Try A Photo Essay!

Posted by: admin on June 6, 2009

I’m excited to share some educational material I prepared for a recent photography workshop: The Photo Essay!  Any level of photographer can enjoy creating a photo essay!  I have introduced amateurs, professionals and scrapbookers to this exciting style of photography.  Here is the basic  format:

                     THE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  ESSAY
A BRIEF LESSON FROM CHARMAINE BELEELE OF ANGEL KISSED STUDIO:

The Photo Essay:  A Story In Pictures!    Photographers like Eugene Smith and Margaret Bourke-White set the standard for creating the “Photo Essay.” Here is the magic formula that Life photographers used.   Use this shot list as a guide  for  creating  a photo essay:

1.  An Establishing Shot sets the scene.   This can be a wide shot of the whole scene or perhaps a symbolic shot, like a sign declaring the place of your story!

2.  Tight Close Ups are the best portraits of the main characters in your story.

3.   Proceed to create the story telling Detail Shots.

4.   Action Shots!!!! Prepare to capture the Climactic Moments, filled with emotion.

5.   Transitions Shots!!! These are great moments that slide into each other.

6.   THE CLINCHER! Closing Shot!!!!! The end of the story is never just one moment, so shoot several moments that wrap up the loose ends of your story, and then choose the most dramatic or meaningful one; THAT IS YOUR WOWSHOT.

 

Definition:  The photo essayist creates and selects images to tell a story in the same way that a writer carefully chooses words.  The photo essay can be 1-2 pages, a book or an exhibit. Some experts say that you should have 10 shots!

 *Text Tip For Your Captions, If You Have Any:  The text should cover senses that are not simply vision. What do you want the viewer to smell, hear, even touch?  That’s what you write about!

If you want to know more about photo essays, or if you have a passionate story you’d love to put into pictures, check out http://www.shootq.com     They show some exciting photojournalistic images of this type, and they have a competitive scholarship available !