Now that you've checked out some examples of photo essay, you're ready to create your own. Photo essay follow the same steps used to create written essays. Follow the Five Steps To Create A Photo Essay below to get started!
*If you do not have access to a camera, don't worry. Click the Alternatives button to find other projects that use similar skills as a photo essay, but don't require a camera*
No cameras required yet.
Photo Essays tell a story. How can you best tell the story of how Covid-19 has affected you, your family, and your community? Look around you for clues. Search for people, places, or things in your life that show how things have changed. Are the streets in your town empty? Do stores have signs in their windows? Are people wearing masks? Does your brother look bored because he can't see his friends? Are you cupboards full of canned goods? Look for physical details that tell a story.
Perhaps you want to focus you essay on a particular place, like Julie Leopo, who photographed parks in Orange County. Or perhaps you want to focus on a particular person or family, like Gordon Parks and W. Eugene Smith. (You can find their work in the Examples section!)
Still no cameras yet...
Once you've chosen your subject, spend time with that subject and plan how you will take your photos. For example, if your subject is your mother, spend time following and observing your mother (ask permission!) and thinking about and recording the best moments and angles that you want to photograph.
You should plan for between 6-10 photographs in your final collection.
Grab your camera, now you're ready to start capturing your subjects in action!
Spend the next few days photographing your subject. Think of each photo as a sentence in your story. Be sure to take several photographs of the same moment so that you can choose the best one for your final essay. Don't be afraid to take more photographs than you need--you can choose your favourites later.
Now that you have your collection of photographs, it's time to select which ones will tell your story most effectively. Choose between 6-10 photographs for your final collection.
Most stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Once you've selected your best shots, arrange them so that they tell a story. For example, if my mother was my subject, my first shot might be a portrait of her face (beginning); then later I could show her grocery shopping with a mask on (middle), then finally a shot of her knitting by the wood stove (end).
Now it's time to share your work with the world! Send your finished photo essays to 149267o@acadiau.ca and I will post them in the Student Work section of this website. Be sure to include your name, date, and any explanatory captions with your photos. Good luck!