The Photo Essay: Give it Your Best Shot
Monday we started talking about photo essays. We began by looking at SoundSlides, a great product to use to help you produce engaging photo stories. In fact, Monday’s post marked the beginning of a giveaway that will last throughout this week and culminate on Friday with some lucky person getting a licensed copy of SoundSlides Plus. So, today I want to talk more about the actual essay itself.
However, having a tool to write with does not guarantee the ability to write. Similarly, getting published does not necessarily mean that one can write well. There are plenty of poorly written books out there. But I digress. Let’s discuss the photo essay. The photo essay is not much different from any other written essay or story. It should have a simple but clearly defined flow with a beginning, middle, and end. The objective is to tell a story using a limited number of photos, typically 5 to 35 images. These images must take the viewer on a journey similar to a plot line, all within a period of 3 or 4 minutes. In this post, I aim to provide you with a list of the essential elements of a photo essay or a shot list. While some people may use different names for these elements, the concept is the same.
Not all Photo Stories Are Created Equal
There are various types of photo essays. Some depict a linear event that unfolds over a specific time frame, such as a race or a trip that the photographer covers from start to finish. A great example of this is the essay “Kingsley’s Crossing.” Other essays deal with focused topics, such as “A Blind Wine Taster”, or my essay on “The Last Hat Maker.” Some essays capture events, such as “Thaipusam”. Regardless of the type of photo essay, it must be filled with photos that work together to tell a story. I always tell my class that each photo must be good enough to stand alone. You cannot have a photo essay with a few great images and the rest filled with mediocrity; it just doesn’t work that way. Each shot should be strong enough to be viewed independently while contributing to the overall excellence of the essay. However, each image must also have its place in the story. Below, we will discuss what that place is.
Before discussing the different types of shots needed in a photo essay, I want to address the essay itself and how to prepare for it. One thing I frequently observe among students who attempt to create a photo story is that they tend to create it on the fly. They go out to shoot during the day and then try to come up with a topic as they go along. That is not the most effective approach. The best thing to do would be to walk around the city or the subject you are interested in photographing while keeping the camera in the bag and simply observe. “Keep your eyeballs peeled,” as my dear old daddy used to say. Look for a theme or story to emerge. Spend time with people and listen to what is important to them, and a story might just emerge. However, this is not to say that a story cannot be an assignment. In fact, that is how most photojournalists work. They are assigned a topic and instructed to cover it photographically. Either way, you must understand what you are shooting before you put the camera to your face, and that requires time and observation.
Another helpful way to approach an essay is to create a shot list. Using the types of shots listed below, think through ideas and concepts that you want to capture photographically. After spending time with the “Cheese Man of Kashmir,” I knew there were several shots I had to get. One was a detailed shot of milk being poured, another was a medium shot of Chris working with his Gujjar associates. If you can, create a shot list before you go out. It can be a huge help, but don’t limit yourself to the list. It’s better to have too many shots than not enough.
The Shot List
(As a bonus for you, I have linked every photographic example below to the original New York Times essay. Enjoy!)
1. Hook Shot.
This shot is sometimes called a lead shot. It’s the shot that grabs you or hooks you and draws you into the essay. Sometimes it’s the first shot of the essay; other times it appears somewhere inside the photo essay but is used as the essay’s cover or thumbnail image. It is an image that is often very creative and leaves the viewer wanting more information about the topic. The literary equivalent of a Hook shot is the first few words that grab you in a novel. Remember this sentence? “The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail.” – Peter Benchley, Jaws. Those first few words grabbed readers and sucked them in, and they were hooked. The Hook shot should do the same.
“A Withering Harvest in Florida” Photo: Chip Litherland for The New York Times
2. Establishing Shot.
The establishing shot does pretty much what it sounds like it does. It lays the visual context for the story. It is often a wide shot that shows the setting or the environment where the story takes place, or the character lives or works. The shot often is the very first shot of the essay. If it’s not the first it will be included in one of the first few shots. The literary equivalent of this is usually found on the first page of the novel. It is when the author paints a written description of where things are taking place. ” It was a dark and stormy night…”
“Cairo Aglow at Ramadan” Photo: Shawn Baldwin for The New York Times
3. Medium Shot.
At this point in the story, momentum is building up. The medium shot serves to inform the viewer about who the characters are and what they are doing. The shot should include both the subject and its surroundings. If your story has people in it, often the shot will have two or three people interacting in some way. You might have an individual working with some equipment or doing a job, but the image should be wide enough to show the environment. It’s not a detail shot.
“The Resurgence of the Hazaras” Photo: Adam Ferguson for The New York Times
4. Detail Shot.
As the name implies the shot has to do with the details. These shots add flavor to the story, almost as the spices does to soup. It is the detail shot that that creates intimacy with the viewer. Can you imagine a story where characters walk through nondescript hallways and streets? It would leave readers without any sense of time or place. And so it is with a detail shot in a photo essay, it gives our viewers a sense of place. A detail shot anchors the story.
“High-Speed Connections” Photo: Laura Pedrick for The New York Tim
5. Portrait shot.
The “portrait” shot is usually a tight shot of a person’s face, but it can also be a tight environmental portrait that shows the person in their surroundings. This shot is essential because it puts a face to the characters in the story, making it more personal and relatable to the viewer. Even if your subject is not a person, a portrait shot can still be important. For example, if you were doing a story on a racehorse, you would still want to include a portrait shot of the horse
“In South Africa, a Resurfacing of Violence” Photo: Robin Hammond for The New York Times
6. The Gesture.
Others have referred to this shot as the Exchange Shot, and while I like that title, I prefer to use the word “gesture” because it conveys more than just an exchange. This type of shot can feature someone shooting basketballs or running, but it often involves interaction between two subjects in the story. There’s typically movement and some sort of interchange between the subjects. By including this shot in the essay, we prevent it from becoming a series of portraits. The gesture shot allows us to experience the story’s action and movement.
“A ‘Yooper’ in the Abortion Fight” Photo: Sally Ryan for The New York Times
7. Closure.
With the exception of the establishing shot, which should always come at the beginning of a photo essay, the only other shot that has a specific place within the essay is the closure. As the name implies, it is the final shot that brings things to a close. It’s the “ride off into the sunset” moment. This shot provides a resolution for the story and brings it to a conclusion.
“Remembering Hardware” Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
Contrary to what some people may believe, a photo essay does not have to include every one of these shots. While it’s advisable to have most of them, there are no hard and fast rules. It’s possible to create an effective photo essay without a detail shot or a gesture shot, though having more of these shots can increase the chances of telling a compelling story. However, it’s important to remember that the ultimate goal is to tell a story, not to rigidly follow a process. So don’t be afraid to break the rules. Think through your storyline, take this list with you, and go out and shoot. The more you practice, the better you’ll become.
Thanks for this post, Matt. There is so much useful information here and I was especially encouraged to see you to speak to things that I've been learning lately. As Ray K. mentioned in his tweet, this is a very timely post.
Thank you Sabrina. I am glad you found it helpful. It's basic, but stuff we can over look at times.
Great article. I never realize some of the the “segments” of an essay exist.
Thanks Matt It makes sense – and is useful
nice article, thanks for sharing your ideas! looking forward to see more useful stuff…
Matt, thanks for such a great post. I am having to re-learn the basic tenets of story-telling as I start to form ideas for photographic projects. Yours was such a timely post as I have a road trip coming up starting on Memorial Day weekend that will have plenty of opportunities for stories. I just wanted to mention also that at its most basic any story, visual or written, should have a defined begging, middle and end – an arc.
How about a follow up post with example? Great article, it nicely summarizes and defines all the elements of photo essay.
Matt, this is a fantastic post. Really useful advice!
Hey Matt,
this is really a very interesting post! Thank you!
Not sure I know what you would like. I thought I gave you examples though out the post. You can find most of my essays and some from people I have coached HERE.
I am glad this post scratched an itch.
Yes, this is what I meant- I wanted to look through some examples of photo essays. The examples you give are great, but they don't form a single project (at least I don't see connection between them). I wanted to see how the pieces form the finished essay. Thanks.
Actually the essays Kingsley’s Crossing, Blind Wine Taster , A Corner Druggist or my essays The Last Hat Maker and Thaipusam all listed above are good examples. Also, Check out today's post called Lumen Dei Trophies: Examples of SoundSlides by our Students.
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regards
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Hmm, Jack and Joel your comments sounds a little like Spam. So what was the issue you had with this post?
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