United States, specifically in the midwest suburb New Albany, Ohio.”

Put your emotions aside.

Self-doubt can easily come into play when working with your own photography. The adage that we are our own worst critics is often true. It can be difficult to objectively select your strongest images when creating a photo essay. This is why putting together photo essays is such a useful practice for developing your curatorial skills.

“The most important part for me is getting outside opinions. I don’t do that enough, and have a bias in selecting images that might not be the most powerful images or the most effective sequence of images,” says Dorrell. Your own perception of a photograph can cloud your ability to judge whether or not it adds to your photo essay. This is especially true when your essay deals with personal subjects. For example, a photo essay about your family may be hard to evaluate, as your own feelings about family members will impact how you take and view the photos. This is where getting feedback from peers can be invaluable to producing a strong series.

Collecting feedback while putting your photo essay together can help you determine the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps within the collection of photos you’ve produced. Ask your friends to tell you their favorites, why they like them, and what they think you’re going for in the work you’ve created. Their opinions can be your guide, not just your own emotions.

Edit your photo selection.

Beyond post-production, the series of photos you select as your essay will determine whether you’ve executed your theme or narrative effectively. Can the photos stand alone, without written words, and tell the story you set out to? Do they make sense together, in a logical sequence? The perfect photo essay will give your audience a full picture of the narrative, theme, or essence you’re looking to capture.

A good method to use to cull your images down is to remove as many as half of your images straight away to see if your narrative is still as strong with fewer photos. Or, perhaps, deciding on a small number you’d like to aim for (maybe just five to ten images) and using this as a method to narrow down to the images that tell your story best.

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay Over the Rhine , featured in Vice.

Give your photo essay a title, and add a concise written statement.

Finally, you’ll want to create a title and written statement for your photo essay. This will help position your work and can enable the viewer to fully understand your intention, or at least guide their perspective.

A solid written statement and title will be relevant to your topic, detail your primary objective, and introduce your point of view. It’s an opportunity to clarify your intentions to the viewer and ensure they walk away with a clear interpretation of your work. Depending on your photo essay, you may want to include several paragraphs of text, but even just one or two sentences of background can be enough to expand the viewer’s understanding of your work.

Consider if you’d like to add the written statement at the beginning of your essay to introduce it, or at the end as a conclusion. Either one can be impactful, and it depends how you’d like people to experience your work.

For his photo essay White Fences, excerpted above, Taylor Dorrell wrote only one sentence of introduction. But for his series Over the Rhine, Dorell included a longer written statement to accompany the work, which is “an ongoing photo series that seeks to explore the Cincinnati neighborhood of the same name and its surroundings. The series was started in response to the shooting of Samuel DuBose, an unarmed black man, by officer Ray Tensing of the University of Cincinnati Police, which happened July 19th, 2015.” Dorell’s text goes on to offer more background on the project, setting up the viewer with all the information they need to understand the context of the photo essay.

Depending on the motivations behind your photo essay and what sort of subject it depicts, a longer text may be necessary—or just a few words might be enough.

Looking for a place to share your photo essays with the world? Take a look at our guide to creating a photography website for tips on showcasing your photos online.

Cover image by Taylor Dorrell, from his photo essay Hurricane Over Sugar .

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How to Create a Photo Essay

The photographic essay, also called a photo essay or photo story, is a powerful way for photographers to tell a story with their images. If you are interested in creating your own photo essay, this article will guide you through the whole process, from finding a story to shoot to the basics of crafting your first visual narrative.

Table of Contents

What is a photo essay.

A photo essay tells a story visually. Just like the kind you read, the photo essay offers a complete rendering of a subject or situation using a series of carefully crafted and curated images. Photo stories have a theme, and each image backs up that overarching theme which is defined in the photo essay’s title and is sometimes supported with text.

From documentary to narrative to essay, photo stories are designed to move their audience, to inspire a certain action, awareness, or emotion. Photo stories are not just a collection of cool photos. They must use their visual power to capture viewers’ attention and remain unforgettable.

History of the Photo Story

In the “old days”, that is, before 1948, magazines ran photo stories very different from what we know today. They were staged, preconceived by an editor, not a truthful observation of life. Along came a photographer named W. Eugene Smith, who worked for Life magazine.

Deciding to follow a rural doctor for six weeks, he gathered material for a photo essay that really showed what it was like to be in that doctor’s shoes, always on the go to help his scattered patients. Smith’s piece, “ Country Doctor ,” shook other photographers out of their scripted stupor and revolutionized the way photographers report what they see.

From then on, photojournalism gained life and an audience through the lenses of legends like Robert Capa, Dorothea Lange, David “Chim” Seymour, Gordon Parks, Werner Bischof, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. The Vietnam War provided many examples for photo stories as represented by Philip Jones Griffiths, Catherine Leroy, and many more.

More recently, photo stories have found a sturdy home online thanks to the ease of publishing a series of photos digitally versus in print. Lynsey Addario, Peter Essick, and Adam Ferguson represent a few of the photographers pushing visual storytelling today.

Ways to Find Photo Stories and Themes

Photo stories exist all around, right in the midst of everyday life and in the fray of current events. A good place to begin developing a photo essay is by choosing a general theme.

Topics that Interest You

The best expression comes from the heart, so why not choose a topic that interests you. Maybe it’s a social issue, an environmental one, or just something you’re curious about. Find what moves you and share that with the world.

Personal Experiences

The more you’ve lived, the more you have to tell. This doesn’t necessarily mean age, it can also refer to experiences, big and small. If you know a subject better than most, like what it’s like to recover from a car crash, you’re an expert on the matter and therefore you have a story to tell. Also, consider the things you read and see or watch, like news or history, and incorporate that into your search for a story.

Problem/Solution

Problems abound in the world. But so do solutions. Photojournalists can present either, or both. Have a look at something that’s wrong in society and show why it’s a problem. Or find a problem that’s been resolved and show the struggle it took to get there. Even better, take your time shooting your story — sometimes it can take years — and document how a wrong is righted.

Day-in-the-Life

One of the most popular formats, day-in-the-life photo stories present microcosms of life that relate to the bigger picture. In a similar vein, behind-the-scenes photo stories show viewers what life is really like for others, especially in situations that are difficult or impossible to access. Events represent another simple yet powerful theme for documenting and storytelling with a camera.

Types of Photo Stories

Most photo stories concern people. If it’s about something like the environment, for example, the photo story can showcase the people involved. In either case, the impactful photo story will present the challenges and dilemmas of the human condition, viscerally.

There are three general types of photo stories.

Narrative Story

Narrative deals with complications and their resolution, problems, and solutions. If there appears to be no resolution, at least the struggle to find one can provide material for a photo essay. Some sort of narrative thread must push the story from beginning to middle to end, just like what you see in a good movie.

A good story also requires action, which in this case must be visual. Good stories are page-turners, whether they’re a Kerouac tale or a series of photos demonstrating the difficulties of single parenting. Adventure stories are one good example of photographic narrative storytelling.

The term “photo story” is generally used interchangeably with “photo essay”, but some photographers hold that there are subtle differences between the two. The essay type of photo story implies opinion, they argue. Essays make a point. They are the opposite of facts-only news. A photo story essay makes a case for something, like showing the danger and consequences of illegal fireworks or advocating for the preservation of a forest.

Documentary

On the other hand, documentaries lack opinion. Their purpose is to inform without adding judgment. Documentaries present the facts and let viewers decide. They illustrate something that’s occurring but they don’t always include a narrative story or an opinionated approach. Historical places, current events, and unique lifestyles always make for good documentary photo stories.

How to Craft a Photo Essay

Several elements come into play when putting together a photo essay. Once you’ve found a theme, it’s time to give your project a name. While out shooting, jot down titles that come to mind. Consider the title a magazine headline that explains in few words what the whole story is about.

Choose your photos according to whether or not they relate to and support the photo essay’s title. Reject those photos that don’t. If your collection seems to suggest a different angle, a different title, don’t be afraid to rename it. Sometimes stories develop organically. But if your title can’t assemble and define your selection of photos, maybe it’s too vague. Don’t rush it. Identify the theme, take the photos and the photo essay will take shape.

Certain techniques help tell the photo essay.

A photo essay is composed of a diversity of views, angles, and focal lengths. While masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson could capture a photo essay with a single prime lens, in his case a 50mm, the rest of us are wise to rely on multiple focal lengths. Just like what we see in the movies, a story is told with wide shots that set the scene, medium shots that tell the story, and close-ups that reveal character and emotion.

Unique angles make viewers curious and interested, and they break the monotony of standard photography. Consider working black-and-white into your photo essay. The photo essay lends itself well to reportage exclusively in monochrome, as the legends have demonstrated since W. Eugene Smith.

Visual Consistency

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, styles, people, things, and perspectives work to unify a project even if the photos tell different parts of the story.

Text can augment the impact of a photo essay. A photo may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t always replace them. Captions can be as short as a complete sentence, as long as a paragraph, or longer. Make sure to take notes in case you want to add captions. Some photo stories, however, function just fine without words.

Tell a Story as a Photographer

Few genres of photography have moved people like the photo essay. Since its inception, the art of visual storytelling has captivated audiences. Photo stories show viewers things they had never seen, have moved masses to action, and have inspired video documentaries. Today, photo stories retain their power and place, in part thanks to the internet. Every photographer should experiment with a photo essay or two.

The method of crafting a photo essay is simple yet complicated, just like life. Careful attention must be paid to the selection of images, the choice of title, and the techniques used in shooting. But follow these guidelines and the photo stories will come. Seek issues and experiences that inspire you and go photograph them with the intention of telling a complete story. The viewing world will thank you.

Image credits: Header photo shows the May 13, 1957 story in LIFE magazine titled, “ The Tough Miracle Man of Vietnam .” Stock photos from Depositphotos

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Exploring the Picture Essay: Tips, Best Practices, and Examples

April 18, 2023

Words by Jeff Cardello

A picture essay lets you harness the power of images to tell stories, evoke emotions, and convey a sense of place, time, and perspective.

Picture essays drop viewers right into the action, letting them see things through the camera’s lens, offering insights and understanding that isn’t possible through words alone. From static pages of photos, to carousels and animated articles, photo essays come in many forms. With no-code tools like Vev , it’s now easier than ever for journalists, designers, and publishers to create immersive, visually-led digital content to make their stories stand out from the crowd. Here’s everything you need to know about crafting stunning picture essays — from techniques and best practices through to world-class examples.

What is a Picture Essay?

Picture essays, also known as photo essays, are a form of visual storytelling . They are composed of a series of photos which together form a narrative or communicate information or ideas. They can have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but aren’t necessarily bound to linear narratives. Whether used for a chronological story or capturing a moment in time, all of the photos share a common theme that connects them.

Photo essays are often accompanied by text, providing context or conveying additional details. This can range from the most basic information such as titles, dates, or locations, or a caption helping to narrate the visual story. Some picture essays may rely solely on the imagery, while others may include more text to create a scrollytelling piece of content, with text even overlaid on the photos. The key to a picture essay is that the driver and focus is the visuals.

The Origins of the Picture Essay

Photography emerged as a documentary form at the beginning of the 20th century. Many cite Lewis Hine and the work he did between 1911 and 1916 in bringing attention to the harsh realities of child labor in the United States as one of the earliest examples of the picture essay. In 1948, the photographer W. Eugene Smith published a picture essay titled “Country Doctor” following a physician in rural Colorado and showing his work with the patients as well as what he did in his downtime. This is another notable example that elevated picture-taking into a journalistic art form.

Lewis Hine’s photos captured the hardships of children in the workplace and were instrumental in changing American labor laws.

Picture essays have remained an important part of journalism, having kept pace from its black-and-white beginnings to the high-resolution full-color images of today’s digital media.

Design Techniques for the Perfect Picture Essay

Scrollytelling images.

Scrollytelling images smoothly fade from one photo to the next as someone moves through a website, often with overlaid text to help describe what is happening in the images. This a subtle, yet effective way to break up content, and makes sure that each photo captures the attention of those scrolling.

Scroll Speed

Scroll speed is an effect that controls how reactive elements are to scrolling. Varying how reactive elements are to scrolling gives them a sense of distinction, rather than having them all lumped together in one long block. For example, a lower setting like 10% will make a photo move slower than one that’s set at 90%. This technique creates a scroll animation that keeps readers engaged in the picture essay. 

Scroll Progress Bars

A website full of photos often presents a lengthy amount of content for visitors to navigate through, especially if it’s a single page. Scroll progress bars , often tucked into the top of the screen, show visitors where they’re at and urge them to keep scrolling to the end.

Image Comparison Slider

When you want to display photos that show the before and after of something, an image comparison slider makes it possible to communicate changes through a single interactive image.

Clickable Image Hotspots

Photo essays rely on images to tell much of their stories, but text also provides context and additional information, clickable hotspots, also known as labeled images , maximize screen space and give visitors control in revealing details.

Image Carousels

Image carousels let visitors click, scroll, or drag through a series of images and are generally navigated horizontally, but may take other forms.

Best Practices for Picture Essay Design

• Know the story you want to tell: Identify the main points you want to visually communicate. Photo essays can tell a linear story but also be used to convey a sense of atmosphere or feeling. 
• Use different types of shots: Photographs can become monotonous when they’re all the same. Mix up things with different angles, close-up shots, different compositions, and other variations to keep your picture essays interesting.
• Choose only the best images: Photos shouldn’t only look good, but be relevant to the story you’re telling. 
• Know your audience: Keep in mind the target demographic the photo essay is intended for and make sure the style and tone are in line with who they are. 
• Keep things moving: Utilize scroll-triggered transitions, animations, and other points of interactivity to guide visitors through and keep their attention.

10 Aspirational Picture Essay Examples

From egmont to taranaki.

From Egmont to Taranaki is a picture essay built with Vev that’s both a personal story and a history lesson. It recounts the author John Campbell’s travels through the New Zealand countryside with a terminally ill friend while also delving into the painful past of how the indigenous Maori became dispossessed of these very spaces. Much like the twists and turns of the road, this photo essay bounces back between John’s memories and the history of this land.

Along with photos showing the beautiful green landscape and delightfully greasy food that John enjoyed with his friend during their travels, there are also animated effects. Fade-ins, text scrolling over fixed images, and parallax break the content up and keep up your momentum as you move through it.

Food for Thought

From sheep grazing on the rocky hillsides of Kyrgyzstan to fishermen casting their nets into the blue waters off of Indonesia, Food for Thought depicts where food comes from across the globe. The photos are big and brilliant, capturing the people tasked with the hard work of food production, the geography, as well as the animals and crops they are responsible for.

Each section uses a fixed image parallax scrolling effect that functions as a sliding window drawing the next image into place. There’s also a great use of hot spots, represented by circular icons that visitors can click on in learning more.

With its handsome metallic luster and Art Deco geometry, Bialetti’s pots help so many start their days with an easy way to brew cups of dark and delicious coffee.

They have a long and interesting history that can be traced back to 1933 when Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti introduced its stovetop coffee maker. Bialetti tells its story through images showing where Alfonso drew his inspiration, product photos, and advertisements over the years. Along with a comprehensive timeline of visuals, you’ll also find plenty of motion in the form of parallax scrolling, animations, and other dynamic visuals. The scroll progress bar at the top is also a nice touch, showing people where they are in this one-page design.

Witnesses to History Keepers of Memory

Witnesses to History Keepers of Memory is an interactive photo essay put together by the Montreal Holocaust Museum. Pictured are Holocaust survivors along with the items they still have that accompanied them through detainment.

The main gallery of photos has much in terms of interactivity with hover-triggered animations, and a previous and next button letting you flip through them. The cursor turns into an eye icon, and clicking through on any of the photos brings you to a new screen that tells the story of the person pictured.

Seeing these people today, along with these personal items is a strong reminder that this terrible period of history wasn’t that long ago, and shows the strength and resilience of those who went through it.

Hakai Autonomous Ocean

Gliders are submersible robots used by scientists to explore what’s beneath the ocean and to gather data. They’re a relatively new technology, free from propellers, which harness ocean currents to move them through the water. The Autonomous Ocean begins with video footage of the sea rushing by and text telling how one of these $150,000 robots was experiencing trouble. It’s a dramatic opening that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happened.

Built with Vev, this single-page website is full of photographs showing oceanic gliders in action and how scientists use them. Scrollytelling images provide smooth transitions fading from one photo to the next, with accompanying text moving over them. This design also features a clever image comparison slider, displaying both the internal and external features of this submersible.

Moma Strange Brew

Viewed at a distance, John Klines’ art installation entitled Skittles looks like a refrigerator of fancy juices that you might find at any upscale grocer. The labels affixed to these juices reveal that inside these bottles are ingredients like yoga mat, fake plant, and shopping bag. All that looks delicious and nutritious from afar is something far grosser, making this art piece a funny and satirical take on consumerism.

This photo essay shows the steps involved in creating this piece, moving you through each stage of how this humorous and thought-provoking art piece came to be.

Picture essays are a documentary form of visual storytelling , and non-profits use them to bring attention to the problems of the world, and what they're doing to help solve them.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, more commonly known as UNICEF, is committed to the rights and health of children. This picture essay , featuring work by photographer Jan Grarup, covers UNICEF’s Denmark warehouse, where medicines and other essential goods are stored, and the people in countries like Haiti, Lebanon, and Uganda that these items reach.

Photos show shelves full of supplies, the places they’re sent out to, and the hospitals where they’re so desperately needed. You see the hardships that people face, and how UNICEF’s work helps improve their lives. It’s a breathtaking piece of photojournalism showing why their humanitarian work is so important.

The Guardian 

Slippery slope? Alpine tourism in the face of climate crisis covers climate change and how it impacts the Alps. This photo essay not only shows scenes of winter tourism, but what the Alps are like year-round. This gives an in-depth look at the interrelationships between the people, landscape, and ecosystem and the cascade of effects that global warming causes. 

Because this photo essay focuses on two very different times of the year, you’ll find several image comparison sliders showing what the Alps look like in the winter, and what they look like after the snow melts. Image comparison sliders work perfectly comparing different times of the year, and maximizing screen space.

The Naija Story

Since Nigeria declared its independence from Britain in October of 1960, they have had both turmoil and triumphs. Naija Story communicates Nigeria’s history, bringing visitors to who they are as a country today.

This design is divided into sections covering topics like politics, technology, and entertainment. Photo essays are an effective medium for history, and Naija Story uses them to highlight the events that have shaped Nigeria in these individual sections.

Along with photos, there are scroll-triggered animations that shift the visuals and text into place, as well as lines that connect all of these events making them simple to follow. There’s so much to learn about Nigeria, and it’s all conveyed in an artistic, yet easy-to-understand way.

Ukrainian Ballerina Uprooted by War Flies High Again

Ending our exploration of picture essays is this piece from Reuters, which tells the story of ballet dancer Ganna Muromtseva who fled from war-torn Ukraine, and whose journey brought her to the Hungary State Opera where she got to be a part of their performance of Swan Lake. With a well-balanced mix of writing and photos that show her life both on the stage and off, visitors get a personal look into her life.

Along with candid photography, there’s also a nice sense of interactivity. As visitors scroll text moves over the photos, giving context. There are also fade-ins as one moves from one image to the next, which also adds dynamics to the visuals.

Create Stunning Picture Essays in Vev

If you have a story you’d like to tell through photos, Vev offers a multitude of creative possibilities to bring it to life. With image comparison sliders, carousels, scroll animations, and other pre-built elements, we make it possible to create visually captivating editorial content just as you imagined it — without needing to write a line of code. When your design is ready, publish it to any existing website through Vev or embed your Vev project into your existing CMS.

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How to tell a story through your pictures (with photo essay examples)

Published by Ellyn Kail • 10 months ago

In the mountains of Adjara in Georgia, Nika Pailodze has traveled kilometers on foot to get to some of the remotest regions. In a few areas, he’s lost his phone signal and gone without access to electricity. Setting up his tent for the night, he’s slept beneath the stars, preparing for yet another day of wandering the mountains.

But everywhere the photographer roams, the people of Adjara welcome him with open arms. In this magical corner of the world, where family homes have been passed down from one generation to the next over one hundred and fifty years, he has stood in awe of intricate embroideries. He’s tasted local dishes, carefully prepared by his hosts, and he has awoken to see the morning light kiss the rooftops of their huts.

Once, when traveling through Adjara, Nika met a geography teacher, who, upon learning the photographer would be sleeping in a tent, invited him to spend the night with his family. The artist politely declined, but the teacher continued to check up on him via text to make sure he was safe and warm. “His sincere concern deeply touched me,” Nika tells me now.

When he returns to the mountains, the families he’s visited before are there to greet him, glad of his return. For artists like Nika, who dedicate themselves to photo essays and long-term projects, creating pictures is just one part of an ongoing journey of discovery.

We spoke to three photographers who’ve traveled far and wide in search of once-in-lifetime stories; along the way, we learned about the importance of curiosity, patience, and resilience.

Spotlight on: Eduardo Teixeira de Sousa

Eduardo Teixeira de Sousa , a street and travel photographer from Portugal, has created photo essays around the globe, from Egypt to Patagonia. He was inspired to embark on a journey to Uzbekistan, along with Joao Martinho , a fellow photographer he met through 500px. “We had both read about the rich history of this place as one of the keys to the Silk Road,” Eduardo tells me.

Once there, the language barrier didn’t pose problems for the experienced street photographers. “When English was not an option (well, it usually wasn’t), I kept speaking Portuguese and receiving my answers in Uzbek along the way,” Eduardo remembers. “That worked out well enough—actually, for street photography, this can sometimes even be a good thing, as it keeps communication simple and light.” A smile goes a long way.

While in Uzbekistan, Eduardo abandoned the typical “postcard” shots and searched for something deeper. “I’ll never forget the feeling of heading out with full batteries into the maze of the quiet and dusty streets of Bukhara at sunrise,” he says. “At first, there was silence—then the sound of a fast, cranky bicycle racing around the corner. Suddenly, a man selling bread appeared, warmly shouting at us a rolled ‘bonjour,’ while I tried to swap lenses and adjust my settings for his fast movement.” In the end, he didn’t get that particular shot, but it set the tone for the trip.

Throughout the trip, the photographers encountered plenty of surprises. In Samarkand, they marveled at the vibrant blue tiles and historic architecture. In Khiva, they met a woman who later invited them to her garden. Although she initially declined to be photographed, they won her trust, and she sat for a portrait at the end of the day. She practiced shamanism, and she gave them a special blessing before they left.

Pro tip: Do your research

By the time Eduardo and Joao traveled to Uzbekistan, they’d already seen how its cities had been photographed by other people, and they knew they wanted to capture something different. With that goal in mind, they decided to focus on only three cities, rather than packing too much into their itinerary. “As a photographer, I find focusing on fewer locations puts me a bit more at ease, as I feel I can always return to the same place if somehow a chance was missed,” Eduardo says.

Eduardo and Joao spent a little under a month researching and preparing their itinerary for Uzbekistan, so they were well prepared. At the end of each day of exploring, while backing up his photos, Eduardo made rough plans for the next day—it’s good to have a starting point, at least. Consult guidebooks, blogs, and other resources for tips on local spots.

“Keep a mental library of dream shots,” Eduardo suggests. “That way, you’ll react quicker if they happen to really occur in front of you.” At the same time, however, he always leaves room for chance and serendipity, telling me, “Sometimes, luck happens, too.”

Once you’re out there on the streets, take as many photos as you can. “I’ve trained myself to be a serial shooter, to click first and react later,” Eduardo admits. “When I feel there’s potential in a scene, I actively try to avoid overanalyzing it; instead, I try to respect the impulse, go with the flow, and improvise.

“I am always strolling, scanning, interacting, getting lost, running, hunting, and getting frustrated by a missed chance or an idea that sometimes comes too late. I think you have to accept your lot of randomness with humor—and balance it with solid research of the place, a sense of optimism, and occasional sore legs.”

Finally, when he’s home, he goes through all those photos and edits them down to the very best of the bunch.

Spotlight on: Alessio Laratta

Alessio Laratta , a street and portrait photographer from Italy, traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, in early 2023. While there, he captured ephemeral moments and people lost in contemplation while on their way from one place to the next.

It’s true what they say about Lisbon: the light really is golden. “I noticed that Lisbon for some reason had very warm, orange light even at night,” the artist remembers. It was so warm, in fact, that his usual approach to color correction had to be adjusted slightly to get the look he wanted.

“The only other challenge I faced was the steepness of Lisbon’s streets,” Alessio admits. “I had to prioritize a very comfortable outfit and a good pair of shoes to make the most of each day. At the same time, the warmth of the locals is something that I have rarely found in other places. I felt at home after a few days. It’s really a special city, where the old and the new blend together in a very special way.”

Pro tip: Make the best of what you have

While in Lisbon, Alessio initially hoped for clear, sunny days. But when he got there, he found rainy, overcast weather. Instead of throwing in the towel, he embraced what the city offered him, creating moody and wistful images of people as they made their way through the clouded streets. And with some contrast tweaks in post-production, everything worked out beautifully.

“Remember to let your inner artist find your own personal way of conveying what you see through the lens,” he advises. “A great essay is made from your personal point of view on the world.” Give yourself the freedom to experiment and try new things, while staying true to your voice as an artist.”

Spotlight on: Nika Pailodze

Finally, we return to Nika Pailodze , who’s been documenting life in the mountainous regions of Georgia for more than a decade now. Two years ago, he made his first trip to Adjara. “Initially, my journey began with a deep appreciation for nature, but as I roamed and observed the traditional Adjarian houses, the allure of the landscape slowly faded into the background,” he remembers.

“Some of these wooden huts had stood the test of time, their age rivaled only by the ancient trees around them. They had become an integral part of the Adjarian ecosystem, and there was nothing more disheartening than witnessing their demise.

“One particular hut left a profound impact on me: a shroud of mist enveloped the scene, and it seemed as though nature itself cradled what remained of the hut. It felt like the entire essence of this small cottage and its residents resonated in a brief moment, even more transient than the fog in the Adjara highlands.”

Set on preserving the stories that lingered within those houses, he approached the local people, who travel uphill with their cows in the summer so the animals can graze on fresh grass. “As I traversed pasture to pasture, I was welcomed with a steaming cup of coffee and an assortment of delectable sweets,” he remembers. Along the way, he was treated to homemade, local feasts.

“While capturing these photographs, I forged numerous friendships, some of which endure to this day with friends who regularly check in on me,” the photographer tells me. He longs to return again to the rolling hills, lush fields, and foggy mornings.

Pro tip: Let go of preconceived notions

Nika initially traveled to Adjara in search of natural wonders, but somewhere along the way, his focus turned to the people themselves. His advice is to stay open to change and evolution. “When you embark on such a project, you must accept from the beginning that everything may develop differently from what you had planned,” he explains.

“The main thing is to go with the flow and always remain connected to the people and the environment. I didn’t pre-select a topic, nor did I set out to work on any specific subject. Instead, I observed and documented people’s real lives.”

If you can, make multiple trips and spend as much time in the location as possible. “At times, circumstances unfold quite differently from our initial expectations,” Nika says. “In such moments, the virtue of patience becomes absolutely indispensable.”

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How To Create a Memorable Photo Essay

In this Photo Project, we are going to explore how you can develop “Photo Stories”, or “Photo Essays”. Being able to tell a visual story without too many words is an important part of your capacity as a visual storyteller, and one skill that I had to take time and effort to develop. There are a number of different skills that you can develop and fine tune as you conceptualize, write, and photograph these stories, and learning how to create an engaging Photo Essay is one skill that you will take a lifetime to develop. That’s a guarantee.

As you develop your style, and your voice you will find your own ways to document, interpret and display the topic that you want to speak about, but let’s start with some simple steps that almost anyone will find useful!

What Are Photo Stories?

Photo Stories or photo essays are a sequence of photographs that tell a story by themselves when placed together. They aim to inform, educate and to invoke emotion and empathy in the viewer. They’re a form of documentary photojournalism, and you’ll see them frequently in magazines along with some text. One of my favourite sources of photo stories is National Geographic magazine. You can usually understand most of what the text is about simply by looking at the accompanying photographs. Of course, the content is gripping too, but for many people it is the photographs that make the magazine what it is.

How Can I Photograph a Photo Story?

Pick a topic to document in your photo essay.

You would start by choosing a topic, preferably something which is close to your heart and easy to access. Try doing something like “A day in the life of…” series for your family or just a series of photographs of something in your neighbourhood. This will get you in the mood for more challenging series…

You could then move on to more interesting time-based stories, like capturing certain buildings and their interiors over the passage of a day, or a year! The working of a local charity, featuring the key people behind it and the work that they do, the people their work benefits would make an impressive photo story. Here’s a decent attempt at capturing a Russian, Ilya, and the 44 disabled dogs that he cares for. The photo story is in Russian , but it could be in any language and not make much of a difference. The story is still there.

Don’t Feel Intimidated By The Task

Photo stories are most often seen in journalism and reportage of events as in this photo story about Riots in Dublin but there’s no reason why they can’t be used to tell interesting everyday stories too, like this “ Story of a parrot ” by Subhasish or Surreal stories like Xylonets ‘ “ If You Go Out to the Barn Tonight . . . You Better Not Go Alone ” and this one about the “ Modern Family ” by bihua .

Try To Capture Moments and Emotions

Among those shots, also try capturing a variety of emotions , good moments, sad moments, interactions between people, interactions between things – objects and places – and also capture some of the surroundings in these shots to convey some of the contextual information that can’t be put into words.

Essential skills that you’ll need will be good composition, a discerning eye for detail that could add meaning to the photograph and good communication skills (if your story is about people). But, worry not if this list sounds daunting, for we are all learning… That’s why I asked you to start with an easy topic, remember?

Get Familiar With Your Equipment

If you are intimately familiar with your equipment, you are free to focus your attention on the world around you, and the scenes that are unfolding around you all the time. That’s not to say that you should not pay attention to the technical aspects of photography… By all means, be aware of your exposure settings, and the aesthetics of the photograph that you’re trying to capture, but also be aware of your surroundings, and observant of what is about to happen next .

Edit Before You Show

Once you have your photographs ready, look at them objectively and try to remove all the fluff . This is difficult as it requires you to put aside your own attachment to the images that you have just now captured so lovingly. However, removing extra images from the ones that you will eventually display makes the overall story more understandable, easier to take in, and quicker to get your message across.

If you feel that you have missed out an important part of the overall message, you may want to go back and take a few more photographs to complete your story.

Presenting Your Photo Story

Each time you create a photo essay, you will learn more, and it will be come an easier process as you become more adept at knowing what you’re trying to achieve with each photograph. But each step forward will most likely also show you a few more steps down your journey. There is so much to learn on the way to your destination.

Share Your Work With Us

We’d love to see your work! Feel free to tag us on Instagram , and use the hashtag #BPTprojects . I encourage other members of the BPT community to offer their thoughts in a constructive manner so that we can all grow together. Remember to be kind, and generous with your critique.

Challenge Yourself with More Photo Projects

If you’re interested in more photo projects, check out the other Photo Projects that we already have, ready for you at the Photo Project page . Get into the game and continue to develop your eye, with more projects like this.

Help Us To Continue Creating

The easiest way to support Beyond Photo Tips is by using our affiliate links when you buy anything at all. It will never cost you anything extra, and we get a small commission from it, which helps us a LOT! We share our recommended equipment list here .

Susheel Chandradhas

Related posts, memorable photographs – how they got that way, photo project: going retro with your camera, 14 street photography tips – for the beginner, the best lenses for photojournalism, leave a reply cancel reply.

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How to Make a Photo Essay

Last Updated: September 27, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Heather Gallagher . Heather Gallagher is a Photojournalist & Photographer based in Austin, Texas. She runs her own photography studio named "Heather Gallagher Photography" which was voted Austin's Best Family Photographer and top 3 Birth Photographers in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Heather specializes in family Photojournalism and has over 15 years of experience documenting individuals, families, and businesses all over the world. Her clients include Delta Airlines, Oracle, Texas Monthly, and her work has been featured in The Washington Post and The Austin American Statesman. She is a member of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP). There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 290,193 times.

Photo essays are an increasingly popular medium for journalists, bloggers, and advertisers alike. Whether you’re trying to show the emotional impact of a current news story or share your hobby with friends and family, images can capture your topic in a personal, emotional, and interesting way. Creating a photo essay can be as easy as choosing a topic, getting your images, and organizing the essay.

Things You Should Know

• Reflect long and hard on your topic, considering your audience, current events, and whether to go for a thematic or narrative approach.
• Create an outline, including your focus image, establishing shot, clincher, and other image details.
• When you finally take your photos, remember to take more photos than you think you need and don't be afraid to let the project change as you create it.

Finding Your Topic

• Offer a photo essay of your place of business as a training tool.
• Use a photo essay about your business as a sales or social tool by publishing it on your website or social media page.
• Create a how to photo essay to help others learn about your hobby, so they can take it up as well. [4] X Research source

• Thematic subjects are big ideas including things like local gun laws, at-risk youth, or welcoming home soldiers.
• Narrative essays can include a day in the life, how to tutorials, or progression series that show changes over time such as tracking a building project.
• If you have been given a commission or specific publication to work with, you may need to choose a topic that will fit a thematic or narrative approach as outlined by the publication. Make sure you are aware of any publication guidelines in advance.

Organizing Your Shoot

• Consider how difficult it will be to get permission to photograph your subjects. If you already have relationships established, it will be easier. If not, allow for extra time to get permission and/or waivers.
• Schools, daycares, and other places with kids typically have more regulations on who can be photographed and for what purposes. You’ll usually need to get parental approval, in addition to permission from those in charge. [7] X Research source

• Consider doing interviews with people involved prior to the shoot. Ask things like, “What’s the most interesting thing you do during this event?” or “How long have you been involved with this organization?”
• These interviews are also a great opportunity to ask for permission and get waivers.
• If you’re going to visit a job site, charitable event, or other large group activity, ask the person or persons in charge to explain what you’re doing to everyone before you arrive. [8] X Research source

Capturing Your Images

• Many new photographers stay away from high ISO shots because they allow more light through producing a “busy” image. However, these images are often easier to edit later as there’s more information to work with. [11] X Research source
• If it’s very bright in your location or you’ve set up artificial lighting, a low ISO is likely adequate, For darker areas, you’ll likely need to use a higher ISO.
• If you need one second to capture an image with a base ISO of 100, you’ll need one eighth of a second to capture with an ISO of 800. [13] X Research source

• Even snapping candid shots, which you may need to capture quickly, take a few moments to think about how objects are placed to make the most impact.
• Always think about how the main subject’s surroundings play into the overall image, and try to create different levels and points of interest.
• You can change composition as part of the editing process in some cases, so if you can’t line up the shot just right, don’t let it deter you from capturing the image you want. [14] X Research source

Organizing the Essay

• If you’re doing a day in the life photo essay about a frustrated person working in an office, an image of that person struggling to open the front door against the wind might be an apt focus shot.
• If your essay is about the process of building a home, your focus image may be something like a contractor and architect looking at blue prints with the framed up home in the background.
• If your essay is about a family reunion, the focus image may be a funny shot of the whole family making faces, pretending to be fighting, or a serious photo of the family posed together. Capture whatever seems natural for the family. [18] X Research source

• Regardless of essay type, you’ll need a focus image to grab attention.
• Use an overall shot to give context to your essay. Where is it, when is it happening, who’s involved, what’s going on, and why should someone be interested? The five “W’s” of journalism are a great way to determine what your overall shot should capture.
• Find your final image. This should be something provocative that asks your viewer to think about the topic.
• Between the focus and overall shot and ending image, include a series of images that move the viewer from the lead-in shots to its result. Use images that build in intensity or draw the viewers further into the essay.

• If the images aren’t telling the story, ask your friends to look at your other photos and ask, “I wanted this image to make this point. You got a different idea. Would any of these images make this point to you more clearly?”
• If the others like the images you’ve chosen, you may still want to ask them to look at your other photos and tell you if they think any of the images you didn’t include should be added in. They may see something you missed. [20] X Research source

• If you're commissioned to add photos to an essay, you should make sure images reflect the written word, but also add emotion and context the writing could not capture. For example, an essay on poverty may include an image of a child and parent living on the street could capture more emotional context.
• Captions should only include information the viewer could not derive from the photo itself. For instance, you can include a date, the subject’s name, or a statistic relevant to your subject in the caption.
• If you choose not to have any text or just a title and some introductory and/or closing words, make sure you convey all necessary information succinctly. [21] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• Be creative with your topics. However, something as simple as "things I like" will suffice so long as you stay creative. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure you're familiar with your camera. It will make the photo composition a lot easier. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't get discouraged. It may take several tries to get the desired results in your photos. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://digital-photography-school.com/5-photo-essay-tips/
• ↑ Heather Gallagher. Professional Photojournalist & Photographer. Expert Interview. 8 April 2020.
• ↑ http://improvephotography.com/30816/10-ideas-creative-photo-essays/
• ↑ http://www.apogeephoto.com/how-to-create-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ https://petapixel.com/how-to-create-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ http://photo.journalism.cuny.edu/week-5/
• ↑ http://clickitupanotch.com/2010/12/creating-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography
• ↑ https://wiredimpact.com/blog/how-to-make-a-photo-essay-nonprofit/
• ↑ http://digital-photography-school.com/5-tips-for-creating-a-photo-essay-with-a-purpose/
• ↑ https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/how-to-make-photo-essay-examples

About This Article

To make a photo essay, start by selecting a subject that is easy to capture and that inspires you, like a friend or a family pet. Then, decide if you want to present your photo essay as thematic, which shows specific examples of a big idea, or narrative, with a beginning, middle, and end. Next, create an outline of your essay to determine which photos you’ll need, like an establishing shot. Finally, take your photos, select which images you want to use in your essay, and organize them according to your theme before adding text to explain the essay. To learn how to capture the best images, keep scrolling! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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What is a Photo Essay? 9 Photo Essay Examples You Can Recreate

A photo essay is a series of photographs that tell a story. Unlike a written essay, a photo essay focuses on visuals instead of words. With a photo essay, you can stretch your creative limits and explore new ways to connect with your audience. Whatever your photography skill level, you can recreate your own fun and creative photo essay.

9 Photo Essay Examples You Can Recreate

• Photowalk Photo Essay
• Transformation Photo Essay
• Day in the Life Photo Essay
• Event Photo Essay
• Building Photo Essay
• Historic Site or Landmark Photo Essay
• Behind the Scenes Photo Essay
• Family Photo Essay
• Education Photo Essay

Stories are important to all of us. While some people gravitate to written stories, others are much more attuned to visual imagery. With a photo essay, you can tell a story without writing a word. Your use of composition, contrast, color, and perspective in photography will convey ideas and evoke emotions.

To explore narrative photography, you can use basic photographic equipment. You can buy a camera or even use your smartphone to get started. While lighting, lenses, and post-processing software can enhance your photos, they aren’t necessary to achieve good results.

Whether you need to complete a photo essay assignment or want to pursue one for fun or professional purposes, you can use these photo essay ideas for your photography inspiration . Once you know the answer to “what is a photo essay?” and find out how fun it is to create one, you’ll likely be motivated to continue your forays into photographic storytelling.

1 . Photowalk Photo Essay

One popular photo essay example is a photowalk. Simply put, a photowalk is time you set aside to walk around a city, town, or a natural site and take photos. Some cities even have photowalk tours led by professional photographers. On these tours, you can learn the basics about how to operate your camera, practice photography composition techniques, and understand how to look for unique shots that help tell your story.

Set aside at least two to three hours for your photowalk. Even if you’re photographing a familiar place—like your own home town—try to look at it through new eyes. Imagine yourself as a first-time visitor or pretend you’re trying to educate a tourist about the area.

Walk around slowly and look for different ways to capture the mood and energy of your location. If you’re in a city, capture wide shots of streets, close-ups of interesting features on buildings, street signs, and candid shots of people. Look for small details that give the city character and life. And try some new concepts—like reflection picture ideas—by looking for opportunities to photographs reflections in mirrored buildings, puddles, fountains, or bodies of water.

2 . Transformation Photo Essay

With a transformation photography essay, you can tell the story about change over time. One of the most popular photostory examples, a transformation essay can document a mom-to-be’s pregnancy or a child’s growth from infancy into the toddler years. But people don’t need to be the focus of a transformation essay. You can take photos of a house that is being built or an urban area undergoing revitalization.

You can also create a photo narrative to document a short-term change. Maybe you want to capture images of your growing garden or your move from one home to another. These examples of photo essays are powerful ways of telling the story of life’s changes—both large and small.

3 . Day in the Life Photo Essay

Want a unique way to tell a person’s story? Or, perhaps you want to introduce people to a career or activity. You may want to consider a day in the life essay.

With this photostory example, your narrative focuses on a specific subject for an entire day. For example, if you are photographing a farmer, you’ll want to arrive early in the morning and shadow the farmer as he or she performs daily tasks. Capture a mix of candid shots of the farmer at work and add landscapes and still life of equipment for added context. And if you are at a farm, don’t forget to get a few shots of the animals for added character, charm, or even a dose of humor. These types of photography essay examples are great practice if you are considering pursuing photojournalism. They also help you learn and improve your candid portrait skills.

4 . Event Photo Essay

Events are happening in your local area all the time, and they can make great photo essays. With a little research, you can quickly find many events that you could photograph. There may be bake sales, fundraisers, concerts, art shows, farm markets, block parties, and other non profit event ideas . You could also focus on a personal event, such as a birthday or graduation.

At most events, your primary emphasis will be on capturing candid photos of people in action. You can also capture backgrounds or objects to set the scene. For example, at a birthday party, you’ll want to take photos of the cake and presents.

For a local or community event, you can share your photos with the event organizer. Or, you may be able to post them on social media and tag the event sponsor. This is a great way to gain recognition and build your reputation as a talented photographer.

5. Building Photo Essay

Many buildings can be a compelling subject for a photographic essay. Always make sure that you have permission to enter and photograph the building. Once you do, look for interesting shots and angles that convey the personality, purpose, and history of the building. You may also be able to photograph the comings and goings of people that visit or work in the building during the day.

Some photographers love to explore and photograph abandoned buildings. With these types of photos, you can provide a window into the past. Definitely make sure you gain permission before entering an abandoned building and take caution since some can have unsafe elements and structures.

6. Historic Site or Landmark Photo Essay

Taking a series of photos of a historic site or landmark can be a great experience. You can learn to capture the same site from different angles to help portray its character and tell its story. And you can also photograph how people visit and engage with the site or landmark. Take photos at different times of day and in varied lighting to capture all its nuances and moods.

You can also use your photographic essay to help your audience understand the history of your chosen location. For example, if you want to provide perspective on the Civil War, a visit to a battleground can be meaningful. You can also visit a site when reenactors are present to share insight on how life used to be in days gone by.

7 . Behind the Scenes Photo Essay

Another fun essay idea is taking photos “behind the scenes” at an event. Maybe you can chronicle all the work that goes into a holiday festival from the early morning set-up to the late-night teardown. Think of the lead event planner as the main character of your story and build the story about him or her.

Or, you can go backstage at a drama production. Capture photos of actors and actresses as they transform their looks with costuming and makeup. Show the lead nervously pacing in the wings before taking center stage. Focus the work of stagehands, lighting designers, and makeup artists who never see the spotlight but bring a vital role in bringing the play to life.

8. Family Photo Essay

If you enjoy photographing people, why not explore photo story ideas about families and relationships? You can focus on interactions between two family members—such as a father and a daughter—or convey a message about a family as a whole.

Sometimes these type of photo essays can be all about the fun and joy of living in a close-knit family. But sometimes they can be powerful portraits of challenging social topics. Images of a family from another country can be a meaningful photo essay on immigration. You could also create a photo essay on depression by capturing families who are coping with one member’s illness.

For these projects on difficult topics, you may want to compose a photo essay with captions. These captions can feature quotes from family members or document your own observations. Although approaching hard topics isn’t easy, these types of photos can have lasting impact and value.

9. Education Photo Essay

Opportunities for education photo essays are everywhere—from small preschools to community colleges and universities. You can seek permission to take photos at public or private schools or even focus on alternative educational paths, like homeschooling.

Your education photo essay can take many forms. For example, you can design a photo essay of an experienced teacher at a high school. Take photos of him or her in action in the classroom, show quiet moments grading papers, and capture a shared laugh between colleagues in the teacher’s lounge.

Alternatively, you can focus on a specific subject—such as science and technology. Or aim to portray a specific grade level, document activities club or sport, or portray the social environment. A photo essay on food choices in the cafeteria can be thought-provoking or even funny. There are many potential directions to pursue and many great essay examples.

While education is an excellent topic for a photo essay for students, education can be a great source of inspiration for any photographer.

Why Should You Create a Photo Essay?

Ultimately, photographers are storytellers. Think of what a photographer does during a typical photo shoot. He or she will take a series of photos that helps convey the essence of the subject—whether that is a person, location, or inanimate object. For example, a family portrait session tells the story of a family—who they are, their personalities, and the closeness of their relationship.

Learning how to make a photo essay can help you become a better storyteller—and a better photographer. You’ll cultivate key photography skills that you can carry with you no matter where your photography journey leads.

If you simply want to document life’s moments on social media, you may find that a single picture doesn’t always tell the full story. Reviewing photo essay examples and experimenting with your own essay ideas can help you choose meaningful collections of photos to share with friends and family online.

Learning how to create photo essays can also help you work towards professional photography ambitions. You’ll often find that bloggers tell photographic stories. For example, think of cooking blogs that show you each step in making a recipe. Photo essays are also a mainstay of journalism. You’ll often find photo essays examples in many media outlets—everywhere from national magazines to local community newspapers. And the best travel photographers on Instagram tell great stories with their photos, too.

With a photo essay, you can explore many moods and emotions. Some of the best photo essays tell serious stories, but some are humorous, and others aim to evoke action.

You can raise awareness with a photo essay on racism or a photo essay on poverty. A photo essay on bullying can help change the social climate for students at a school. Or, you can document a fun day at the beach or an amusement park. You have control of the themes, photographic elements, and the story you want to tell.

5 Steps to Create a Photo Essay

Every photo essay will be different, but you can use a standard process. Following these five steps will guide you through every phase of your photo essay project—from brainstorming creative essay topics to creating a photo essay to share with others.

Step 1: Choose Your Photo Essay Topics

Just about any topic you can imagine can form the foundation for a photo essay. You may choose to focus on a specific event, such as a wedding, performance, or festival. Or you may want to cover a topic over a set span of time, such as documenting a child’s first year. You could also focus on a city or natural area across the seasons to tell a story of changing activities or landscapes.

Since the best photo essays convey meaning and emotion, choose a topic of interest. Your passion for the subject matter will shine through each photograph and touch your viewer’s hearts and minds.

Step 2: Conduct Upfront Research

Much of the work in a good-quality photo essay begins before you take your first photo. It’s always a good idea to do some research on your planned topic.

Imagine you’re going to take photos of a downtown area throughout the year. You should spend some time learning the history of the area. Talk with local residents and business owners and find out about planned events. With these insights, you’ll be able to plan ahead and be prepared to take photos that reflect the area’s unique personality and lifestyles.

For any topic you choose, gather information first. This may involve internet searches, library research, interviews, or spending time observing your subject.

Step 3: Storyboard Your Ideas

After you have done some research and have a good sense of the story you want to tell, you can create a storyboard. With a storyboard, you can write or sketch out the ideal pictures you want to capture to convey your message.

You can turn your storyboard into a “shot list” that you can bring with you on site. A shot list can be especially helpful when you are at a one-time event and want to capture specific shots for your photo essay. If you’ve never created a photo essay before, start with ten shot ideas. Think of each shot as a sentence in your story. And aim to make each shot evoke specific ideas or emotions.

Step 4: Capture Images

Your storyboard and shot list will be important guides to help you make the most of each shoot. Be sure to set aside enough time to capture all the shots you need—especially if you are photographing a one-time event. And allow yourself to explore your ideas using different photography composition, perspective, and color contrast techniques.

You may need to take a hundred images or more to get ten perfect ones for your photographic essay. Or, you may find that you want to add more photos to your story and expand your picture essay concept.

Also, remember to look for special unplanned, moments that help tell your story. Sometimes, spontaneous photos that aren’t on your shot list can be full of meaning. A mix of planning and flexibility almost always yields the best results.

Step 5: Edit and Organize Photos to Tell Your Story

After capturing your images, you can work on compiling your photo story. To create your photo essay, you will need to make decisions about which images portray your themes and messages. At times, this can mean setting aside beautiful images that aren’t a perfect fit. You can use your shot list and storyboard as a guide but be open to including photos that weren’t in your original plans.

You may want to use photo editing software—such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop— to enhance and change photographs. With these tools, you can adjust lighting and white balance, perform color corrections, crop, or perform other edits. If you have a signature photo editing style, you may want to use Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets to give all your photos a consistent look and feel.

You order a photo book from one of the best photo printing websites to publish your photo story. You can add them to an album on a photo sharing site, such as Flickr or Google Photos. Also, you could focus on building a website dedicated to documenting your concepts through visual photo essays. If so, you may want to use SEO for photographers to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results. You could even publish your photo essay on social media. Another thing to consider is whether you want to include text captures or simply tell your story through photographs.

Choose the medium that feels like the best space to share your photo essay ideas and vision with your audiences. You should think of your photo essay as your own personal form of art and expression when deciding where and how to publish it.

Photo Essays Can Help You Become a Better Photographer

Whatever your photography ambitions may be, learning to take a photo essay can help you grow. Even simple essay topics can help you gain skills and stretch your photographic limits. With a photo essay, you start to think about how a series of photographs work together to tell a complete story. You’ll consider how different shots work together, explore options for perspective and composition, and change the way you look at the world.

Before you start taking photos, you should review photo essay examples. You can find interesting pictures to analyze and photo story examples online, in books, or in classic publications, like Life Magazine . Don’t forget to look at news websites for photojournalism examples to broaden your perspective. This review process will help you in brainstorming simple essay topics for your first photo story and give you ideas for the future as well.

Ideas and inspiration for photo essay topics are everywhere. You can visit a park or go out into your own backyard to pursue a photo essay on nature. Or, you can focus on the day in the life of someone you admire with a photo essay of a teacher, fireman, or community leader. Buildings, events, families, and landmarks are all great subjects for concept essay topics. If you are feeling stuck coming up with ideas for essays, just set aside a few hours to walk around your city or town and take photos. This type of photowalk can be a great source of material.

You’ll soon find that advanced planning is critical to your success. Brainstorming topics, conducting research, creating a storyboard, and outlining a shot list can help ensure you capture the photos you need to tell your story. After you’ve finished shooting, you’ll need to decide where to house your photo essay. You may need to come up with photo album title ideas, write captions, and choose the best medium and layout.

Without question, creating a photo essay can be a valuable experience for any photographer. That’s true whether you’re an amateur completing a high school assignment or a pro looking to hone new skills. You can start small with an essay on a subject you know well and then move into conquering difficult ideas. Maybe you’ll want to create a photo essay on mental illness or a photo essay on climate change. Or maybe there’s another cause that is close to your heart.

Whatever your passion, you can bring it to life with a photo essay.

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Pictures That Tell Stories: Photo Essay Examples

Like any other type of artist, a photographer’s job is to tell a story through their pictures. While some of the most creative among us can invoke emotion or convey a thought with one single photo, the rest of us will rely on a photo essay.

In the following article, we’ll go into detail about what a photo essay is and how to craft one while providing some detailed photo essay examples.

What is a Photo Essay? 

A photo essay is a series of photographs that, when assembled in a particular order, tell a unique and compelling story. While some photographers choose only to use pictures in their presentations, others will incorporate captions, comments, or even full paragraphs of text to provide more exposition for the scene they are unfolding.

A photo essay is a well-established part of photojournalism and have been used for decades to present a variety of information to the reader. Some of the most famous photo essayists include Ansel Adams , W. Eugene Smith, and James Nachtwey. Of course, there are thousands of photo essay examples out there from which you can draw inspiration.

Why Consider Creating a Photo Essay?

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth 1000 words.” This adage is, for many photographers, reason enough to hold a photo essay in particularly high regard.

For others, a photo essay allow them to take pictures that are already interesting and construct intricate, emotionally-charged tales out of them. For all photographers, it is yet another skill they can master to become better at their craft.

As you might expect, the photo essay have had a long history of being associated with photojournalism. From the Great Depression to Civil Rights Marches and beyond, many compelling stories have been told through a combination of images and text, or photos alone. A photo essay often evokes an intense reaction, whether artistic in nature or designed to prove a socio-political point.

Below, we’ll list some famous photo essay samples to further illustrate the subject.

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Famous Photo Essays

“The Great Depression” by Dorothea Lange – Shot and arranged in the 1930s, this famous photo essay still serves as a stark reminder of The Great Depression and Dust Bowl America . Beautifully photographed, the black and white images offer a bleak insight to one of the country’s most difficult times.

“The Vietnam War” by Philip Jones Griffiths – Many artists consider the Griffiths’ photo essay works to be some of the most important records of the war in Vietnam. His photographs and great photo essays are particularly well-remembered for going against public opinion and showing the suffering of the “other side,” a novel concept when it came to war photography.

Various American Natural Sites by Ansel Adams – Adams bought the beauty of nature home to millions, photographing the American Southwest and places like Yosemite National Park in a way that made the photos seem huge, imposing, and beautiful.

“Everyday” by Noah Kalina – Is a series of photographs arranged into a video. This photo essay features daily photographs of the artist himself, who began taking capturing the images when he was 19 and continued to do so for six years.

“Signed, X” by Kate Ryan – This is a powerful photo essay put together to show the long-term effects of sexual violence and assault. This photo essay is special in that it remains ongoing, with more subjects being added every year.

Common Types of Photo Essays

While a photo essay do not have to conform to any specific format or design, there are two “umbrella terms” under which almost all genres of photo essays tend to fall. A photo essay is thematic and narrative. In the following section, we’ll give some details about the differences between the two types, and then cover some common genres used by many artists.

⬥ Thematic 

A thematic photo essay speak on a specific subject. For instance, numerous photo essays were put together in the 1930s to capture the ruin of The Great Depression. Though some of these presentations followed specific people or families, they mostly told the “story” of the entire event. There is much more freedom with a thematic photo essay, and you can utilize numerous locations and subjects. Text is less common with these types of presentations.

⬥ Narrative 

A narrative photo essay is much more specific than thematic essays, and they tend to tell a much more direct story. For instance, rather than show a number of scenes from a Great Depression Era town, the photographer might show the daily life of a person living in Dust Bowl America. There are few rules about how broad or narrow the scope needs to be, so photographers have endless creative freedom. These types of works frequently utilize text.

Common Photo Essay Genres

Walk a City – This photo essay is when you schedule a time to walk around a city, neighborhood, or natural site with the sole goal of taking photos. Usually thematic in nature, this type of photo essay allows you to capture a specific place, it’s energy, and its moods and then pass them along to others.

The Relationship Photo Essay – The interaction between families and loved ones if often a fascinating topic for a photo essay. This photo essay genre, in particular, gives photographers an excellent opportunity to capture complex emotions like love and abstract concepts like friendship. When paired with introspective text, the results can be quite stunning. 

The Timelapse Transformation Photo Essay – The goal of a transformation photo essay is to capture the way a subject changes over time. Some people take years or even decades putting together a transformation photo essay, with subjects ranging from people to buildings to trees to particular areas of a city.

Going Behind The Scenes Photo Essay – Many people are fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes of big events. Providing the photographer can get access; to an education photo essay can tell a very unique and compelling story to their viewers with this photo essay.

Photo Essay of a Special Event – There are always events and occasions going on that would make an interesting subject for a photo essay. Ideas for this photo essay include concerts, block parties, graduations, marches, and protests. Images from some of the latter were integral to the popularity of great photo essays.

The Daily Life Photo Essay – This type of photo essay often focus on a single subject and attempt to show “a day in the life” of that person or object through the photographs. This type of photo essay can be quite powerful depending on the subject matter and invoke many feelings in the people who view them.

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Photo Essay Ideas and Examples

One of the best ways to gain a better understanding of photo essays is to view some photo essay samples. If you take the time to study these executions in detail, you’ll see just how photo essays can make you a better photographer and offer you a better “voice” with which to speak to your audience.

Some of these photo essay ideas we’ve already touched on briefly, while others will be completely new to you. 

Cover a Protest or March  

Some of the best photo essay examples come from marches, protests, and other events associated with movements or socio-political statements. Such events allow you to take pictures of angry, happy, or otherwise empowered individuals in high-energy settings. The photo essay narrative can also be further enhanced by arriving early or staying long after the protest has ended to catch contrasting images. 

Photograph a Local Event  

Whether you know it or not, countless unique and interesting events are happening in and around your town this year. Such events provide photographers new opportunities to put together a compelling photo essay. From ethnic festivals to historical events to food and beverage celebrations, there are many different ways to capture and celebrate local life.

Visit an Abandoned Site or Building  

Old homes and historical sites are rich with detail and can sometimes appear dilapidated, overgrown by weeds, or broken down by time. These qualities make them a dynamic and exciting subject. Many great photo essay works of abandoned homes use a mix of far-away shots, close-ups, weird angles, and unique lighting. Such techniques help set a mood that the audience can feel through the photographic essay.

Chronicle a Pregnancy

Few photo essay topics could be more personal than telling the story of a pregnancy. Though this photo essay example can require some preparation and will take a lot of time, the results of a photographic essay like this are usually extremely emotionally-charged and touching. In some cases, photographers will continue the photo essay project as the child grows as well.

Photograph Unique Lifestyles  

People all over the world are embracing society’s changes in different ways. People live in vans or in “tiny houses,” living in the woods miles away from everyone else, and others are growing food on self-sustaining farms. Some of the best photo essay works have been born out of these new, inspiring movements.

Photograph Animals or Pets  

If you have a favorite animal (or one that you know very little about), you might want to arrange a way to see it up close and tell its story through images. You can take photos like this in a zoo or the animal’s natural habitat, depending on the type of animal you choose. Pets are another great topic for a photo essay and are among the most popular subjects for many photographers.

Show Body Positive Themes  

So much of modern photography is about showing the best looking, prettiest, or sexiest people at all times. Choosing a photo essay theme like body positivity, however, allows you to film a wide range of interesting-looking people from all walks of life.

Such a photo essay theme doesn’t just apply to women, as beauty can be found everywhere. As a photo essay photographer, it’s your job to find it!

Bring Social Issues to Life  

Some of the most impactful social photo essay examples are those where the photographer focuses on social issues. From discrimination to domestic violence to the injustices of the prison system, there are many ways that a creative photographer can highlight what’s wrong with the world. This type of photo essay can be incredibly powerful when paired with compelling subjects and some basic text.

Photograph Style and Fashion

If you live in or know of a particularly stylish locale or area, you can put together an excellent thematic photo essay by capturing impromptu shots of well-dressed people as they pass by. As with culture, style is easily identifiable and is as unifying as it is divisive. Great photo essay examples include people who’ve covered fashion sub-genres from all over the world, like urban hip hop or Japanese Visual Kei. 

Photograph Native Cultures and Traditions  

If you’ve ever opened up a copy of National Geographic, you’ve probably seen photo essay photos that fit this category. To many, the traditions, dress, religious ceremonies, and celebrations of native peoples and foreign cultures can be utterly captivating. For travel photographers, this photo essay is considered one of the best ways to tell a story with or without text.

Capture Seasonal Or Time Changes In A Landmark Photo Essay

Time-lapse photography is very compelling to most viewers. What they do in a few hours, however, others are doing over months, years, and even decades. If you know of an exciting landscape or scene, you can try to capture the same image in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, and put that all together into one landmark photo essay.

Alternatively, you can photograph something being lost or ravaged by time or weather. The subject of your landmark photo essay can be as simple as the wall of an old building or as complex as an old house in the woods being taken over by nature. As always, there are countless transformation-based landmark photo essay works from which you can draw inspiration.

Photograph Humanitarian Efforts or Charity  

Humanitarian efforts by groups like Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders can invoke a powerful response through even the simplest of photos. While it can be hard to put yourself in a position to get the images, there are countless photo essay examples to serve as inspiration for your photo essay project.

How to Create a Photo Essay

There is no singular way to create a photo essay. As it is, ultimately, and artistic expression of the photographer, there is no right, wrong, good, or bad. However, like all stories, some tell them well and those who do not. Luckily, as with all things, practice does make perfect. Below, we’ve listed some basic steps outlining how to create a photo essay

Steps To Create A Photo Essay

Choose Your Topic – While some photo essayists will be able to “happen upon” a photo story and turn it into something compelling, most will want to choose their photo essay topics ahead of time. While the genres listed above should provide a great starting place, it’s essential to understand that photo essay topics can cover any event or occasion and any span of time

Do Some Research – The next step to creating a photo essay is to do some basic research. Examples could include learning the history of the area you’re shooting or the background of the person you photograph. If you’re photographing a new event, consider learning the story behind it. Doing so will give you ideas on what to look for when you’re shooting.  

Make a Storyboard – Storyboards are incredibly useful tools when you’re still in the process of deciding what photo story you want to tell. By laying out your ideas shot by shot, or even doing rough illustrations of what you’re trying to capture, you can prepare your photo story before you head out to take your photos.

This process is especially important if you have little to no control over your chosen subject. People who are participating in a march or protest, for instance, aren’t going to wait for you to get in position before offering up the perfect shot. You need to know what you’re looking for and be prepared to get it.

Get the Right Images – If you have a shot list or storyboard, you’ll be well-prepared to take on your photo essay. Make sure you give yourself enough time (where applicable) and take plenty of photos, so you have a lot from which to choose. It would also be a good idea to explore the area, show up early, and stay late. You never know when an idea might strike you.

Assemble Your Story – Once you develop or organize your photos on your computer, you need to choose the pictures that tell the most compelling photo story or stories. You might also find some great images that don’t fit your photo story These can still find a place in your portfolio, however, or perhaps a completely different photo essay you create later.

Depending on the type of photographer you are, you might choose to crop or digitally edit some of your photos to enhance the emotions they invoke. Doing so is completely at your discretion, but worth considering if you feel you can improve upon the naked image.

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Best Photo Essays Tips And Tricks

Before you approach the art of photo essaying for the first time, you might want to consider with these photo essay examples some techniques, tips, and tricks that can make your session more fun and your final results more interesting. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice we could find on the subject of photo essays. 

⬥ Experiment All You Want 

You can, and should, plan your topic and your theme with as much attention to detail as possible. That said, some of the best photo essay examples come to us from photographers that got caught up in the moment and decided to experiment in different ways. Ideas for experimentation include the following: 

Angles – Citizen Kane is still revered today for the unique, dramatic angles used in the film. Though that was a motion picture and not photography, the same basic principles still apply. Don’t be afraid to photograph some different angles to see how they bring your subject to life in different ways.

Color – Some images have more gravitas in black in white or sepia tone. You can say the same for images that use color in an engaging, dynamic way. You always have room to experiment with color, both before and after the shoot.

Contrast – Dark and light, happy and sad, rich and poor – contrast is an instantly recognizable form of tension that you can easily include in your photo essay. In some cases, you can plan for dramatic contrasts. In other cases, you simply need to keep your eyes open.

Exposure Settings – You can play with light in terms of exposure as well, setting a number of different moods in the resulting photos. Some photographers even do random double exposures to create a photo essay that’s original.

Filters – There are endless post-production options available to photographers, particularly if they use digital cameras. Using different programs and apps, you can completely alter the look and feel of your image, changing it from warm to cool or altering dozens of different settings.

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If you’re using traditional film instead of a digital camera, you’re going to want to stock up. Getting the right shots for a photo essay usually involves taking hundreds of images that will end up in the rubbish bin. Taking extra pictures you won’t use is just the nature of the photography process. Luckily, there’s nothing better than coming home to realize that you managed to capture that one, perfect photograph. 

⬥ Set the Scene 

You’re not just telling a story to your audience – you’re writing it as well. If the scene you want to capture doesn’t have the look you want, don’t be afraid to move things around until it does. While this doesn’t often apply to photographing events that you have no control over, you shouldn’t be afraid to take a second to make an OK shot a great shot. 

⬥ Capture Now, Edit Later 

Editing, cropping, and digital effects can add a lot of drama and artistic flair to your photos. That said, you shouldn’t waste time on a shoot, thinking about how you can edit it later. Instead, make sure you’re capturing everything that you want and not missing out on any unique pictures. If you need to make changes later, you’ll have plenty of time! 

⬥ Make It Fun 

As photographers, we know that taking pictures is part art, part skill, and part performance. If you want to take the best photo essays, you need to loosen up and have fun. Again, you’ll want to plan for your topic as best as you can, but don’t be afraid to lose yourself in the experience. Once you let yourself relax, both the ideas and the opportunities will manifest.

⬥ It’s All in The Details 

When someone puts out a photographic essay for an audience, that work usually gets analyzed with great attention to detail. You need to apply this same level of scrutiny to the shots you choose to include in your photo essay. If something is out of place or (in the case of historical work) out of time, you can bet the audience will notice.

⬥ Consider Adding Text

While it isn’t necessary, a photographic essay can be more powerful by the addition of text. This is especially true of images with an interesting background story that can’t be conveyed through the image alone. If you don’t feel up to the task of writing content, consider partnering with another artist and allowing them tor bring your work to life.

Final Thoughts 

The world is waiting to tell us story after story. Through the best photo essays, we can capture the elements of those stories and create a photo essay that can invoke a variety of emotions in our audience.

No matter the type of cameras we choose, the techniques we embrace, or the topics we select, what really matters is that the photos say something about the people, objects, and events that make our world wonderful.

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The Photo Essay: A FRAMEWORK

We can learn from the classic photo essayists of the past. Many of the early photo stories in Life took a formulary approach. In the early days of the magazine, stories were often told chronologically, scripted, and storyboarded. Photographers were given the formula and a list of shots to take.

The blueprint for a typical Life magazine story required eight types of pictures to ensure photographers came back with a variety of imagery—from an overall shot, to a medium view, close-up, portrait, a sequence, an action shot, a closer or end shot, and of course, the all-important signature image. 

Even today, if your photo story contained strong images from these categories, chances are it would be successful. 

By applying their simple framework to a story or essay, you can give your theme some necessary direction and structure. Moving through the next few steps in The Passionate Photographer process, you’ll learn to work your scenes and give yourself options from all the elements that follow, a shortened structure of the classic Life magazine photo essays. 

• Signature Image: This is often the strongest image, with visual impact that both tells a story itself, and invites the viewer into the story for further investigation. It’s the book cover, the storefront window display, the icon, and web page attention getter. We strive to make every image a signature image but in the end, it rises to the top from the following visual possible components that make up your essay.

• Portrait: A picture of a key player in the story you are photographing. Make sure to use background and/or foreground elements to help bolster the narrative. Environmental portraits, where the subject is caught in a real moment, can be very compelling, but so too can a series of posed portraits.

• The Overall or Wide View: This photograph gives us a sense of the place or a part of the place where your story happens. Note that sometimes a sense of place can be communicated in a series of detail images

• The Detail: Look for a photograph that examines details rather than the larger picture. This photograph can often be abstract and particularly eye-catching, a nuance. This detail also can reveal to the viewer something that would otherwise be missed in a wider shot. A series of small details can be used as a mosaic in one image.

• The Action: Show us what is going on in your story. Look for dramatic and poignant images capturing people interacting with each other, moments and gestures that elevate and amplify the visual communication in some way.

The above is meant as a guide or starting point should you need it. There are always new, innovative, and creative ways to present your story. 

Short-term projects become a powerful starting point for more comprehensive work, allowing you to delve deeper, showing new and different sides of an issue or theme. The more you shoot, the better you will get, but the catch-22 is this: If you are not inspired, you probably won’t shoot much. 

You need to find the inspiration, then let your passion for the project motivate you to work and improve. Your passion will create a strategy for momentum that will carry you through to the finish line.

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The Republican National Convention – Day 4 -Thursday, July 21-2016

How to Create a Photo Essay

Creating a photo essay is a combination of art and journalism. As with a written essay, the elements of a photo essay should be structured in a way that easily conveys a story to the viewer. Each individual photo contributes to the overall story, theme, and emotions of the essay. The photos you choose must not only be compositionally and artistically strong, but also informative and educational. Finding photos that have both qualities can be very challenging, but the result can be very powerful.

There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. The narrative essay tells a story through a sequence of events or actions. They may follow an individual or activity over a period of time and present this story in chronological order. A thematic photo essay focuses on a central theme (e.g. homelessness, the environment, etc.) and presents photos relevant to that theme. Regardless of what type of photo essay you choose to present, the following elements should be considered during its creation:

• The story - Your essay should be able to stand alone, without a written article, and make logical sense to the viewer.
• A range of photos : A variety of photos (wide angle, detailed, portraits etc.) should be included. See the types of photos section discussed below.
• The order of the photos : It is important that the order of your photos effectively tell a story, in an interesting and logical sequence.
• Information and emotion : Your photos should include both informational and emotional photos. Those essays that effectively evoke emotion while providing information tend to convey their messages the best.
• Captions : In a photo essay, captions are your best opportunity to describe what is happening in words and ensure that the viewer understands. Include informational content in these captions if necessary.

Types of Photos

By including a variety of types of photos in your essay, you will ensure that it is both interesting and informative. The following types of photos, presented together, can create a successful photo essay. Not only is it important to choose powerful photos, but also to present them in an effective order. While the order of some photos (e.g. the lead photo, and the clincher) is set, the order of most types of photos in your essay is your preference.

The Lead Photo : Similar to the first two sentences of a newspaper article, your lead photo should effectively draw in your audience. This is usually the most difficult photo to choose and should follow the theme of your essay. It could be an emotional portrait or an action shot, but ultimately it should provoke the curiosity of the viewer.

The Scene : Your second photo should set the stage and describe the scene of your story. An overarching photo taken with a wide angle lens is often effective.

The Portraits : Your photo essay should include at least one portrait. Capturing an emotional expression or telling action shot can effectively humanize your story. These photos often evoke strong emotions and empathy in the viewer (whether it is a positive and enthusiastic emotion, or a sympathetic and concerned emotion.)

The Detail Photos : Detail photos focus in on one element, be it a building, a face, or a relevant object. These photos are your best opportunity to capture specific objects. The captions of these photos should be informative and educational.

The Close-up Photos : Similarly, close-up photos provide an opportunity to focus in on specific objects. These photos are tightly cropped, simple shots that present a specific element of your story. Again, this is an excellent opportunity to present information in the caption.

The Signature Photo :The signature photo summarizes the situation and captures the key elements of your story in a telling moment.

The Clincher Photo : The final photo, the clincher, should evoke the emotion you want the viewer to walk away with, be it a feeling of hope, inspiration, or sadness. Decide on this mood before you select this photo.

Remember, these suggestions are only guidelines. Photo essays are a form of art, and like any artistic creation, breaking the rules can sometimes create the most powerful result. Don't be afraid to try something different.

The Photo Essay

About the Genre:

A photo essay is a collection of images that work together to tell a story. As we’ve seen, while photos are often considered incapable of lying because they “quote” from reality rather than altering it, pictures by themselves in isolation (both in time and space) are also often ambiguous and necessarily incomplete. Over time, the subjects of photos become distant and alien to their viewers. John Berger suggests that by creating stories with pictures, we can remedy such ambiguity and alienation by re-creating a “living context” that establishes a field of meaning that makes the photos come to life.

Unlike typical stories (say a written, oral, or video story), however, photo essays can’t provide continuous, seamless narrative meaning, since they are composed of single and “frozen” snapshots.  Therefore, the connections between images are always to a certain degree jarring and surprising. It is your job in this photo essay to compose a story that capitalizes on such surprise by helping the viewer see and build connections between your images. Together, they should contribute to a complex web of meaning that stimulates reflection on your topic and shows the things presented in a new and revealing light.  

S. Byttebier, PhD/Senior Lecturer

The Shot List  (ppt)

Photo essay storyboard

Handout on Captions and Cutlines

Handout on the Photo Essay Introduction

Student Example #1 “London in Color”

Student Example #2  “London: The Isolation of Rich and Poor”

A picture sequence is a series of photographs dealing with one subject. It may tell a story, present an event, describe a scene, reveal a person, or show how to do something. A common use for a picture sequence is depicting a person during an interview. The most successful picture sequences create several visual images that contain emphasis and action. When you are producing a picture sequence, remember, film is a relatively cheap commodity. It is foolish for you to feel restrained by the amount of film you use. A virtue of the 35mm camera is that a series of 36 exposures can be made in rapid succession to record many expressions that may be edited later. Picture sequences are categorized according to their method of production as follows: 1. FIXED CAMERA AND SUBJECT. An example of this type of sequence is the photographic interview where the cameraperson and the subject remain in their respective positions throughout the picture session. The use of a long lens is almost a necessity for this type of sequence. A long lens permits you to be far enough away that you will not disturb the subject; yet it can produce large images (usually head and shoulders) or close-ups. 2. FIXED CAMERA, SUBJECT MOVES. Picture sequences of this type are often used in sports photography where the action moves up and down the field of play while you are confined to your seat. This type of sequence is also used for photographing events, such as a parade, as it passes by. You may be in the reviewing stand or even on the roof of a nearby building. 3. SUBJECT FIXED, CAMERA MOVES. This approach to sequence photography often presents the subject in a more interesting way. It is used to show different aspects of the subject, such as several angles of an aircraft or a building. It adds variety and interest to the series. 4. CAMERA AND SUBJECT MOVE. This is the most dramatic sequence and allows you to use your imagination to the fullest extent. But it also requires you to follow the action physically. For example, this type of sequence may be used to show a pilot being rescued from his burning aircraft by a crash crew. The first picture shows the crash crew getting into their fire fighting turn-out gear. Picture number two shows the fire trucks approaching the burning plane. The third picture shows one of the fire fighters freeing the pilot from the wreckage. The fourth picture shows first aid being administered to the injured pilot. The final picture in the sequence shows a doctor treating the pilot in an emergency room. In producing this sequence, you must shoot many exposures and then edit them down to those that are most effective. Finally, a picture sequence requires continuity that may be created by subject action, by photographic technique, or by an event figure 1-4 . PICTURE STORY The production of a picture story is one of the most exciting and challenging assignments in photography. It is an effective method of telling a story about events that are happening in the Navy. However, a picture story does not just happen; it starts with an idea. This idea forms the foundation upon which a story is built. When the idea is sound and you provide good photography, there is an excellent chance of developing a professional picture story. Regrettably, the development of a picture story is a major stumbling block for many photographers. All too frequently you hear the comment, "There is nothing in my command to do a picture story on." This is an unfortunate attitude. Navy men and women are surrounded by a wealth of picture-story material; look around! The sea, ships, and ships' crews have fascinated people for years. Unfortunately, most Navy people take their environment for granted. To the non-photojournalist, a picture sequence is sometimes confused with a picture story. A picture sequence is a group of loosely related photographs that provide the reader with only a few miscellaneous impressions of an event. The picture story, on the other hand, is a complete unit that has been planned, researched, and supported by written text and captions . It is the account of an interesting and significant event, personality, idea, or other aspect of contemporary life. In a picture story, the photographs and text support each other. There are several types of picture stories, but the two most often used are the Illustrated Text and the Picture-Text Combination. With the Illustrated Text, emphasis is placed on the text with photographs used to support the words. In the Picture-Text Combination, the story is told primarily through pictures and the words support the pictures. Planning is essential in the production of a picture story. You should plan your photographic coverage so the finished story shows the professional news touch. When you want this quality in your picture story, coverage techniques should include the following: researching the subject and establishing a good relationship; selecting equipment (camera, lens(s), lighting, film) that is best suited for the job; anticipating the improbable and having an alternate plan available; keeping your pictures from looking posed; moving in on the subject and making your pictures show the desired action; using a shooting script; having self- confidence ; ensuring complete coverage by shooting both left- and right-facing photographs, long shots, medium shots, and close-ups, as well as both vertical and horizontal views. Picture stories do not appear in print by accident. They are the result of careful planning, thorough research, and execution. The development of a picture story is carried out in six well-defined steps as follows: 1. DEVELOPING THE IDEA. All picture stories begin with an idea. Whenever you cannot find picture-story material, you are admitting that you are not very alert, observant, or curious. Wherever you go, there are more story ideas than you could possibly find the time to do. You can get ideas for picture stories by subjecting yourself to stimulating experiences, talking to other people, and observing situations- both your own and those related to you by others. 2. RESEARCHING THE SUBJECT . After developing an idea for a picture story, you are ready to research the subject. Research is one of the most important parts of doing a picture story. Before you start shooting, you need to learn as much as possible about the place, situation, object, and people involved. The more complicated the story, the more research you need to perform. No matter what form the research takes, remember one very important thing-YOU CANNOT PERFORM ALL YOUR RESEARCH SITTING AT A DESK. You must leave the shop, talk to people, see the subject. While no two people perform research in exactly the same manner, the following guidelines are recommended: a. Contact the person in charge of whatever or whomever you intend to do the story on, and explain your story idea. b. Obtain the name and phone number, work schedule, and background information on each person involved in your story. c. Observe the operation without interfering and make notes on picture possibilities. d. Stay with the subject(s) until you are fully satisfied that you can anticipate their next move or work step; watch the subject(s) for facial expressions, gestures, and observe them during coffee breaks, and so on. e. Anticipate a sudden departure from the usual and be prepared to cope with it. f. Conduct interviews with the subject(s), their peers, subordinates, and seniors. Whenever possible, shoot the photographs at one session and conduct the interview at another. 3. PLANNING THE TREATMENT. The "treatment" is an arrangement of facts you have collected; this includes the type of pictures you require to convey the theme or purpose you have in mind adequately. Plan your pictorial coverage. Decide what elements of the story should be presented verbally, and what elements should be presented visually. Because each picture story is somewhat different, you cannot follow the same pattern for each assignment. There are, however, certain planning criteria upon which all picture stories are based. The planning criteria is as follows: a. INTEREST. The readers must gain something from the story or they are not going to read it. b. PICTURE IMPACT. It must appeal to the eye, create curiosity, and hold the viewer's attention. c. SCOPE. The picture story of a ship is possible but difficult; a department within the ship is a little less difficult; a division within the department is even less difficult; one person within the division is comparatively simple. By narrowing the scope and focusing on one person, you can still tell the story of the ship, the department, and the division. d. FOCUSING ON PEOPLE. Whatever the story, chances are it can be made better and more interesting when it is told in terms of people doing something. Of course, it is possible to focus on an inanimate object, such as an airplane, but readership tests indicate that people are interested in people. e. UNIVERSAL APPEAL. Before your picture story can appear in a newspaper or magazine, it must appeal to a large number of people. 4. PREPARING THE SHOOTING SCRIPT. To begin shooting a picture story without an idea of what you are trying to accomplish is a real gamble. The shooting script is a record of your ideas-a blueprint from which you build the story. But remember, your shooting script is a guide only, and it should be flexible to some degree. A shooting script should answer the following questions regarding a picture story: WHO: The name of the individual or subject to be photographed. His or her job title and duty responsibilities should be included. WHAT: The exact nature of what subject action is to be performed in support of the overall theme of the picture story. WHEN: The time and date when the subject is to be photographed. Ensure the subject is available at the time specified. WHERE: The exact location(s) where the photography is to take place. WHY: The reason(s) why this story should appeal to a given audience. HOW: List the shots you plan to make-Actions, such as loading the gun, rolling the fire hose, and so on. This includes long shots, medium shots, close-ups, high angle of view, low angle of view; point of focus; and any unusual lighting conditions. Remember, the shooting script is used as a guide; that is its only purpose. It is intended to keep you on the right track. The shooting script permits you to begin a picture-story assignment with confidence . The time spent in preparing a shooting script is compensated for by the time and confusion you save at the scene when the pictures are made. 5. SHOOTING PHOTOGRAPHS. The actual shooting of photographs for a picture story does not present a problem for a competent photographer. Since you have a shooting script, the decisions you must make at the job location involve only exposure calculations and camera operations. There is one problem worth mentioning; it is not always possible to capture the abstract qualities in a picture. Visual interpretation of an abstract idea is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve at times. Emotions and moods are recorded on film only through skill, perseverance, and cooperation between the subject and the photographer. Sometimes the emotion or mood may linger for only a fraction of a second. You must be prepared to trip the shutter at the precise moment the action takes place. A picture story must have a beginning, a middle (body), and an ending. A picture story begins with a LEAD PHOTOGRAPH. The lead photograph is the most important picture in the story. This photograph should identify the subject matter, relate the subject matter to the slant or desired approach of the story, and create an impact. The attention-getting lead photograph should create the desire to know more about the subject. The picture story should proceed in logical order without undue repetition or too great a step in photograph progression. Each successive photograph should contribute something significant to the development of the story and provide smooth continuity . The photographs that comprise the BODY of the story should have long shots, medium shots, close-ups, and be made from various points of view. The second most important photograph is the LAST or ENDING photograph. This photograph should present the feeling of finality. It can also help the viewer to arrive at a conclusion. Although it has the ability to sway the reader's mind, a picture story should be presented objectively. The number of photographs in a picture story is a matter of judgment on your part. Too few photographs are as distracting as too many photographs. The factor that should govern the number of photographs is the scope of the story. For example, the story of a Navy base will require more photographs than a story about one person attached to that base. 6. WRITING THE TEXT AND CUTLINES . After the film has been exposed, processed, and contact prints made, the next step is to begin writing the text and cutlines . Review your notes carefully. Look for quotes or other information that can be used as a lead. Check all statements and facts. Remember to double-check the spelling of names. Your first attempt at writing a story should be considered a rough draft only. This is the time to correct mistakes and to verify that you have complete and accurate information. Above all, remember that the text must support the photographs. When the text is written, writing the cutlines is a rather simple matter. Do not repeat what you have already stated in the text. Cutlines in a picture story should not be confused with captions for a single picture. Cutlines for a picture story are very brief. Sometimes they consist of no more than one word. The purpose of an cutline is to bridge the gap between the text and the pictures fig 1-5. 877-542-5504 877-542-5504 / Lessons Plans / Language Arts Lesson Plans / Photo Essay Lesson Plan Photo Essay Lesson Plan Want to help fellow teachers. Please help us grow this free resource by submitting your favorite lesson plans. Lesson Plan #:AELP-WCP002 Author: Rebecca Sexson, Anasazi Elem., Scottsdale, AZ Date: May 1994 Grade Level(s): 2, 3, 4 Subject(s): Language Arts/Writing (composition) OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to: Understand the purpose of a photo essay. Sequence a series of events. Understand the format in creating a photo essay which includes a caption for each picture. Complete a photo essay as a creative activity by using photos, magazine pictures or drawings to illustrate a story. Read and enjoy a photo essay. RESOURCES/MATERIALS: Teacher – a picture of a face with obvious emotion, a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 white drawing paper for each student, a visual example of a photo essay would be helpful but not necessary. Students – a piece of poster board that is an appropriate size for their essay; photos, drawings, or magazine pictures; marking pens, pencil, glue. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: Ask students to name materials they read that contain words and pictures. (ex. newspapers, magazines, books, etc.) Show a picture of a happy or sad person. Have the students identify the emotion and explain that a picture can express an emotion better than words: A picture is worth a thousand words. Explain that a photo essay is a story told in pictures with short statements (captions) under each picture. This example could be completed as an individual activity, a whole class activity, or a cooperative learning activity. Send a letter home to the parents explaining the photo essay and assign the essay as a home project. The pictures for the essay may be photos taken with a camera, pictures drawn by the student, or pictures cut from a magazine. If students have a difficult time thinking of a topic/title for their essay, you might want to list suggestions from a class discussion. All photo essays should have a title and the pictures should be mounted on poster board. The poster board does not have to remain rectangular. The assignment should be given two to three weeks to complete because of film processing. Assign the project on a Monday. Record each student’s topic on Friday, or on the following Monday at the latest. TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Upon completion, let each student bring their essay to class to share. Students should present an oral summary of their essay and explain each picture. These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center’s Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops. Table of Contents Grades 6-12 School Leaders Win a $500 Oriental Trading Gift Card ✨ 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity (Free Google Slides) Use a picture to write a thousand words! Creative writing is a challenge for many students, often because they can’t come up with anything to write about. That’s why we love picture writing prompts. Each one sparks the imagination and helps young writers jump right into crafting a story to match. We rounded up a whole collection of intriguing images to help kids in grades K-12 along. Plus we designed a set of free Google Slides featuring all of the prompts so you can easily share them with students. Tip: Start by showing students the picture (or let them choose from among several) without making any comment about what they’re seeing. For kids who still struggle to get started, suggest a potential title or opening sentence, like the examples included here. Don’t miss our free downloadable. Grab your full set of ready-to-go Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all of the prompts below. Elementary Picture Writing Prompts Middle school picture writing prompts, high school picture writing prompts, art picture writing prompts. When kids first see these picture writing prompts, they may or may not immediately feel inspired. Try asking general questions like these to get them started: What are the names of the people or animals in the picture? How do you think the people or animals in the picture are feeling? How would you describe the setting, including the weather, sounds, smells, etc.? What do you think the people or animals are saying or are about to say? What happened right before this picture was taken? What will happen next? Included below are more questions for each image to boost creativity, along with potential titles and opening lines. Opening Line Idea: When Larry fell in love, he fell hard. Jump-Start Questions: Where did the dog get the rose? Who or what is the dog bringing the rose to? Can the dog talk like a human? Ask for a Sign Opening Line Idea: When the new sign appeared on Main Street, everyone in town wondered exactly what it meant. ADVERTISEMENT Jump-Start Questions: Does the sign read “ask,” or do the letters A-S-K stand for something else instead? Who put up the sign, and why? Why is the sign lit up during the day when no other lights are on? Snowy Footprints Opening Line Idea: After that crazy day, all that was left to show for it was footprints in the snow. Jump-Start Questions: How many different people made these prints? Is this snow, or could it be some other white substance? Were the people who made these prints walking or running? Dinosaur Bones Opening Line Idea: “Come with me if you want to live!” Ash said, reaching out a hand. Jump-Start Questions: What creature is this the skull of? Why is the person inside the skull in the first place? Is the person in the picture asking for help or inviting someone to join them inside the skull? Undersea Treasure Opening Line Idea: For years, no one saw the locked treasure chest but the local fish, who wondered what it could contain. Jump-Start Questions: Who left this treasure chest here, and when? What are three different things that could be inside? Do the bubbles mean there’s something alive inside the chest? A Game of Fetch Opening Line Idea: To Scout, it was a game, but to Mr. Freezy, it was much more. Jump-Start Questions: Are the dog and snowperson friends? Who built the snowperson, and where did they get the hat? Who does the dog belong to? Ladybug Gossip Opening Line Idea: The ladybug’s picnic was an excellent chance to meet up with old friends and hear all the latest gossip. Jump-Start Questions: Are these ladybugs friends or enemies? Are the leaves very small, or are the ladybugs very big? Was this picture taken in a garden, a wild meadow, or some other place? Opening Line Idea: We met them when they peeked into our window, watching us as we watched cartoons. Jump-Start Questions: Are these children looking into their own house or someone else’s? Do they want to come inside or would they rather stay outside? Who is looking at the children from the other side of the window? King of the Jungle Opening Line Idea: It wasn’t the crown that made Amari the king of all he surveyed. Jump-Start Questions: Is this lion in the wild or in captivity like a zoo? Is the crown real, or is the lion imagining it? How does the person taking the photo feel about the lion? The Final Pitch Opening Line Idea: It all came down to this—the final pitch in a game that was tied 2-2. Jump-Start Questions: Does the player hit the ball, and if so, do they make it to a base? What is the score of the game so far? How did the player get dirt on their knees? Doggie Massage Opening Line Idea: Every dog in the neighborhood knew that Rocky gave the best massages and was always willing to lend an ear too. Jump-Start Questions: Do these two dogs know each other, or did they just meet? Is the dog on the right feeling happy, annoyed, or something else? Give three different reasons why the dogs are sitting like this. Skateboard Life Opening Line Idea: When Charli got her first skateboard, she made herself a promise. Jump-Start Questions: What does the graffiti on the wall mean, and how did it get there? Where did this girl get her skateboard from? Who taught her how to skateboard? Garden of the Past Opening Line Idea: The woman walked in the garden every day, never saying a word. Jump-Start Questions: Where and when does this garden grow? Who planted this garden and why? What will the woman do with the flowers she is picking? Sunset Friends Opening Line Idea: They met on the jungle gym every day at sunset, sharing everything about their days. Jump-Start Questions: Was this photo taken in the morning or the evening? What time of year is it? Are the children playing on the jungle gym or just hanging out and talking? Pink Umbrellas Opening Line Idea: When the pink umbrellas first appeared, Toni thought they might be magic. Jump-Start Questions: Where and when was this picture taken? Who hung the pink umbrellas? Who lives in the buildings along this alley? Firefly Forest Opening Line Idea: Olivia was surprised to discover that the fireflies didn’t just glow, they also sang. Jump-Start Questions: Are all the lights in this picture fireflies, or is something else glowing? What does this forest sound and smell like? Would you want to be in this forest alone in the middle of the night? Robot Spider Opening Line Idea: When it first crawled ashore, the mechanical spider moved slowly. Jump-Start Questions: Was this robot spider built by humans, or does it come from another planet? Does the spider run on its own, or is there a person or creature inside it? Where is the spider now, and where is it going? Fallen House Opening Line Idea: Staring at their house, which was now on its side, the whole family was in shock. Jump-Start Questions: Who used to live in this house? Was anyone inside the house when it fell, and are they OK? What caused the house to fall but not be completely destroyed? Red Riding Hood Opening Line Idea: If only she’d been riding her faithful steed the day she’d met the Big Bad Wolf, things might have been very different. Jump-Start Questions: Why is the girl barefoot? Why is the horse wearing a necklace? Who gave the girl her red hood and cape? Kangaroo Fall Opening Line Idea: “Well, this is embarrassing,” thought Bouncer, as laughter filled the air around him. Jump-Start Questions: Did this kangaroo fall over, or is it just lying down? Where does the kangaroo live? Is there anything in the picture to explain what the kangaroo is doing? Opening Line Idea: Daci’s big brother said her signs wouldn’t help them find their runaway cat, but he was wrong. Jump-Start Questions: Is this sign about a real lost cat? Who drew the picture? Does anyone ever find the lost cat? Penguin Bookshop Opening Line Idea: A visit to Sir Pickerel’s Penguin Bookshop is always an adventure. Jump-Start Questions: Does the penguin own the bookstore, or is he only shopping there? Where did the penguin get his hat? What kind of books does the penguin like best? Opening Line Idea: Of all the eggs in the carton, Ella was the one who could always crack you up. Jump-Start Questions: Who colored these eggs? Are these real bird eggs or are they made of something else? Where are these eggs, and why are they there? Opening Line Idea: That was the year Min was finally tall enough to ride the Sky Swings, but now she wasn’t so sure. Jump-Start Questions: How high are these swings? Would you want to ride the swings? How would you feel if you were soaring through the air? Rubber Duck Parade Opening Line Idea: It was truly an honor to be asked to lead the Spring Duck Parade. Jump-Start Questions: Who put these ducks in the gutter? Are the ducks having fun, or are they being forced to be there? What would you do if you were walking along and saw these ducks? Teddy Story Time Opening Line Idea: Every afternoon, the three friends gathered for story time in their favorite spot in the woods. Jump-Start Questions: What book are the bears reading? Where did the bears get the book? Are the bears all the same age? Underwater School Opening Line Idea: Nia thought going to school underwater would be exciting, but some days she really missed going outside for recess. Jump-Start Questions: How does the child in the picture feel as she looks out the window? Where is the child? Why does the room look so dark? Opening Line Idea: The day Amos started his journey down the river, the sun was shining brightly. Jump-Start Questions: What body of water is the ball floating in? How did it get there? Who does the ball belong to? Turtle Trouble Opening Line Idea: “None shall pass,” growled the old sea turtle, blocking the way. Jump-Start Questions: What body of water is the turtle swimming in? How old is the turtle? How did the person who took the picture get so close to the turtle? Dinosaur Race Opening Line Idea: Pia was supposed to keep Balthazar on a leash, but once they reached the forest, she set him free and they both began to run. Jump-Start Questions: What kind of dinosaur is this? Where are the girl and the dinosaur running to (or running from)? Is the dinosaur wild or the girl’s pet? Finally Seeing Eye to Eye Opening Line Idea: “So, we meet at last, face-to-face,” Lord Squeakerton said to his enemy, the Count of Catnip. Jump-Start Questions: How did the mouse get onto the cat’s nose? How does the cat feel about the mouse being there? Are the cat and mouse friends or enemies? Opening Line Idea: It takes a lot to surprise a monkey, but you don’t see something like this every day. Jump-Start Questions: What is the monkey looking at? How was the monkey feeling at that moment? If there was a speech bubble coming out of the monkey’s mouth, what would it say? Not Coming Out Opening Line Idea: The day started out normally enough, but by the end, Chris knew he was in over his head. Jump-Start Questions: Is the child hiding, playing, or doing something else? Is the child at home or at someone else’s house? Are the child’s feet cold without socks? Life on Other Planets Opening Line Idea: “Hurry up,” Grnklor told his robopup. “We have to get back inside before nightfall.” Jump-Start Questions: What planet is this? Are the creatures robots, aliens, or something else? Could you breathe the air if you were standing on this planet? Reindeer Games Opening Line Idea: The wind had died down, but the setting sun seemed to take all the warmth of the day with it. Jump-Start Questions: Is the sun rising or setting? Who does the tricycle on the right belong to? Where are the child and the reindeer going, and why is the deer wearing a harness? Something To Celebrate Opening Line Idea: Their classmates could hear their shouts of joy from all the way down the hall. Jump-Start Questions: What is showing on the computer screen? How do these kids know each other? Where are these kids? Home Sweet Mushroom Opening Line Idea: When the fairies that lived in the garden invited her to stay with them for awhile, Maria wasn’t sure what to expect. Jump-Start Questions: Who lives in the mushroom? Is this mushroom very big, or are the creatures who live in it very small? Did the mushroom grow this way, or did someone turn it into a house? Loch Ness Mystery Opening Line Idea: “There it is! I told you Nessie is real!” Angus whispered to Lee. Jump-Start Questions: Is the creature in the picture real or a statue of some kind? If it’s a statue, who put it there and why? How was the person who took this picture feeling at this moment? Lonely Bear Opening Line Idea: It was hard to say who was lonelier that night, Amil or his lost stuffed bear, Jasper. Jump-Start Questions: Who does the bear belong to? Is its owner nearby, or is the bear lost? How old is the bear? Sometimes You Lose Opening Line Idea: When his team lost the championship, Miguel was crushed, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. Jump-Start Questions: Why is the boy upset? What would the boy’s friends say to him? What would his parents say to him?    Middle school writing prompts can be a little more complex, with pictures that have a lot of potential interpretations. You can use the same questions to kick-start creative thinking as you would with elementary students (see above), plus deeper questions like these: How does the picture make you feel? Who took the picture and why? What incidents led up to the moment of the image? What are three different things that could happen next? Does this picture take place in the past, present, or future? Opening Line Idea: Morgan was incredibly proud of those shoes, paid for entirely with money from after-school jobs. Jump-Start Questions: Who is wearing the shoes? Would you like to have shoes like this? Imagine the shoes a year from now, dirty and worn; how did they get that way? Never Lose Hope Opening Line Idea: With his last bit of energy, Kai scrawled his message in the wet paint. Jump-Start Questions: Who wrote this message and why? Where is this message written? Who might see and be inspired by the message? Opening Line Idea: The keyboard button could only be used once, and no one knew exactly what happened when you pressed it. Jump-Start Questions: Who created this keyboard? Would you press the button? How would you keep from pressing this button accidentally? Piano Lessons Opening Line Idea: Before she could even speak, Arya was drawn to the black and white keys. Jump-Start Questions: Where is this piano, and who does it belong to? Will the child touch the keys gently or bang on them loudly? What song would you play on this piano? Opening Line Idea: There was no doubt about it, this was was indeed a very special kind of garden. Jump-Start Questions: Is this a very tiny baby or a very large fern? Who does the baby belong to? Would you like to sleep rolled up in a plant? Opening Line Idea: No matter how you looked at it, it had been a very rough day to be the Easter Bunny. Jump-Start Questions: How did the bunny get so dirty? Is this a large bunny, or a person wearing a bunny suit? Where has the bunny been, and where is it going? Empty Chairs Opening Line Idea: By sunset, all four chairs were empty, and the only signs of life were the gulls swooping down from above. Jump-Start Questions: Why is one chair a different color from the others? Are these chairs abandoned or just empty temporarily? Why are the seagulls so interested in the chairs? Floating Treasure Opening Line Idea: To the birds, it was simply a convenient place to land, but Ali and I knew it was much more than that. Jump-Start Questions: Would you open this chest if you found it, without knowing what’s inside? What are the spiky shapes on the left side of the picture? Is the bird on the right really there, or is it just a shadow? Shadow Question Opening Line Idea: That was the day they discovered that just because you were invisible didn’t mean your shadow was. Jump-Start Questions: How was this image created, and why? Who do the shoes belong to? How do optical illusions make you feel? Letter and Key Opening Line Idea: The day she turned 12, Vivi’s aunt handed her an envelope containing a key … and the family secret. Jump-Start Questions: What would you hope to find in an old letter like this? How old is the key? Where has this letter been before now? Space Target Opening Line Idea: Onyx paused, knowing that once their arrow hit the target, there was no knowing what would happen. Jump-Start Questions: Is this planet in our galaxy? Is the person pictured a human, a robot, or an alien? What will happen if the person hits the target or misses it? Mermaid Mystery Opening Line Idea: It was a mermaid—or was it? Jump-Start Questions: Is this creature floating in water or in the air? What would you do if you woke up like this one day? How is the creature feeling at this moment? World on a String Opening Line Idea: Her dad had promised to give her the world, but she wasn’t expecting three more planets as well. Jump-Start Questions: Why is the girl holding a suitcase? Who gave the girl the balloons? What does it mean to “have the world on a string”? Bee Standoff Opening Line Idea: “This flower ain’t big enough for the both of us!” said Bianca. Jump-Start Questions: Are the bees from the same colony or rival colonies? Why is this flower so special to the bees? Do you think the bees are cute or scary? Solitary Seat Opening Line Idea: For as long as anyone could remember, Angus McGee spent his evenings in the same chair next to the woodstove. Jump-Start Questions: How long has it been since anyone sat in this chair? What are the books on the floor? What do you think is in the bag on the left? Best Friends Opening Line Idea: When you decide to run away from home forever, you can’t possibly leave your best friend behind. Jump-Start Questions: How is the girl feeling? How far do you think she has already walked? If you were running away from home, what would you take with you? Dinosaur Demise Opening Line Idea: In retrospect, setting the time machine to randomly choose any day and time in the past might not have been such a good idea. Jump-Start Questions: If you were standing here watching this scene, what would you do? Do these dinosaurs survive whatever happens next? Would you stop the asteroid from killing off the dinosaurs if you could? Magic Lamps Opening Line Idea: “Choose wisely,” said the old shopkeeper, “for only one of these lamps is truly magic.” Jump-Start Questions: Are these lamps brand-new or very old and well cared for? Do you think a magic genie living in a lamp would be good or evil? What wishes would you make, and what would happen if they came true? Message in a Bottle Opening Line Idea: The message floated at sea for more than 50 years before the day we found it on the beach. Jump-Start Questions: If you found a bottle like this, would you open it on your own or invite others to join you? What would you do with the letter inside? How far do you think this bottle has traveled? Barrel Boat Opening Line Idea: Of all the ways to impress someone, Jonah thought to himself, this had to be one of the most ridiculous. Jump-Start Questions: Why is this person in a barrel instead of a boat? Do you think this looks like fun, or would it be scary? Why is the person wearing a life jacket? Dragon Guardian Opening Line Idea: When your parents give you your own dragon guardian, your childhood is bound to be enchanted. Jump-Start Questions: Is this dragon real or the child’s imaginary friend? Is the dragon young or old? How does the child feel about the dragon? Octopus’s Garden Opening Line Idea: Wouldn’t you like to be under the sea, in an octopus’s garden in the shade? Jump-Start Questions: Where was this picture taken? Is the octopus attacking the person or just swimming nearby? How much oxygen does the person have left in their tank? Around the Corner Opening Line Idea: After finally pressing “send,” she couldn’t resist peeking around the corner to watch him read the text. Jump-Start Questions: Do these kids know each other? Does the person in front know the other person is watching them? Who does the car in the distance belong to? Beam Me Up! Opening Line Idea: Milo’s earliest memory was of watching his beloved tricycle float into the sky above him, caught in a beam of light. Jump-Start Questions: Is the tricycle going up or coming down? Where is the light coming from? How does the child in the picture feel right now? Poison Apple Opening Line Idea: To join the club, all Aaron had to do was creep up and snatch the apple from the skeleton’s hand without being seen. Jump-Start Questions: Whose skeleton is this? Is the apple safe to eat? Would you eat this apple? Giraffe Council Opening Line Idea: “It is now 3 p.m., and I call this meeting of the Mighty Council of Giraffes to order,” announced Imari. Jump-Start Questions: Why are these giraffes gathered together? What do giraffes like to talk about? Would you like to be a giraffe? Mystery Creature Opening Line Idea: At first glance, it was hard to tell whether the little creature was friend or foe. Jump-Start Questions: Is this creature big or small? Is it alone, or are there others like it? Would you keep this creature as a pet? Opening Line Idea: As the sky turned orange, Keisha ran faster than ever and used the last of her energy to push off and soar over the water below. Jump-Start Questions: Why is this person running? Do they make the jump or fall into the water? Is this person jumping or floating? The End of Days Opening Line Idea: Despite their best efforts, they arrived too late—the battle had already begun. Jump-Start Questions: Is the person going to the city or away from it? Who is attacking and why? What would you do if you saw this scene taking place? Out of the Book Opening Line Idea: “Happily ever after” was about to take on a whole new meaning. Jump-Start Questions: Where is the light coming from in the book? Does the woman know she’s a book character? What will the mouse do when it sees the woman? Stopped Clock Opening Line Idea: I was sure that the time on the broken clock was the clue to solving the mystery. Jump-Start Questions: How long has this clock been stopped at 11:17? Does the clock still work? Who does the clock belong to? Dueling Webs Opening Line Idea: It’s never a good idea to build your web too close to another spider’s, but this time she had no choice. Jump-Start Questions: How do spiderwebs and spiders make you feel? Were these webs made by one spider or two? Would you knock down these webs or leave them alone? Do Shoes Grow on Trees? Opening Line Idea: The day I threw my own shoes into the tree was the day I really started to grow up. Jump-Start Questions: Who threw the first pair of shoes into the tree and why? If you saw a nice pair of shoes, would you try to get them down? Would you throw your own shoes into the tree? Abstract Art Opening Line Idea: “So,” asked their art teacher, “what do you think this painting means?” Jump-Start Questions: Is the paint wet or dry? Is this the whole painting or a small part of a larger one? Who chose these colors and why? Wandering Robots Opening Line Idea: Everything about NB-317 was made of cardboard except his heart—that was made of flesh and blood and very capable of being broken. Jump-Start Questions: Who built this robot? Can the robot smell the flowers? Does the robot belong to someone, or is it an independent being? Dream Come True Opening Line Idea: It all started when Quinn watched her favorite movie the night before they assigned partners for the eighth grade science fair project. Jump-Start Questions: What is in the balloons to allow them to lift and carry a house? Is the house coming up or going down? Would you want to be inside the house right now? Mysterious Cave Opening Line Idea: The cave was unlike anything we’d ever seen before, and what was more, it almost seemed like the rock was alive. Jump-Start Questions: What made these shapes? What do the shapes look like to you? If this were a rock formation, would you want to explore it? Storm at Sea Opening Line Idea: As the rain lashed his face and lightning tore apart the sky, Kiran had to admit he’d always thought it would be a lot more fun being a pirate. Jump-Start Questions: Is anyone on the ship, or is it abandoned? If you were the captain, what would you be thinking right now? What would happen if the ship capsized or was struck by lightning? Grasshopper Close-Up Opening Line Idea: That’s when Javed realized it wasn’t that the grasshopper was too big—it was that he was suddenly very, very small. Jump-Start Questions: Is this grasshopper cute or scary? What is the grasshopper looking at? Would you pick up this grasshopper or shoo it away? UFO Parking Opening Line Idea: “Well, that’s convenient,” Javdok remarked to Qabow when they saw the sign. Jump-Start Questions: Where is this sign located, and who hung it? Would spaceships need parking lots on land, or could you just leave them in the sky and beam down? Do you think this parking lot is free, and if not, how much does it cost to park a spaceship?    High school writers are ready to dig deep, exploring character development and detailed plots. These pictures offer a jumping-off point to set their imaginations free. Try questions like these: What mood does the picture evoke? If your friend texted you this picture with no explanation, what would you think? What would you say to the person in the picture? Write five words for each of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) related to the picture. Is this picture the beginning, the middle, or the end of the story? Cyborg Girl Opening Line Idea: When she was 14, Tasha’s parents finally told her the truth about what she really was. Jump-Start Questions: Is the cyborg crying or malfunctioning? Who chose the cyborg’s clothes? Has the girl always known she is a cyborg? BBQ Cookout Opening Line Idea: “So, I’m guessing no one told you I’m a vegetarian?” asked Sadie with a smile. Jump-Start Questions: What would you do if you were invited to a meal where there was nothing you could eat? Does this meal look delicious or disgusting? Would you rather be the one grilling or the one cleaning up afterward? Opening Line Idea: The latest app was like a time machine, allowing people to look back in time, but it also had a dark side. Jump-Start Questions: What is the man thinking about? Why is the baby picture the only part of the image that’s in color? Would you like to be able to see a picture of what you’ll look like when you’re 80 years old? Opening Line Idea: She was surrounded by people but never felt more alone. Jump-Start Questions: What does the woman’s sign say? Is this person homeless, or is she sitting on the street for another reason? Where will this person sleep tonight? Hippo Troubles Opening Line Idea: Like all parents, hippos sometimes really need a break from their kids. Jump-Start Questions: Where do these hippos live? Does the mother hippo feel love for her baby? What would happen if a bee flew into the baby hippo’s mouth? iPad Farmer Opening Line Idea: Grandpa Jack never failed to surprise us. Jump-Start Questions: What will the man do with the vegetables on his lap? Is this man a farmer or just someone who likes to garden on the weekend? Does it surprise you to see this man using technology in this setting? Marching Band Blues Opening Line Idea: Kaleel sat sadly on the bench, watching the rest of the band march away in jaunty time to the music. Jump-Start Questions: Where is the rest of the marching band, and why isn’t this man with them? How long has the man owned the instrument, and who taught him to play? What kinds of music does this man like to listen to? Never-Ending Tunnel Opening Line Idea: The tunnel seemed to stretch to infinity, but Jayma knew what was at the end, and it terrified her. Jump-Start Questions: Does this tunnel scare you or intrigue you? Would you rather walk, run, Rollerblade, or ride a skateboard from one end to the other? If the lights suddenly went out, what would you do? Carving Out Love Opening Line Idea: For years, we wondered who “WP” was, and who it was who loved them so much they carved it into a tree for all to see. Jump-Start Questions: Would you ever carve someone’s initials in a tree? Is carving initials in a tree the same as spray-painting graffiti? Would you feel bad if you had to cut this tree down and burn it for firewood? Glowing Globe Opening Line Idea: Just then, the globe began to glow, and Jaxson knew he was about to leap through space and time once again—destination unknown. Jump-Start Questions: What causes the globe to glow? Is the globe of Earth or another celestial body? What is the man pointing to? See No Evil Opening Line Idea: It seemed like a funny joke to pose the skeletons in front of old Mrs. Petoski’s house, but then she turned up dead, and the police said it was murder. Jump-Start Questions: Who put these skeletons here and why? Which is worse: seeing evil, hearing evil, or speaking evil? How would you feel if you knew these were actual human skeletons, not props? Upside Down Opening Line Idea: It’s an odd feeling to wake up one morning and find yourself able to walk on the ceiling. Jump-Start Questions: What would the advantages and disadvantages of defying gravity be? Can this person go outside without floating away? Why is the microwave on top of the tall refrigerator? Face at the Fence Opening Line Idea: So much depended on which side of the fence you were on. Jump-Start Questions: Is this child on the outside looking in or the inside looking out? What might the fence be separating the child from? What would happen if the child tried to climb the fence? Bicycle Race Opening Line Idea: Finley had trained too hard for this race to come in third—it just wasn’t good enough. Jump-Start Questions: Are these bikers competing, working as a team, or just biking for fun? What does the front biker’s arm tattoo symbolize? Is coming in second or third the same as losing? Family Travels Opening Line Idea: In the picture, my grandmother’s expression is hard to interpret, but she’s told me the story many times. Jump-Start Questions: What’s in the bags? If you saw this family pulled over on the side of the road, would you stop and ask if they needed help? Who gave the girl the ring she’s wearing on her finger? Laundromat Antics Opening Line Idea: Dani never expected to meet her first love feet first. Jump-Start Questions: Is it safe for this person to be inside the washing machine? What would happen if someone closed the door and walked away? Would you ever crawl inside a washing machine or dryer? Opening Line Idea: Molly’s mom probably didn’t mean for her to be the one to find the note, but that’s how things turned out. Jump-Start Questions: What would you do if you found this note and ring? What is the writer sorry for? Would you ever leave a note like this? Through the Storm Opening Line Idea: Javier knew it would have been smarter to stay put, but he had to make sure his mom was safe before the worst of the storm arrived. Jump-Start Questions: Do you think it would be fun to be driving this truck or too dangerous? What would make you drive around in a storm like this? What will the scene look like after the storm has passed? Lifetime Friends Opening Line Idea: They’d been friends for as long as they could remember—even longer, in fact. Jump-Start Questions: Who is holding the babies, and how do they know each other? What are the expressions on the babies’ faces right now? Is the baby on the right reaching for the other baby’s pacifier? Stray Kitten Opening Line Idea: “I am NOT taking you home with me,” Kai told the tiny mewling kitten firmly. Jump-Start Questions: Would you pick this kitten up and take it home? Is the kitten’s mother nearby? Why is the kitten meowing at the person? Abandoned Greenhouse Opening Line Idea: Willow was free to leave at any time, but she couldn’t make herself go. Jump-Start Questions: Who built this structure and when? How did the woman get inside? Would you rather knock this structure down or renovate it? Opening Line Idea: Amani’s earliest memory was razor wire—miles and miles of it. Jump-Start Questions: Does this fence make you feel safe or anxious? What does this fence separate? If you had to get past this fence, what would you do? Church Graveyard Opening Line Idea: Everyone feels differently in a graveyard, but for me, they’re very peaceful places. Jump-Start Questions: Who wrote the epitaphs on the front two graves? Do you find this cemetery peaceful or creepy, and would you feel differently at night? Does anyone ever bring flowers to these graves? Orb of Death Opening Line Idea: “Do you really want to know?” Death asked. “Because once you know, you won’t be able to forget.” Jump-Start Questions: Is the globe showing a reflection or a vision? If Death offered to reveal your future, would you accept? Who did the skull on the left belong to in life? Missed Shot Opening Line Idea: Steve was sure his shot would make it, but it bounced off the rim just as the buzzer rang to end the game. Jump-Start Questions: Is the player in front happy, sad, or something else? Would you rather be playing in the game or watching the game? What is the referee thinking about? First Contact Opening Line Idea: This was it—the moment that would change what it meant to be human forever. Jump-Start Questions: What is reflected in the astronaut’s mask? Will the alien and the human be able to communicate with each other? How would you feel if you were the first human to meet an alien? One Life To Live Opening Line Idea: His face said his life had been a hard one, but his eyes told a different tale. Jump-Start Questions: Where and when did this man get his hat? If you could ask this man one question, what would it be? Why did this man decide to grow a mustache? Winter Walk Opening Line Idea: Snow fell, creating a blank canvas to record the story of that fateful walk. Jump-Start Questions: How would you feel if you were walking in the snow in this scene? How would you find out what made the tracks? How far from civilization was this picture taken? Train to Nowhere Opening Line Idea: It certainly wasn’t the most luxurious way to travel, but then again, no one really wanted to make this trip in the first place. Jump-Start Questions: What would it feel like to sleep here? Why has this place been abandoned? If you looked through the windows, what would you see outside? Modern Mary Poppins Opening Line Idea: She dropped into our lives on a gray day in midwinter, a hint of the spring that was to come. Jump-Start Questions: What is in the person’s bag? What are they waiting for? Who made the tracks in this field? All That Remains Opening Line Idea: Dust motes filled the air of the abandoned hallway, replacing the voices once heard there. Jump-Start Questions: Where is the light coming from? What is written on the walls? What would you hear if you were standing here? Opening Line Idea: From the day he found the little creature, Luis refused to go anywhere without him. Jump-Start Questions: How would you feel if you were talking to this person and the animal suddenly poked its head out? What will happen when the creature is too big to fit in the pocket? Would you like a pocket-size pet? The Question Opening Line Idea: Their happily ever after began quietly, with a bouquet of wildflowers. Jump-Start Questions: What is the person in front about to say to the other person? Did they pick the flowers themselves, and do they have any special meaning? Where do the railroad tracks come from and go to? Night Lights Opening Line Idea: Misty rain both blurred and emphasized the lights that lit Suri’s way home that evening. Jump-Start Questions: What is this person thinking about as they walk along? If this were you, would feel safe walking alone at night? What do you think the various signs say? Forest of Fear Opening Line Idea: At first, Mateo thought it was a joke, but the screams that followed told him there was nothing remotely funny about it. Jump-Start Questions: Are there people behind the trees, or are the arms coming out of the trees themselves? Would you investigate or run away? What would you say to these people? Opening Line Idea: At the elite level, being a spy meant serious commitments. Jump-Start Questions: Would you like a cybernetic eye? What would you do if you woke up and found yourself with one against your will? Is this a human with an artificial eye or a very human-like cyborg? The Yellow Door Opening Line Idea: On their 14th birthday, every resident of Fresnia was required to stand before the Wall of Doors and make a choice. Jump-Start Questions: Would you have painted this door yellow or chosen a different color? Do all the doors lead to the same place? Would you open the yellow door first, last, or not at all? Graffiti Palace Opening Line Idea: To strangers, it seemed random, but every mark on those walls had deep meaning for us. Jump-Start Questions: Do you see this graffiti as vandalism or art? If you found a can of spray paint here, would you add your own contribution? What did this building used to be? Fossil Fish Opening Line Idea: Millions of years ago, the fish gave one final flop before lying still in the deep mud. Jump-Start Questions: How did this fish die? How was it different from modern fish? What other fossils do you think might be found nearby? On the Rails Opening Line Idea: Aliyah stood on the tracks, uncertain of where to go next. Jump-Start Questions: Is it safe for this person to be walking along these railroad tracks? What kind of music does the person like to play on their guitar? Is the person alone by choice? These picture prompts are all works of art, some more well known than others. Try providing them to students without sharing the titles first, then offer up the titles if they need some help getting started. We’ve also provided some opening line ideas. The Dance Class (Edgar Degas) Opening Line Idea: The studio was dusty, noisy, and crowded, but it was also home. Greek Funerary Plaque (520-510 BCE) Opening Line Idea: With one final tap and last dab of paint, the tablet was complete at last. Washington Crossing the Delaware (Emanuel Leutze) Opening Line Idea: Was it bravery or sheer foolish bravado? Kyōsai’s Pictures of One Hundred Demons Opening Line Idea: “So this is where the wild things are,” she thought. First Steps, After Millet (Vincent van Gogh) Opening Line Idea: After so many years of hope and disappointment, this child made it all worthwhile. Lady Lilith (Dante Gabriel Rossetti) Opening Line Idea: Every night, without fail, 100 slow and steady strokes, just like her mother taught her. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat) Opening Line Idea: At what point does afternoon become evening? After the Hurricane, Bahamas (Winslow Homer) Opening Line Idea: The skies were clearing, but the seas raged on. Drawing Lots for Prizes (Kitagawa Utamaro) Opening Line Idea: It was fun at first, but I soon grew tired of the never-ending parties, dancing, music, and false laughter. Portions of Field Armor (Jacob Halder) Opening Line Idea: The armor shone in the morning sun; by evening it would be scratched, worn, and covered in blood. Sadie Pfeifer, a Cotton Mill Spinner (Lewis Wickes Hine) Opening Line Idea: She’d never realized the factory would be so incredibly loud, the noise unrelenting and cruel. Still Life With Monkey, Fruits, and Flowers (Jean Baptiste Oudry) Opening Line Idea: “This is why we can’t have nice things,” she complained. Man Leading a Giraffe, 5th Century Byzantine Opening Line Idea: At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder: Was he leading the giraffe or was the giraffe leading him? The Three Skulls (Paul Cézanne) Opening Line Idea: Nothing bothered her more than the empty, vacant eyes. The Madame B Album (Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier) Opening Line Idea: “Definitely a new species,” confirmed the curator. Coiled Trumpet in the Form of a Snarling Feline Face (c. 100 BCE to 500 CE) Opening Line Idea: The trumpet called them all to attention, and the audience fell silent in an instant. Crazy Quilt With Animals (Florence Elizabeth Marvin) Opening Line Idea: Every stitch and scrap spun a story. Storytime (Eugenio Zampighi) Opening Line Idea: They could spend hours there, and they often did. Cubist Village (Georges Gaudion) Opening Line Idea: The Land of Oz looked very different from how Dorothy had described it. Zig-Zag Passenger and Freight Train (Unknown) Opening Line Idea: Frankly, I didn’t care where the train was going, or how long it would take to get there. The Power of Music (William Sidney Mount) Opening Line Idea: Sammy wanted to join in and lift his voice, but he knew they’d never welcome him in. The Large Tree (Paul Gauguin) Opening Line Idea: Outsiders saw it as paradise, and they weren’t far off. After the Bath (Mary Cassatt) Opening Line Idea: Motherhood was exhausting, but she found the rewards very sweet indeed. Wedding Gown (Korea, Late 1800s) Opening Line Idea: It was the most important gown she’d ever wear, and she begrudged every single stitch it took to make it. The Contemplator (Eugène Carrière) Opening Line Idea: Looking back, she seemed to see everything through a strange, dusty haze. The Girl I Left Behind Me (Eastman Johnson) Opening Line Idea: She was an old woman now, but when I thought of her, it was always as a brave, stoic child, standing tall atop the hillside as we trudged into the distance. 24c Curtiss Jenny Invert Single Opening Line Idea: “Do you think anyone will notice?” asked Mr. Semple nervously. Creeping Baby Doll Patent Model Opening Line Idea: “Well, that’s mighty unsettling,” Pa said. Wrecked Zeppelin (British Library) Opening Line Idea: The wreckage drew crowds for weeks, but the great balloon’s demise made little difference in the end. Skeleton (Tales of Terror Frontispiece) Opening Line Idea: “Here we go again,” Cedric moaned, as the skeletons pulled him from the grave once more. Get Your Free Picture Writing Prompt Google Slides Just click the button below to fill out the form and get instant access to free downloadable Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all the prompts included above. How do you use picture writing prompts in your classroom? Come share ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook . You Might Also Like 115 Exciting 4th Grade Writing Prompts for 2024 (Free Slides!) Journal writing, essay topics, story starters, and much more! Continue Reading Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256 The Joy of Teaching Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn. Picture Writing Prompts for Sequencing for Grades 2–4 February 4, 2019 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments Inspire reluctant writers with these sequencing strategies using fun picture writing prompts. These creative writing prompts incorporate visuals from cartoons, comics, and drawing activities to inspire all students to write. Creative Writing Comics Suggested grades: 2–4 Kids love cartoons. Incorporating silly images with room to write is a fun way to capture your students’ interest in writing. There are many free templates online to help students get started in writing a comic strip. Here’s one resource with a Comic Creator tool from ReadWriteThink . Comic strips provide students the perfect picture writing prompt to practice sequencing! Show the cartoon images of penguins to students and use discussion questions to stimulate story ideas. Discuss possible story lines, dialogue, and characters that could be created from these images. Stories can be scary, funny, or hard to believe. This is a great opportunity for students to express their witty side within their writing. Encourage creative thinking with these questions: What kinds of problems might penguins have? Think about how each penguin looks. What could be causing these expressions and actions? What could each penguin be saying? Create your own penguin comic strip with the free printable above. What Happened Next: Picture Writing Prompts for Story Sequencing Stir up students’ originality with funny and silly ideas for creative story writing. 1. Cut out funny or interesting pictures from magazines. 2. Show students a picture and ask them to describe what should happen next. Prompt them with: Pretend you are… How does it make you feel? Why are you in that situation? 3. Have students brainstorm: Who is (are) the character(s)? Where is (are) the character(s)? When did the event happen? Why is (are) the character(s) there? Why did this happen? What is happing (details)? How did this happen? How does (do) the character(s) get out of the situation? 4. Complete a sequencing graphic organizer to build a story around the picture.  5. Using their organizer, students write a creative story about the picture writing prompt. Map and Direction Writing: From Here to There Develop students’ spatial thinking and map skills with direction writing. Giving students practice writing directions is a great way to tackle your geography and sequencing lessons together. Directions: (This works well if you complete as a class first.) 1. Students draw a map of your classroom, highlighting key areas such as the teacher’s desk, print projector, pencil sharpener, drinking fountain, and door. 2. Students write out the directions from the teacher’s desk to the pencil sharpener. Before beginning this activity, review key words and geography concepts such as: north, south, east, west left, right first, next, then, last 3. Pair students with a partner and have them use their partner’s directions to get to the pencil sharpener. (They cannot use the picture maps.) You may create other direction activities such as: How can you get from the classroom to the cafeteria? How can you get from the playground to the school office? Treasure Hunt Purchase this treasure hunt writing activity, Creative Writing-Writing Directions: How to Get There , from Teachers Pay Teachers. It introduces how to write directions and is only $1.99. Each map-writing activity is accompanied by a picture prompt to help students visualize and analyze the spaces within the picture. Draw: Sequence: Write This sequencing activity is a fun way to get students motivated and working together in partners to create their own sequencing lessons. Directions: 1. Provide four white index notecards per student. 2. Students draw (on the white side) four or more images in the order in which they happen. Explain that the images need to be clear and happen in consecutive order (first, then, next, last). The viewer needs to understand how the story happened just by looking at the images. For example: Making a sandwich Brushing your teeth A boat (that sinks) 3. On the lined back of each notecard, students write a sentence explaining what happened in each series of pictures. For example: First , take two pieces of bread. Then , spread peanut butter on one slice. Next , spread jelly on the other slice. Then , put the two pieces of bread together. Finally , take a bite of your sandwich. 4. Partner students in pairs and ask them to write a sequence of events based on their partner’s pictures. 5. Students can check their work by turning over the cards. For more creative writing ideas, check out: Writers’ Workshop: Writing Activities and Free Writing Prompt Task Cards . Heather Foudy  is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Subscribe Today! Sign-up for education inspiration for PreK–8 teachers and parents. Email address: Grade Level Pre-K Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade + I am a ... Teacher Homeschooler Parent School Admin Other By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from Evan-Moor. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the Unsubscribe link found at the bottom of every email. Advertisement Supported by The Australian Professor Who Turned Breaking on Its Head Rachael Gunn, known as B-girl Raygun, displayed some … unique moves as she competed in a field with breakers half her age. The judges and the internet were underwhelmed. Share full article By Dodai Stewart and Talya Minsberg Reporting from Paris Breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport Friday, and among the competitors was Dr. Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygun, a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, who stood out in just about every way. By day, her research interests include “dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies.” But on the world’s stage in Paris, wearing green track pants and a green polo shirt instead of the street-style outfits of her much younger fellow breakers, she competed against the 21-year-old Logan Edra of the United States, known as Logistx. During the round robin, as Raygun and Logistx faced off, Raygun laid on her side, reached for her toes, spun around, and threw in a kangaroo hop — a nod to her homeland. She performed a move that looked something like swimming and another that could best be described as duckwalking. The high-speed back and head spins that other breakers would demonstrate were mostly absent. The crowd cheered Raygun politely. The judges weren’t as kind. All nine voted for Logistx in both rounds of the competition; Logistx won, 18-0. Online, Raygun’s performance quickly became a sensation, not necessarily in a flattering way. “The more I watch the videos of Raygun, the Aussie breaker, the more I get annoyed,” one viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There’s 27.7 million Australians in the world and that’s who they send to the Olympics for this inaugural event??? C’mon now!” We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber?  Log in . Want all of The Times?  Subscribe . Paris 2024: Sporting highlights of the Olympic Games  Picture by 2024 Getty Images Following 16 spectacular and memorable days of Olympic competition, the baton has passed to LA28 after a star-studded Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France. But while the world eagerly anticipates the next summer Games in the City of Angels, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from the City of Light. From Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred 's sensational 100m finals to Leon Marchand , Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh ripping it up in the pool, here are some of the highlights of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 . Artistic Gymnastics: Simone Biles' triple gold comeback Simone Biles ' success at Paris 2024 marked the completion of one of the greatest bounce-backs in Olympic history . The 27-year-old American, who withdrew from Tokyo 2020 , returned to win three more golds and one silver in Paris. She led the American women to the team title at the outset of the artistic gymnastics competition, and followed with golds in the all-around and the vault, with her silver coming in the floor exercise. It capped off a career of seven Olympic golds, two silvers and two bronzes over three Olympics Games, going back to Rio 2016 . Her celebrated return was the top ticket for celebrity spectators, with Biles delivering an inspiring performance with a message of redemption that went beyond sport. Gold medallist Katie Ledecky of the United States with her gold medal after winning the women's 1500m freestyle final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on 31 July 2024. Swimming: Four medals each for Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh These Games further solidified the legend of Team USA’s Katie Ledecky , swimming in her fourth Olympics. The 27-year-old swimming icon added four more medals at Paris 2024 — two golds, one silver and one bronze, a performance highlighted by her fourth consecutive gold medal in the 800m freestyle, a feat only matched by Michael Phelps . The 17-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh also had weighty expectations on her coming into Paris 2024 , and she not only met them but exceeded them, winning four Olympic medals — three gold and one silver. McIntosh earned gold in the 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m IM, with silver in the 400m freestyle. McIntosh became the first Canadian to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Noah Lyles of Team USA crosses the line to win the men's 100m final at Paris 2024 Athletics: Noah Lyles' 100m sprint The showmanship, the confidence, the claims — Team USA’s Noah Lyles backed it all up on 4 August as the men’s 100m sprint took centre stage for the night's final event at the Stade de France . The orchestrated buildup, complete with lasers, led to a show that delivered on every promise. The fastest men in the world lined up... and in a flash, it was over, with a dramatic photo finish as Lyles caught Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson at the finish line. Lyles took the gold with a personal best time of 9.784 seconds, ahead of Thompson’s 9.789. “Goodness gracious, I'm incredible," said Lyles — the newly minted Olympic gold medallist and the fastest man in the world. Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain won the women's 800m gold medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Athletics: Keely Hodgkinson charges to victory in 800m for Great Britain Team GB's Keely Hodgkinson would not settle for silver this time. The 22-year-old Hodgkinson, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, snapped to setting the pace early. The pre-race favourite shrugged off any nerves to hold off an outside attack from Kenya’s Mary Moraa , then found that top gear in the final straight to pull away and charge to victory at a time of 1:56.72. Hodges was a textbook-perfect race — no notes — for her maiden Olympic title. French swimming sensation Léon Marchand was also cool out of the pool at Paris 2024, as he celebrated with fans at Champions Park, near the iconic Eiffel Tower, on 6 August 2024. Swimming: Leon Marchand, four-time gold medallist and host-nation star of Paris 2024 The pressure was on for the 22-year-old swimming sensation Leon Marchand heading into Paris 2024 . Would he rise to the occasion for his home country or sink under the pressure? And wow, did he rise, kick, pull and glide his way to four Olympic individual gold medals, breaking Michael Phelps's 400m IM and 200m IM records and finishing with a bronze in the men’s 4 x 100m medley relay. As the medals piled up, so did the Marchand frenzy. The entire country went along for the ride, with deafening cheering, and not just at the Paris La Defense Arena venue. Across France, in cafés and city centres, the chants of “Leon, Leon, Leon” rang out. Viva Marchand! Gold medallist Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis of Sweden set a new world record in the men's pole vault at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 5 August 2024. Athletics: 'Mondo' Duplantis's pole vault world record The stage was set for greatness in the Stade de France , with the chant of “Mondo, Mondo, Mondo!” ringing across the stadium. The Swede, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis , did what he does best, breaking the Olympic record with a jump of 6.10m to defend his gold medal and then raising the bar higher to 6.25m. The stadium watched in silence as Mondo began his ran up. He flew over the bar, setting a new world record height. His feat was met with roars of approval from fans who had witnessed the greatest jump — and jumper — in history. Pauline Ferrand Prévot of France celebrates winning gold in the women's mountain bike cross-country final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 28 July 2024 in Elancourt, France. Mountain biking: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock must-see cycling It was the dominant Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and the confident Brit Tom Pidcock — both of them reigning XC mountain bike world champions and, in Pidcock's case, the reigning Olympic champion — who had hearts soaring and racing in the mountain bike finals. Ferrand-Prévot, in her final Olympic mountain bike cross-country competition , pedaled her way to a storybook ending, winning an Olympic gold medal in a perfect finale to her dominant mountain biking career. Moreover, she got to do it at home in France — chef’s kiss. Pidcock’s bid to defend his Olympic gold medal culminated with an audacious final lap against France's Victor Koretzky , looking for his own storybook ending at home. Koretzky was denied by Pidcock, who overcame a tire puncture to make up a 34-second deficit, catching up to the Frenchman and then making a harrowing pass to take the lead and win in a finish that many fans and viewers have yet to recover from. Gold medallist Yuto Horigome of Japan, flanked by American silver medallist Jagger Eaton on the left and bronze medallist Nyjah Huston on the right at the men's street finals in Paris, France. Skateboarding: Men’s street skateboarding finals decided in three-way battle It came down to the final three in what is being called the greatest men’s skateboard final of all time. The defining moment belonged to three titans of the street contest scene: the defending gold medallist from Japan in Yuto Horigome , the USA’s Nyjah Huston — the 15-time X Games champion looking to cap his career with the elusive Olympic gold medal — and the unwavering fellow American competitor Jagger Eaton . The contest came down to the trio battling in the final trick section, each one-upping the other, landing the heaviest of tricks under the most intense pressure. Minds were blown, Tony Hawk was speechless and NBC commentator Ryan Sheckler called it "the gnarliest final of competitive skateboarding I’ve ever seen” as Horigome defended his gold ahead of Eaton and Huston. Sha'Carri Richardson crosses the finish line to win the women's 4x100m relay gold for Team USA Athletics: Women's 4x100 … and here come the United States! The Americans were heavy pre-race favourites as the reigning world champions in the women’s 4x100, but the win was not a given. At the race's midpoint, the US, with Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry on the first and second legs, were in third. But Paris 2024 200m champion Gabby Thomas began gaining ground in the third leg, passing the baton to the anchor leg and 100m silver medallist Sha'Carri Richardson , who hit top form, finding another gear to speed past rivals Great Britain and Germany, a sideways look before she burst across the finish line to defend the gold medal for Team USA in 41.78 seconds, a season's best. Gabriel Medina in a barrel during day three at Teahupo'o on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, where the surfing events for Paris 2024 were held. Surfing: Teahupo’o goes huge for men’s Round 3 A highlight that was not a final medal round took place thousands of kilometres away in Tahiti, where the Olympic surfers woke to a massive swell: Teahupo’o had turned on. The men’s Round 3, on Monday June 29 , saw massive, powerful barrels roll in, with the world’s best surfers pulling in deep and emerging with hands in the air. It was a day that transcended sport and delivered something genuinely soul-stirring. The competition saw the highest scores of the Olympic Games, with Brazil’s Gabriel Medina , the eventual bronze medallist, earning a 9.90, exiting the wave with the fly-away kickout seen around the world. The day of competition exemplified the best surfing and the very best of the incredible Teahupo’o wave. A'ja Wilson of the United States passes the ball while being defended by Marieme Badiane of France during their women's gold medal final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on 11 August 2024. Basketball: USA vs France twice over And you couldn’t have scripted it better: USA vs. Olympic host nation France in both men’s and women’s basketball finals, with both contests decided in the gripping final minutes. The all-star USA men’s team brought it home 98-87 in the gold medal final, led by Steph Curry in his Olympic debut shooting four of his eight three-pointers in the final minutes and scoring 24 points, while Kevin Durant and Devin Booker finishing with 15 points each and LeBron James had 14. This marked a fifth straight US gold medal in men's basketball going back to Beijing 2008 . The women’s final between these two nations was even tighter and more dramatic. The USA’s A’ja Wilson was everywhere on the court, scoring 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. The game was decided in the final second as a jump shot by France’s Gabby Williams went in as time expired, sending the audience into raptures as the French thought the game had been tied — but Williams had just left the three-point area when she delivered that shot, and a two-point bucket wasn't enough for the hosts and the USA won by the narrowest of margins: 67-66 in a game for the ages . With that great escape, the US women had won their eighth Olympic gold medal in a row. Athletics: Julien Alfred makes history for Saint Lucia in women’s 100m It all happened in the blink of an eye; Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred burst out of the blocks ahead of the field. The three-time NCAA champion kept her lead, holding off pre-race favourite Sha’Carri Richardson to win gold in 10.72 seconds . The win marks a momentous occasion for Saint Lucia, as it is its first Olympic medal in the Games' history. Related content Search Please fill out this field. Newsletters Sweepstakes Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry break down The Union 's high-stakes final sequence From the big stunts to their hilarious banter, the stars and director Julian Farino break down the exhilarating final act. Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Union . Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry 's new action-comedy The Union finishes with a bang. Directed by Julian Farino, the comedic spy film follows construction worker Mike (Wahlberg) as his high school girlfriend Roxanne (Berry) pulls him into her world of espionage as a member of an elite team known as The Union . After being betrayed by Roxanne's estranged husband Nick ( Mike Colter ), the former childhood couple goes to scenic Istria to stop him from selling top-secret intel to the highest bidder. The Union 's massive final sequence combines all the elements that make the film work — beautiful locations, lots of banter, high-octane fight sequences, thrilling car chases — with a satisfying final showdown. Courtesy of Netflix The stars had a blast filming in Slovenia and Croatia to bring the complex sequence to life. "We had such a cool time with the big set pieces. The winding roads, the dirt roads, the paved roads. Driving the car in these small villages along the sea and beautiful settings," Colter tells Entertainment Weekly. It took 450 crew members and several weeks to capture the footage that makes up the incredible sequence. EW spoke to director Farino and stars Berry, Wahlberg, and Colter to learn more about the film's action-packed, banter-filled finish.  ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This sequence has a lot going: fights, a car chase, jokes, and emotional beats. How did you balance all of that? JULIAN FARINO : I tried to make sure that the action included character engagement, which was my take on the whole movie. The action would be more interesting if it had not just thrills, but also a chance for the characters to function with the story. At that stage of the story I wanted the audience to really feel that Mark and Halle were a great double act because we'd seen them with a great imbalance of their talents early on in the story. It's a meeting place for me of Halle's emotional journey meeting Mark's evolution as an operative in the field as they rediscover each other. By this stage of the story, they're functioning quite well together. They've had an emotional high point in the plane before the end action sequence, which is the calm before the storm. Halle, how does Roxanne's reunion with Mike change her? HALLE BERRY: She was charged with a really big task and that was finding someone that she could trust. That was her assignment so going back and having to find her high school love, she knew she could trust him, but I don't think she was prepared to have those feelings resurge in her. She struggled with those feelings along the way, and then at some point, it became undeniable that there was still a thing between them. MARK WAHLBERG : Mike was willing to do anything. He was an open book, completely open, and she has a tough exterior. He had a lot of chipping away to do. Speaking of Mike's journey to trained operative, he has that fight scene on the rooftop. FARINO: Yes, I wanted to do something on the rooftops because it was very visual, and you could see the sea, and you could imagine good chase things happening there. WAHLBERG: Oh, I didn't like it all. I never really was bothered by heights. I don't know, I felt a little queasy. All the jumping, running, and all that stuff, but we certainly had fun. And [Halle] giving me s--- the whole time keeps me a little more motivated and committed to doing a little bit more myself as opposed to letting the doubles jump in there. FARINO:  The specific sequence where they fall down the side of the roof that ends up with a bit of gunplay was based around seeing them at the peak of dependence on each other. I wanted to feel them coming together and having each other's backs. Mark went up on the high balance of the rooftop, and Halle has an amazing ability to learn choreography of fights very, very quickly. Christopher Barr/Netflix The car chase as Mike and Roxanne hunt Nick is also a long and complicated sequence. How did you all pull that off? FARINO: We staked a lot on the car chase and that's quite an ambitious thing to do because they aren't easy. It took a few weeks to shoot, so the car chase is very painstaking. The amount of angles and the amount of coverage you need and all of that. It's quite lengthy and the only reason that I could sustain it is because there were a couple of devices within it which enabled the banter between Mark and Halle to carry on. COLTER: There's such cool technology now. The stunt drivers are actually sitting on top of the cars driving for us while we're reacting to it. I got a chance to drive the Porsche a bit and do my own stuff, but we have a very sophisticated stunt team that's just top-notch. I had such a great time doing that. I was like a kid in a candy store. FARINO: I tried in the whole movie to not be dependent on CGI, so there's very little in the movie. Like the chase out of the town that's waterside with Mark getting attached to the machine gunner on the motorbike. That was done because the stunt coordinator told me that he could have Mark dive onto the car and could get a substantial amount of time with Mark clinging on for dear life as a stunt. Mark and Halle, thankfully, were very willing to do their own stunts wherever possible, so they were actually inside the cars with stunt drivers driving on the roof. They experienced the twists and turns and danger for real. I didn't want it to be something where you see amazing stunt work in the field and then cut to what is clearly a studio shot with reaction shots from inside the car because audiences can see that these days. BERRY: For me, it was just fun to drive at those speeds. I wasn't really driving, but to be in those cars, doing all of that and saying all of our lines. It was fun. Those are the moments when I think, thank God, this is my job because it's just sheer fun. Speaking of Halle and Mark's banter, one spot where they were able to do that is when Mike was trapped in the trunk of a car during the chase. Farino: It was Joe Barton's, the writer, idea to get Mark in the boot of the car because that enabled us to have banter. For me, one of the great character moments I loved in the script and I liked doing it was we had this massive chase and he finally kicks the other guy out of the car and rather than just keep on driving, he takes a moment of comic vengeance shall we say when he boots the guy. Wahlberg: We want to try to infuse as much comedy as possible along the way. That humor is something I could relate to and I know Halle could as well. We trying to play that up as much as possible, but [the trunk] was not fun at all to shoot. Very uncomfortable. I'm old, cramped and a grumpy old man. Berry: Doing it with Mark. I mean nobody does it better. I've seen Daddy's home so many freaking times. That's his thing. Mark is going to make you laugh. He's so relatable. I got to really learn from watching how effortlessly and seamlessly this stuff just falls out of his mouth. The sequence ends with Roxanne taking down her husband. What made Mike Colter the right choice to play their adversary? FARINO:  What I liked best about Mike as an adversary was that he has a personal involvement in the story so there are emotional stakes rather than just a Bond-type villain. As for Mike himself, we needed someone who was a match for Mark, someone who would add spice to the love story, so obviously Mike's good looks and incredible athleticism were an asset. What was shooting Nick's death scene like? COLTER: He sort of made his bed. He's a lion and had a moment where he could have decided to do something else, but he decided had this opportunity to further his own agenda. At the end of the film, the only thing standing between him and this beautiful life he thought he was going to share with Roxanne is Roxanne. He's just looking at it like, "Am I going to spend the rest of my life in a 10x6 cell or am I going to make a run for it? Are you going to stop me?" BERRY: When we dropped him in the river? That was fun. I was over him by that point. Mike was a wonderful actor, and we had fun, but in the movie, shooting Nick was easy work. Easy work. The Union is out now on Netflix. Related Articles 103 COMMENTS How to Create a Photo Essay: Step-by-Step Guide With Examples 4. Choose your top 10 images. Once a few days have passed, pick the best 100 photos from your shoot to start with. Then, a day or more later, look at those 100 images and narrow them down to the top 25. Finally, narrow the 25 down to the top 10 images, making sure each photo serves your original concept for the story. 5. PDF Storytelling with Photographs: How to Create a Photo Essay Time-sequence photo essays 4. Location photo essays 5. Idea photo essays 6. Flick books 4. Planning Your Photo Essay 1. Choose 2. Research 3. Clarify 4. Plan 5. Planning Your Shots 1. The lead photo ... picture, everyone is free to 'read' the events in any order they choose. However, with a Photo Essay A photo essay is a visual storytelling method that utilizes a sequence of carefully curated photographs to convey a narrative, explore a theme, or evoke specific emotions. It goes beyond individual images, aiming to tell a cohesive and impactful story through the arrangement and combination of pictures. Photo Essay Format How to Make a Photo Essay: 5 Tips for Impactful Results 1. Find a topic you care about. Every good photo essay should start with an idea. Otherwise, you'll be shooting without a purpose - and while such an approach may eventually lead to an interesting series of photos, it's far, far easier to begin with a topic and only then take out your camera. As I emphasized above, a photo essay can be ... Advice for an Unforgettable Photo Essay From Taylor Dorrell's photo essay White Fences: "White Fences is an ongoing photo series that explores the theme of suburban youth in the United States, specifically in the midwest suburb New Albany, Ohio.". Put your emotions aside. Self-doubt can easily come into play when working with your own photography. The adage that we are our own worst critics is often true. How to Create a Photo Essay Choose your photos according to whether or not they relate to and support the photo essay's title. Reject those photos that don't. If your collection seems to suggest a different angle, a ... Exploring the Picture Essay: Tips, Best Practices, and Examples Exploring the Picture Essay: Tips, Best Practices, and Examples. April 18, 2023. Words by Jeff Cardello. A picture essay lets you harness the power of images to tell stories, evoke emotions, and convey a sense of place, time, and perspective. Picture essays drop viewers right into the action, letting them see things through the camera's lens ... How to tell a story through your pictures (with photo essay examples) Eduardo Teixeira de Sousa, a street and travel photographer from Portugal, has created photo essays around the globe, from Egypt to Patagonia. He was inspired to embark on a journey to Uzbekistan, along with Joao Martinho, a fellow photographer he met through 500px. "We had both read about the rich history of this place as one of the keys to ... How To Create a Memorable Photo Essay Pick a Topic to Document in Your Photo Essay. You would start by choosing a topic, preferably something which is close to your heart and easy to access. Try doing something like "A day in the life of…" series for your family or just a series of photographs of something in your neighbourhood. This will get you in the mood for more ... How to Make a Photo Essay (with Pictures) 7. Include a clincher. This image may not be apparent to you in the beginning, but most photographers say they know it when they see it. It's an image that wraps up the essay for the viewer. This image should say "the end," give a call to action, or show the end result of a day in the life or how to sequence. What is a Photo Essay? 9 Photo Essay Examples You Can Recreate 4. Event Photo Essay. Events are happening in your local area all the time, and they can make great photo essays. With a little research, you can quickly find many events that you could photograph. There may be bake sales, fundraisers, concerts, art shows, farm markets, block parties, and other non profit event ideas. Pictures That Tell Stories: Photo Essay Examples Famous Photo Essays. "The Great Depression" by Dorothea Lange - Shot and arranged in the 1930s, this famous photo essay still serves as a stark reminder of The Great Depression and Dust Bowl America. Beautifully photographed, the black and white images offer a bleak insight to one of the country's most difficult times. 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. The photo essay gained wide popularity with the growth of photographically illustrated magazines such as VU (launched in Paris in 1928), LIFE ... The Photo Essay: A FRAMEWORK The blueprint for a typical Life magazine story required eight types of pictures to ensure photographers came back with a variety of imagery—from an overall shot, to a medium view, close-up, portrait, a sequence, an action shot, a closer or end shot, and of course, the all-important signature image. 32 Photo Essay Examples (Plus Tips) Technology: A possible idea for a photo essay is to take pictures of different types of technology. Your essay can include technology from different eras, different parts of the world or serve different functions. Photowalk: You can simulate a walking tour by creating a series of photos that show locations. Think about sequencing the images so ... Collective Lens The narrative essay tells a story through a sequence of events or actions. They may follow an individual or activity over a period of time and present this story in chronological order. A thematic photo essay focuses on a central theme (e.g. homelessness, the environment, etc.) and presents photos relevant to that theme. ... Over 140 Picture Prompts to Inspire Student Writing Below, we've categorized the 140+ prompts we published during the 2018-19 school year based on the type of writing they primarily ask students to do — whether it's penning short stories and ... The Photo Essay The Photo Essay. About the Genre: A photo essay is a collection of images that work together to tell a story. As we've seen, while photos are often considered incapable of lying because they "quote" from reality rather than altering it, pictures by themselves in isolation (both in time and space) are also often ambiguous and necessarily incomplete. PICTURE SEQUENCE PICTURE SEQUENCE. A picture sequence is a series of photographs dealing with one subject. It may tell a story, present an event, describe a scene, reveal a person, or show how to do something. A common use for a picture sequence is depicting a person during an interview. The most successful picture sequences create several visual images that ... Photo Essay Lesson Plan Understand the purpose of a photo essay. Sequence a series of events. Understand the format in creating a photo essay which includes a caption for each picture. Complete a photo essay as a creative activity by using photos, magazine pictures or drawings to illustrate a story. Read and enjoy a photo essay. 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts (Free Google Slides) 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity (Free Google Slides) Use a picture to write a thousand words! Creative writing is a challenge for many students, often because they can't come up with anything to write about. That's why we love picture writing prompts. Each one sparks the imagination and helps young writers jump ... Picture Writing Prompts for Sequencing for Grades 2-4 Each map-writing activity is accompanied by a picture prompt to help students visualize and analyze the spaces within the picture. Draw: Sequence: Write. Suggested grades: 2-4. This sequencing activity is a fun way to get students motivated and working together in partners to create their own sequencing lessons. Directions: 1. The Australian Professor Who Turned Breaking on Its Head Breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport Friday, and among the competitors was Dr. Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygun, a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, who stood out in ... Paris 2024: Sporting highlights of the Olympic Games Artistic Gymnastics: Simone Biles' triple gold comeback. Simone Biles' success at Paris 2024 marked the completion of one of the greatest bounce-backs in Olympic history.The 27-year-old American, who withdrew from Tokyo 2020, returned to win three more golds and one silver in Paris.She led the American women to the team title at the outset of the artistic gymnastics competition, and followed ... 'The Union' stars Halle Berry, Mark Wahlberg break down the film's The stars had a blast filming in Slovenia and Croatia to bring the complex sequence to life. "We had such a cool time with the big set pieces. The winding roads, the dirt roads, the paved roads ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis