With every picture they take, photographers become storytellers. An image has a story to present and transmits a certain message to the people around. Moreover, photographers will always be in the search for unique circumstances which can make them stand out of their competition. On the other hand, if you receive the assignment to write a photo essay, this doesn’t mean that you should be a photographer yourself. You will have to do detailed research and understand various messages that photographers capture in their photos. So, if you don’t know where to start, keep reading this article and discover which tips you can use to write a photo essay.
How to Write a Photo Essay
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Decide on the topic
An engaging photo essay is one where the photographer was 100% involved in the subject and understood the message he has to transmit. It is very important to know who is your target audience and create your photo essay with images which answer to their needs. If you don’t know which topic to choose, you should take a moment to think about what you like the most and what you are the best at. Therefore, you should choose those photos which are related to your topic. Furthermore, when you don’t have a specific topic that you like, you shouldn’t complicate yourself and choose subjects that you don’t like. In this case, you should choose a topic which is not very difficult and easy to investigate.
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Research on the topic you have chosen
A successful photo essay should transmit emotions to its audience. This means that you will need detailed research. For example, if you want to create a photo essay about a civil ceremony, you should start your research on the bride and groom. Try to find the couple’s story and what brought them together. Use any detail that you can obtain from your subjects and use them in your photo essay. All these details will help you capture and transmit the emotions during the photo session. Apart from the main subjects, you should also photograph any persons or details that captured your attention from the first moment. Your audience will be surprised to discover them and you will win their loyalty and admiration.
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Leave your emotions aside
When you select the photos for your photo essay you might be tempted to leave yourself in the hands of emotions and choose those photographs which you liked the most. However, this is not a moment when you should let emotions decide for you. When choosing and combining the photos for your photo essay, you will need an objective judgment to select those photos which will match your audience expectations. Moreover, if you feel you cannot take a decision, you can also ask your followers to suggest a photo combination. This is an excellent method to collect feedback from their side and better understand what they expect from you.
Once you have selected the photos, you should also think of the title to give your essay. Choose it carefully and keep in mind that this is one of the first things your audience will see. Finally, you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. It may happen that the first photo essays won’t be very successful. However, you shouldn’t give up trying and put all the efforts to improve your photo essays.
