What is a Photo Essay?

People retain only 10% of information after three days, but adding a photo can increase that to 65%.

That’s why photo essays are in demand in today’s era. But wait! Have you been stuck between dozens of ways to plan a story, or having a hard time picturing everything fitting together, or you may feel like you do not have enough time to do your photo essay assignment, and the list of problems goes on?

The only solution to all your above problems is to learn what is a photo essay, how to write one, what examples of photo essays are, and, lastly, grab some ideas to help you start one on your own. If you follow us, creating this essay is easier than you think. So, without wasting time, let’s get started.

What is a Photo Essay, and Why Should You Create One?

A photo essay is a collection of photographs shown sequentially alongside textual information to convey a particular message. These essays are often used as creative writing in journalism, documentary photography, and visual storytelling.

Creating photo essays is important because it allows us to communicate with our target audience more effectively through visualizing the events using photographs.

It is also a very popular form of journaling in our image-obsessed society, and journalists know it. Moreover, sometimes high school or college instructors assign photo essays to students. These reasons make it necessary to learn what is a photo essay, and how to create one like a professional.

How To Write a Photo Essay: 11 Well-Worked Easy Steps

A photo essay means telling a story using photographs. Before taking out the step-by-step process, figure out your subject, then decide what the story should be. Lastly, break down the essay into different steps and start writing it. Let’s see how to do it.

Plan Out Your Project.

This is the first and most important step because it helps you decide what photos to take, where to take them, and finally, when to take them. You don’t want to waste your time and money by just going out and clicking photographs that later don’t resonate with your story.

Choose A Topic

Don’t decide quickly or get ideas from others just because you feel you are not sharp-minded. Instead, strengthen your mind and think about what you feel interested in. Also, consider college essay topics to avoid and choose one with enough material to support an entire essay.

Start By Getting Inspiration.

Go on a walk in parks, streets, abundant places, and events and get inspiration from the most exciting things. It can be as easy as taking pictures on an everyday walk to work or taking photos around your neighborhood with your friends. The important thing is that you’re experiencing these places in daily life and have a better understanding of them.

Choose a Style of Photography.

The pictures you take should be relevant to the topic and not random. For example, if you are creating a photo essay on a historical event or building, then providing a vintage or black-and-white effect to your picture could help the reader connect with the story better.

Tell Your Story by Using the Subject.

When learning what is a photo essay, remember that your essay depends entirely on the subject or idea being discussed. What are you trying to say? What’s the point? Why did you choose the particular subject that you did? Answer all these questions in an introduction paragraph to engage the audience from the beginning and make your subject clear to them.

Select a Location

If possible, try to select places that fit the concept. For instance, if you are trying to cover streets at time squares, shooting at night will likely result in chaos rather than anything meaningful. Also, try to capture scenes that look very different from each other.

Angle Shots to Induce Emotions

A photo essay does not just show photos but tells the reader what they represent. Often, professional photographers use different angles while shooting to create deep, stimulating compositions. For example, if you are writing a photo essay about a school event, taking photo shots from above and below could make the event activities colorful and dramatic.

Use Props That Enhance the Subject.

Sometimes, a picture focuses on a specific theme, but by adding props, you can enhance the tone and understanding of the picture. Let’s say you are capturing photographs of an abundant building; adding props like knives, axes, chainsaws, castles, and graveyards can transform what is a photo essay on an abundant place into a horror place.

Write Eye-Catchy Captions

Photo essays consist of two main components: One is a picture, and the second is words that describe what’s happening within the picture. You have to make sure that both of them are done well and complement each other.

Don’t Forget to Add a Conclusion Paragraph.

After all, a photo essay is also a type of essay, and like others, it should end with a conclusion paragraph to help the reader understand what is discussed and how it benefits the reader. Use an essay hook, anecdotes, quotes, or questions at the end of the essay to leave the reader amazed.

Edit Your Work Well

A key to a good photo essay is to edit after completing it. Edit the photos to make sure they are cropped well and align with the proper format. If you put the photos in their original form, they may seem unequal in dimensions and size, making your essay confusing and meaningless for the reader. Also, make sure every photo is aligned with captions and informative text so that it brings meaning to the story.

3 Amazing Photo Essays Examples Based on Different Themes

These photo essay examples for students are great for encouraging your writing and photography skills. After reading them, you can make your own.

Photo essay: The Joy of Being in Wilderness

This photo essay, part of a series of photographs, shows nature’s simplicity, peace, and joy. The essay shows a group of strangers who came together to enjoy nature and appreciate and reflect on life through the typical incident of spending time in nature. Here’s the link if you want to read this photo essay in detail.

Photo essay: My Parents, My Life

The author of this photo essay tries to tell a story of her family—a family that simply would not be without the grace and elegance their parents have applied in building and shaping their lives. Visit here if you want to read the essay in depth.

Throwback to Cheerfest: A Grade-by-Grade Photo Essay

At the end months of every year, Upper School students gather to perform their class cheers event. This photo essay shows how the event is filled with excitement and school spirit, celebrating the homecoming game and ushering in the new school year. Here’s the link to read the complete essay.

8 Photo Essay Ideas to Showcase Your Photography Skills

Are you seeking a photo essay topic to get your creative juices flowing? We share eight ideas for fascinating photo essays!

• Photograph a protest such as black lives matter or a political protest.
• Transformation photo essay such as a woman going through pregnancy.
• Try to capture the same place on different days of the year, such as capturing a place where it transforms from chilling summer heat to cold, snowy weather.
• Follow the change photo essay, such as a man growing a beard from November or shaving their head for charity.
• Photograph an essay about local events such as fundraisers, farmers’ markets, dances, festivals, food, and music.
• A great photo essay example would be capturing a father-children relationship in a limited time frame.
• Create a photo essay on a day in the life of a student, fireman, doctor, or anyone else you feel interested in.
• Capture a chef in the process of making a meal from scratch.

Dos and Don’ts While Making a Photo Essay

When creating a photo essay, follow some dos and don’ts to make it more appealing to the target audience.

Dos

1. It is best to avoid padding out your story with too many fillers, even if you think they are powerful images on their own.
2. Add an opening image and begin your introduction using one of the essay starters to provide a clear indication of the essay’s theme.
3. Capture multiple photos for multiple pieces of evidence and finalize the more clear one.
4. Request permission if you want to shoot an event or private/personal place.
5. Pack camera equipment like an extra battery and memory cards before taking a photograph.
6. Check the weather forecast; if it rains, bring an extra protective cover to secure your equipment.

Don’ts

1. Avoid blurry, unfocused, overexposed, and low-resolution images.
2. Don’t overload your essay with unnecessary photographs.
3. Don’t add photos in your essay that humiliate or portray a negative image of a person. This can be considered disrespectful, harmful, and perpetuate stereotypes.

Do You Need a Photo Essay Writing Service?

What if you are good at writing but lack photography skills? And how does it feel when you are a good photographer but lack writing skills? We ask these questions because good writing and photography skills combine to make a good photo essay. 

Worry not if you don’t have a solution because we have it. Our professional essay writing services handle such essays like an easy game. Get in touch, hand over your subject, and get an appealing photo essay in no time.

Concluding Thoughts

If you are new to learning what is a photo essay, this piece of content is surely going to open the blocked veins of your mind and let you write a step-by-step photo essay on your own.

If you feel stuck at some point, go through the practical examples mentioned and get an instant idea to pull yourself out of the confusion. Lastly, if you want to know what topic to write about, get an idea from eight amazing topics and start your essay right now with a smiley face. That’s all you have got.