best photo essays ever

Ten examples of immersive photo essays

By Marissa Sapega — Contributing Writer

Photo essays are one of the most powerful forms of storytelling in the last century. From the great depression photographer W. Eugene Smith to the photojournalism of National Geographic or Life Magazine , the best photo essays entertain, educate, and move readers more than words alone ever could. 

But photo essays have changed. Over the last decade, web publishing technologies — including web browsers and file formats — have improved by leaps and bounds. A good photo essays today is more than a collection of images. It’s a truly interactive, immersive, and multimedia experiences.

In this guide, we introduce 10 stunning examples of visually arresting interactive photo essays to fuel your creative juices.

Now, let's set the scene with a short introduction to immersive, interactive photo essays on the web.

What do the BBC, Tripadvisor, and Penguin have in common? They craft stunning, interactive web content with Shorthand. And so can you! Publish your first story for free — no code or web design skills required. Sign up now.

The rise of immersive, interactive photo essays

What is an immersive, interactive photo essay? Let's take these terms one at a time. 

An immersive photo essay uses rich media and story design to capture and keep the reader's attention. Immersive content is typically free of the most distracting elements of the web, such as pop-ups, skyscrapers, and other intrusions on the reading experience.

As a basic rule of thumb, immersive content respects the reader's attention. 

An interactive photo essay is one that allows the reader to control how the content appears. It may include interactive elements, like maps and embedded applications.

More commonly, modern interactive photo stories use a technique known as scrollytelling . Scrollytelling stories allow the reader to trigger animations and other visual effects as they scroll. Many of the examples in this guide use scrollytelling techniques. Read more scrollytelling examples .

Until relatively recently, immersive, interactive photo essays could only be created with the help of a designer or web developer. But with the rise of digital storytelling platforms , anyone can create compelling, dynamic stories without writing a single line of code.

If you're looking to learn more about how to create a photo essay — or are looking for more photo essay ideas  — check out our introduction to photo essays . 

Photo essay topics

If you’re looking for photo essay examples, chances are you’re looking to create a photo essay for yourself. If you’re just getting started, you might want some guidance on exactly what kinds of topics make for great photo essays.

More experienced photographers — feel free to skip this section. But for those who are just starting out, here’s a quick list of classic photo essay subject matter, for all types of photo essays.

• Local events. A great way to start out is photograph local events in your community, such as a high school fundraiser. A bonus is that you’ll have a ready
• Historic sites. Another classic photo essay topic is an exploration of a historic site. This could be a building, a monument, or even just a specific location that has significance.
• Profile of a person. A great way to get to know someone is to profile them in a photo essay. This could be a family member, friend, or even just someone you’ve met.
• Animals in captivity. Another popular subject matter for photo essays is animals in captivity, whether that’s at a zoo or elsewhere.
• A day in the life. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live someone else’s life for a day? Why not find out and document it in a photo essay?
• Street photography. Another great way to practice your photography skills is to head out into the streets and photograph the everyday lives of people around you. The world has plenty of photo essays of cities like New York and London. But what about street photography in your own backyard?
• Still life photography. Still life photography is all about capturing inanimate objects on film. This could be anything from flowers to furniture to food. It’s a great way to practice your photography skills and learn about composition
• Landscapes . Landscape photography is one of the most popular genres, and for good reason. There are endless possibilities when it comes to finding interesting subjects to shoot. So get out there and start exploring!
• Abandoned buildings. There’s something fascinating about abandoned buildings. They offer a glimpse into the past, and can be eerily beautiful. If you have any in your area, they make for great photo essay subjects.
• Lifestyles. Document someone who lives a lifestyle that’s different from your own. This could be a portrayal of an everyday person, or it could be someone with an unusual job or hobby.
• Social issues. Take photos depicting significant social issues in your community, remembering to respect your subjects.

Ten inspiring photo essay examples

Pink lagoon and peculiar galaxies — July’s best science images

In Pink lagoon and peculiar galaxies , Nature present a mesmerising series of images from the natural world. Highlights include:

• a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it photo of rare albino orcas performing feats of synchronized swimming;
• an arresting aerial view of the aftermath of the flash floods in Germany; and,
• a scarlet gawping Venus flytrap sea anemone. 

The best part? Nature publishes similarly powerful photo essays every month, showcasing some of the best and most creative photography of the natural world anywhere on the web.

Vanishing Lands

Vanishing lands — an ominously interesting photo essay from media company Stuff — opens with a bucolic visual featuring meandering sheep flanked by breathtaking mountains that blur into obscurity.

Soon, more awe-inspiring photos of breathtaking New Zealand farmland appear, accompanied by expressive prose whose tone matches the visuals’ stark beauty.

In this unflinchingly honest photographic essay, Stuff takes the viewer behind the scenes with a day in the life of a high country sheep farmer facing an uncertain future. One stunning photo fades into the next as you scroll through, broken only by the occasional noteworthy quote and accompanying narrative.

Olympic photos: Emotion runs high

This emotionally wrought sports story from NBC begins with a close-up of an anxious Simone Biles, her expression exemplifying the tension and frustration echoed on so many of her fellow athletes’ faces.

The subtitle puts it perfectly: “The agony—and thrill—of competition at the Olympics is written all over their faces.”

Devastation, disappointment, and defeat take centre stage in this piece — but not all the subjects of the photos in this compelling photography essay depict misery. Some of the images, like that taken of the gold medal-winning Russian artistic gymnasts, manage to project the athletes’ joy almost beyond the edges of the screen.

The NBC editors who created this visual story chose to display the series of photos using the entire screen width and limit the copy to simple captions, letting the visuals speak for themselves. The result is a riveting montage of photographs that manage to capture the overarching sentiment of the 2020 Olympic Games.

James Epp: A Twist of the Hand

In A Twist of the Hand , the Museum of Classical Archaeology at the University of Cambridge have produced a gorgeous photo essay. This online art show showcases artist James Epp’s installation, combining photographs of the exhibit with images of museum prints and authentic artefacts.

As you scroll down, close-up shots of the installation make you feel like you’re physically wandering among the ancient sculptures, able to examine hairline spider cracks and tiny divots marking the surface of every antiquated figure. In between the photos—and often flanked by museum prints—are James Epp's musings about what inspired him to create the pieces. It’s an absorbing virtual gallery that will no doubt inspire real life visits to the exhibition.

The Café Racer Revolution

Though it’s a cleverly built piece of interactive content marketing , Honda’s “ Café Racer Revolution ” is also a great photo essay. Alongside information about the latest and greatest motorcycles Honda has to offer, it details the history of the bikers who sought to employ motorcycles (specifically “café racers”) as a way to forge an identity for themselves and project a “statement of individuality.”

Scroll down, and nostalgic black-and-white photos give way to contemporary action shots featuring fully decked-out motorcyclists on various Honda models.

Dynamic photos of bikes rotate them 360 degrees when you mouse over them, and text superimposed over flashy shots rolls smoothly down the screen as you scroll. This photo essay will stir a longing to hit the open road for anyone who has ever dreamed of owning one of Honda’s zippy bikes.

Built to keep Black from white

In Built to keep Black from white , NBC News and BridgeDetroit have built a stunning narrative photo essay that encapsulates the history of Detroit’s Birwood Wall — a literal dividing line intended to separate neighborhoods inhabited by people of different races. 

The piece begins with a brief history of the concrete barrier. Between paragraphs of text, it weaves in quotes from residents who grew up as the wall was erected and a short video. Animated maps highlighting the affected neighborhoods unspool across the screen as you scroll down, accompanied by brief explanations of what the maps represent.

In the series of photographs that follow, contemporary images transition into decades-old shots of the wall when it was newly constructed. This is followed by images of original real estate documents, resident portraits, and additional animated maps — each considering the issue from different angles.

The piece ends with an interactive display of how Detroit’s racial makeup has changed over the past several decades, from majority white to black, and how the wall has impacted the lives of its residents who lived (and died) within its borders.

The story of Black Lives Matter in sport

The BBC pairs illustrations and bold imagery in this photo essay on how athletes participated in the Black Lives Matter movement . At the start, a narrow column of text leads into an iconic image of American football players kneeling during the pre-game national anthem in a solemn protest against police brutality. 

The first excerpt, a summary of Trayvon Martin’s death in 2012, draws you in with piercing prose capped off with photographs that bleed into one another. Every account in the photo essay follows this layout.

WaterAid Climate Stories

Climate change affects everyone on the planet, but some people are feeling the effects more than others. WaterAid’s scrollytelling photo essay illuminates the plight of individuals living in areas where extreme weather conditions — caused by climate change — have drastically impacted the water supply and environment, endangering their livelihoods and ability to survive.

This climate change story starts with an engrossing video that provides an up-close and personal look at the devastation that climate change-induced droughts have wreaked on people and the environment. As you scroll down, images of massively depleted bodies of water with superimposed text and quotes unfold before your eyes. It’s an efficient way to drive home the critical message WaterAid wants to convey: climate change is real, and it’s harming real people.

Each extreme weather story focuses on an individual to help viewers empathise and understand that climate change has real, drastic consequences for millions of people worldwide. The piece ends with a call to action to learn more about and financially support WaterAid’s fight to assist people living in the desperate situations depicted in the essay.

28 Days in Afghanistan

In this piece, Australian photo-journalist Andrew Quilty tells the story of the four weeks he spent in Afghanistan . He captures daily events ranging from the mundane—like a casual visit to his barber—to jarring. More than one photo documents blood-spattered victims of violence.

Viewers must scroll through the piece to follow Andrew’s daily musings and the striking photos that accompany them. His photo essay is a powerful example of how scrollytelling is transforming the art of long-form journalism .

La carrera lunática de Musk y Bezos (Musk and Bezos' lunatic careers)

Billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are angling to conquer the final frontier: space.

El Periódico captures their story via a whimsically illustrated photo essay, filled with neon line drawings and bold photos of the massive spaceships, the hangars that house them, and footprints on the moon. La carrera lunática de Musk y Bezos describes the battle between the two titans’ space companies (Blue Origin and SpaceX) for the honor of partially funding NASA’s next mission to the moon.

As you scroll down, white and fluorescent yellow words on a black background roll smoothly over images. The team at El Periódico slips in stylistic animations to break up the text—such as rocket ships with shimmering “vapour trails”—then ups the ante with a series of moon images that transition into portraits of the 12 U.S. astronauts who visited the celestial body.

The photo essay ends with the question: “Who will be the next to leave their footprints on the dusty lunar soil?” At the time of publishing, NASA had not yet decided between the two companies. (Spoiler alert: SpaceX won .)

Marissa Sapega is a seasoned writer, editor, and digital marketer with a background in web and graphic design.

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11 Of The Most Interesting Photo Essays

The photo editors of BuzzFeed take a look at all of the best photo collections from this week.

1. "23 Super-Creepy Pictures of Forgotten Olympic Villages" —BuzzFeed

“Olympics time is here! Hosting cities pour tons of money into building massive structures in order to host the games . But what happens to them once all the hubbub dies down? This essay is such an interesting look at these spaces when left to the wild.” —Dennis Huynh, design director, BuzzFeed News

2. "These Women Are Using Photography to Cope With the Aftermath of an ISIS Massacre" —BuzzFeed

"Oh, how truly powerful photographs can be, and this photo series proves just that. UNICEF gave cameras and tutorials to 25 young Yazidi women so they can photograph their community as they learned to cope with the aftermath of an ISIS massacre. With this medium, they weren’t just given the voice to tell the world their story, but also empowered them to have personal goals and aspirations. After all, they were allowed to keep their cameras." —Anna Mendoza, photo editor, BuzzFeed Australia

3. "At the Front in a Scarred Fallujah" — New York Times

"It is important to see what war looks like in some ways. For all the rhetoric about the war on terrorism that is thrown about in the US, there is relatively little visual coverage about the frontlines in the Middle East. Denton's photographs show that the war in Iraq, which has waxed and waned in popularity and our consciousness for the past 13 years, is still ongoing, still brutal, and still very relevant to our stated goals even as the enemy has changed." —Kate Bubacz, senior photo editor for BuzzFeed News

4. "Learning Life Lessons by Faking One's Own Funeral" — The Atlantic

"There’s probably nothing more natural to living than contemplating your own death. In South Korea, a trend has emerged called 'Happy Dying' in which participants are invited to write their own eulogies and wills, crawl into their very own coffin and essentially, well, die. After 30 minutes of 'death', they crawl out of the coffin and apparently feel much better about their lives. Neat." —Gabriel H. Sanchez, photo essay editor, BuzzFeed

5. "These Beautiful Photos of Subway Stations Will Transport You From Your Daily Commute" — Atlas Obscura

“I love subways/metros like Oprah loves bread! Chris Forsyth images of metro stations in Canada and around Europe show how cool and mod the architecture of those massive spaces can be make make me want to book some tickets.” —DH

6. "A Death in Manila" —Reuters

"Of the 300 suspected drug dealers found dead since Rodrigo Duterte assumed presidency in the Philippines, this photo of Jennelyn Olaires cradling the body of her husband stood out among the rest. The new president, notoriously known as 'the punisher', called this 'melodramatic', with the media hyping it up as if it was Michelangelo’s Pieta. 'War on Drugs' was his campaign battle cry and this photo perfectly summed up what he has done, directly or indirectly, in his first 30 days." —AM

7. "The Trans Community of Christopher Street" — The New Yorker

"These portraits have a dignity and an intimacy about them , each face strikingly beautiful in its individuality. I was so moved reading stories and seeing the variety of faces that all turn to Christopher Street for a sense of community." —KB

8. "International Garden Photographer of the Year Macro Art Winners" — The Telegraph

"These extreme close-up shots of plant life highlight just how alien planet earth can look. Out of context, these seed pods and surfaces of leaves appear like the aerial terrain of a remote exotic planet. The competition is in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK, and will be touring in exhibitions all over the world. The overall winner was ‘Embryo’ (above) by George Pantazis with a photo taken in his garden in Limassol, Cyprus." —Matthew Tucker, picture editor, BuzzFeed UK

9. "People Really Open Up in the Summer’: the North Korean Seasons" — The Guardian

"Could it be true? Is this possibly the most secluded beach vacation getaway in the world? No one thinks of North Korea as a summer holiday destination. But with a brand-new airport recently completed near the resort town of Wonsan (apparently, it’s popular with locals), it may just be the next hot ticket among foreign travellers." —AM

10. "Photographing the Mirage of the American Dream in Las Vegas" — Time Lightbox

"The party’s been raging strong in Las Vegas for decades — but if you look closely, as Swiss photographer Christian Lutz does in his new photo book Insert Coins , you’ll see the cracks and faults of a city with a reputation for sin. Here, Time shares a comically distressing look at Las Vegas when the party is over." —GHS

11. "Aging Inmates: Photographer Shines Light on Loneliness and Isolation" — National Geographic Proof

" Jessica Earnshaw's work on aging in prison is breathtaking in its scope and its ceaseless attention to the humanity of the inmates. This is a very different look at prisons that is worth giving attention to." —KB

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How to Create an Engaging Photo Essay (with Examples)

Photo essays tell a story in pictures. They're a great way to improve at photography and story-telling skills at once. Learn how to do create a great one.

Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles

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Photography is a medium used to tell stories – sometimes they are told in one picture, sometimes you need a whole series. Those series can be photo essays.

If you’ve never done a photo essay before, or you’re simply struggling to find your next project, this article will be of help. I’ll be showing you what a photo essay is and how to go about doing one.

You’ll also find plenty of photo essay ideas and some famous photo essay examples from recent times that will serve you as inspiration.

If you’re ready to get started, let’s jump right in!

Table of Contents

What is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay is a series of images that share an overarching theme as well as a visual and technical coherence to tell a story. Some people refer to a photo essay as a photo series or a photo story – this often happens in photography competitions.

Photographic history is full of famous photo essays. Think about The Great Depression by Dorothea Lange, Like Brother Like Sister by Wolfgang Tillmans, Gandhi’s funeral by Henri Cartier Bresson, amongst others.

What are the types of photo essay?

Despite popular belief, the type of photo essay doesn’t depend on the type of photography that you do – in other words, journalism, documentary, fine art, or any other photographic genre is not a type of photo essay.

Instead, there are two main types of photo essays: narrative and thematic .

As you have probably already guessed, the thematic one presents images pulled together by a topic – for example, global warming. The images can be about animals and nature as well as natural disasters devastating cities. They can happen all over the world or in the same location, and they can be captured in different moments in time – there’s a lot of flexibility.

A narrative photo essa y, on the other hand, tells the story of a character (human or not), portraying a place or an event. For example, a narrative photo essay on coffee would document the process from the planting and harvesting – to the roasting and grinding until it reaches your morning cup.

What are some of the key elements of a photo essay?

• Tell a unique story – A unique story doesn’t mean that you have to photograph something that nobody has done before – that would be almost impossible! It means that you should consider what you’re bringing to the table on a particular topic.
• Put yourself into the work – One of the best ways to make a compelling photo essay is by adding your point of view, which can only be done with your life experiences and the way you see the world.
• Add depth to the concept – The best photo essays are the ones that go past the obvious and dig deeper in the story, going behind the scenes, or examining a day in the life of the subject matter – that’s what pulls in the spectator.
• Nail the technique – Even if the concept and the story are the most important part of a photo essay, it won’t have the same success if it’s poorly executed.
• Build a structure – A photo essay is about telling a thought-provoking story – so, think about it in a narrative way. Which images are going to introduce the topic? Which ones represent a climax? How is it going to end – how do you want the viewer to feel after seeing your photo series?
• Make strong choices – If you really want to convey an emotion and a unique point of view, you’re going to need to make some hard decisions. Which light are you using? Which lens? How many images will there be in the series? etc., and most importantly for a great photo essay is the why behind those choices.

9 Tips for Creating a Photo Essay

Credit: Laura James

1. Choose something you know

To make a good photo essay, you don’t need to travel to an exotic location or document a civil war – I mean, it’s great if you can, but you can start close to home.

Depending on the type of photography you do and the topic you’re looking for in your photographic essay, you can photograph a local event or visit an abandoned building outside your town.

It will be much easier for you to find a unique perspective and tell a better story if you’re already familiar with the subject. Also, consider that you might have to return a few times to the same location to get all the photos you need.

2. Follow your passion

Most photo essays take dedication and passion. If you choose a subject that might be easy, but you’re not really into it – the results won’t be as exciting. Taking photos will always be easier and more fun if you’re covering something you’re passionate about.

3. Take your time

A great photo essay is not done in a few hours. You need to put in the time to research it, conceptualizing it, editing, etc. That’s why I previously recommended following your passion because it takes a lot of dedication, and if you’re not passionate about it – it’s difficult to push through.

4. Write a summary or statement

Photo essays are always accompanied by some text. You can do this in the form of an introduction, write captions for each photo or write it as a conclusion. That’s up to you and how you want to present the work.

5. Learn from the masters

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Making a photographic essay takes a lot of practice and knowledge. A great way to become a better photographer and improve your storytelling skills is by studying the work of others. You can go to art shows, review books and magazines and look at the winners in photo contests – most of the time, there’s a category for photo series.

6. Get a wide variety of photos

Think about a story – a literary one. It usually tells you where the story is happening, who is the main character, and it gives you a few details to make you engage with it, right?

The same thing happens with a visual story in a photo essay – you can do some wide-angle shots to establish the scenes and some close-ups to show the details. Make a shot list to ensure you cover all the different angles.

Some of your pictures should guide the viewer in, while others are more climatic and regard the experience they are taking out of your photos.

7. Follow a consistent look

Both in style and aesthetics, all the images in your series need to be coherent. You can achieve this in different ways, from the choice of lighting, the mood, the post-processing, etc.

8. Be self-critical

Once you have all the photos, make sure you edit them with a good dose of self-criticism. Not all the pictures that you took belong in the photo essay. Choose only the best ones and make sure they tell the full story.

9. Ask for constructive feedback

Often, when we’re working on a photo essay project for a long time, everything makes perfect sense in our heads. However, someone outside the project might not be getting the idea. It’s important that you get honest and constructive criticism to improve your photography.

How to Create a Photo Essay in 5 Steps

Credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh

1. Choose your topic

This is the first step that you need to take to decide if your photo essay is going to be narrative or thematic. Then, choose what is it going to be about?

Ideally, it should be something that you’re interested in, that you have something to say about it, and it can connect with other people.

2. Research your topic

To tell a good story about something, you need to be familiar with that something. This is especially true when you want to go deeper and make a compelling photo essay. Day in the life photo essays are a popular choice, since often, these can be performed with friends and family, whom you already should know well.

3. Plan your photoshoot

Depending on what you’re photographing, this step can be very different from one project to the next. For a fine art project, you might need to find a location, props, models, a shot list, etc., while a documentary photo essay is about planning the best time to do the photos, what gear to bring with you, finding a local guide, etc.

Every photo essay will need different planning, so before taking pictures, put in the required time to get things right.

4. Experiment

It’s one thing to plan your photo shoot and having a shot list that you have to get, or else the photo essay won’t be complete. It’s another thing to miss out on some amazing photo opportunities that you couldn’t foresee.

So, be prepared but also stay open-minded and experiment with different settings, different perspectives, etc.

5. Make a final selection

Editing your work can be one of the hardest parts of doing a photo essay. Sometimes we can be overly critical, and others, we get attached to bad photos because we put a lot of effort into them or we had a great time doing them.

Try to be as objective as possible, don’t be afraid to ask for opinions and make various revisions before settling down on a final cut.

7 Photo Essay Topics, Ideas & Examples

Credit: Michelle Leman

• Architectural photo essay

Using architecture as your main subject, there are tons of photo essay ideas that you can do. For some inspiration, you can check out the work of Francisco Marin – who was trained as an architect and then turned to photography to “explore a different way to perceive things”.

You can also lookup Luisa Lambri. Amongst her series, you’ll find many photo essay examples in which architecture is the subject she uses to explore the relationship between photography and space.

• Process and transformation photo essay

This is one of the best photo essay topics for beginners because the story tells itself. Pick something that has a beginning and an end, for example, pregnancy, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the life-cycle of a plant, etc.

Keep in mind that these topics are linear and give you an easy way into the narrative flow – however, it might be difficult to find an interesting perspective and a unique point of view.

• A day in the life of ‘X’ photo essay

There are tons of interesting photo essay ideas in this category – you can follow around a celebrity, a worker, your child, etc. You don’t even have to do it about a human subject – think about doing a photo essay about a day in the life of a racing horse, for example – find something that’s interesting for you.

• Time passing by photo essay

It can be a natural site or a landmark photo essay – whatever is close to you will work best as you’ll need to come back multiple times to capture time passing by. For example, how this place changes throughout the seasons or maybe even over the years.

A fun option if you live with family is to document a birthday party each year, seeing how the subject changes over time. This can be combined with a transformation essay or sorts, documenting the changes in interpersonal relationships over time.

• Travel photo essay

Do you want to make the jump from tourist snapshots into a travel photo essay? Research the place you’re going to be travelling to. Then, choose a topic.

If you’re having trouble with how to do this, check out any travel magazine – National Geographic, for example. They won’t do a generic article about Texas – they do an article about the beach life on the Texas Gulf Coast and another one about the diverse flavors of Texas.

The more specific you get, the deeper you can go with the story.

• Socio-political issues photo essay

This is one of the most popular photo essay examples – it falls under the category of photojournalism or documental photography. They are usually thematic, although it’s also possible to do a narrative one.

Depending on your topic of interest, you can choose topics that involve nature – for example, document the effects of global warming. Another idea is to photograph protests or make an education photo essay.

It doesn’t have to be a big global issue; you can choose something specific to your community – are there too many stray dogs? Make a photo essay about a local animal shelter. The topics are endless.

• Behind the scenes photo essay

A behind-the-scenes always make for a good photo story – people are curious to know what happens and how everything comes together before a show.

Depending on your own interests, this can be a photo essay about a fashion show, a theatre play, a concert, and so on. You’ll probably need to get some permissions, though, not only to shoot but also to showcase or publish those images.

4 Best Photo Essays in Recent times

Now that you know all the techniques about it, it might be helpful to look at some photo essay examples to see how you can put the concept into practice. Here are some famous photo essays from recent times to give you some inspiration.

Habibi by Antonio Faccilongo

This photo essay wan the World Press Photo Story of the Year in 2021. Faccilongo explores a very big conflict from a very specific and intimate point of view – how the Israeli-Palestinian war affects the families.

He chose to use a square format because it allows him to give order to things and eliminate unnecessary elements in his pictures.

With this long-term photo essay, he wanted to highlight the sense of absence and melancholy women and families feel towards their husbands away at war.

The project then became a book edited by Sarah Leen and the graphics of Ramon Pez.

Picture This: New Orleans by Mary Ellen Mark

The last assignment before her passing, Mary Ellen Mark travelled to New Orleans to register the city after a decade after Hurricane Katrina.

The images of the project “bring to life the rebirth and resilience of the people at the heart of this tale”, – says CNNMoney, commissioner of the work.

Each survivor of the hurricane has a story, and Mary Ellen Mark was there to record it. Some of them have heartbreaking stories about everything they had to leave behind.

Others have a story of hope – like Sam and Ben, two eight-year-olds born from frozen embryos kept in a hospital that lost power supply during the hurricane, yet they managed to survive.

Selfie by Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer whose work is mainly done through self-portraits. With them, she explores the concept of identity, gender stereotypes, as well as visual and cultural codes.

One of her latest photo essays was a collaboration with W Magazine entitled Selfie. In it, the author explores the concept of planned candid photos (‘plandid’).

The work was made for Instagram, as the platform is well known for the conflict between the ‘real self’ and the one people present online. Sherman started using Facetune, Perfect365 and YouCam to alter her appearance on selfies – in Photoshop, you can modify everything, but these apps were designed specifically to “make things prettier”- she says, and that’s what she wants to explore in this photo essay.

Tokyo Compression by Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf has an interest in the broad-gauge topic Life in Cities. From there, many photo essays have been derived – amongst them – Tokyo Compression .

He was horrified by the way people in Tokyo are forced to move to the suburbs because of the high prices of the city. Therefore, they are required to make long commutes facing 1,5 hours of train to start their 8+ hour workday followed by another 1,5 hours to get back home.

To portray this way of life, he photographed the people inside the train pressed against the windows looking exhausted, angry or simply absent due to this way of life.

You can visit his website to see other photo essays that revolve around the topic of life in megacities.

Final Words

It’s not easy to make photo essays, so don’t expect to be great at it right from your first project.

Start off small by choosing a specific subject that’s interesting to you –  that will come from an honest place, and it will be a great practice for some bigger projects along the line.

Whether you like to shoot still life or you’re a travel photographer, I hope these photo essay tips and photo essay examples can help you get started and grow in your photography.

Let us know which topics you are working on right now – we’ll love to hear from you!

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Ana Mireles is a Mexican researcher that specializes in photography and communications for the arts and culture sector.

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10 Powerful Documentary Photo Essays From The Masters

Have you ever wondered where inspiration comes from? This is the question that journalists like to ask people of different professions in different variations. Artists get inspiration from anything, starting to create, they initially describe that around them to create something great, you need to fantasize, make letters or figures in your imagination. Similarly, in writing an essay or article, the author appeals to the imagination.

Probably everyone, studying in primary school, faced the problem of writing work by speaking and scrolling letters, words, and sentences. Sometimes it is difficult to cope on your own but instead, turn to specialists by writing write my essay cheap. Simple words that will help you find inspiration for other things.

Documenting people and the stories beyond the ordinary is one of the fascinating and daunting task in terms of Photojournalism. The Lives of those affected, the way they come into terms into reality & the very source for the ultimate word – Survival. Documentary photography shows us exactly what our world looks like at any given moment in time.

Whether the pictures are bleak, playful, angering or astounding, they all serve a historically significant purpose. A complete photo story is something which makes one understand the main objective for what it needs to be done, to bring a change to the masses, to show them light.

Here we have listed out some massive powerful stories for one to understand the severity of any situation. Less said, it would be more than a tribute to the sincere effort from these photojournalists. For a change, this time we wanted to outline the great works of our masters to understand and to estimate their role in bringing these powerful stories to the world.

Please check the below stories, a fine example of above statement. These photographers are captured their souls not photos. You have any photography story with you? please share with us, we will feature your work in this blog. Thanks in advance.

Click on the image to view the Full Story.

#1 Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith

“Country Doctor” is undoubtedly one of the commanding works by Eugene Smith and was an instant classic when first published, making him establish as a master. Plus an unique and influential photojournalists of 2oth century.

#2 A Photo Essay on the Great Depression by Dorothea Lange

This is a sneak peek into some of the powerful pictures produced by Dorothea Lange on the eve of the great depression during the 1930’s. Every picture here symbolizes the pain and agony people went through and Dorothea has registered a version of her in the books of history.

#3 Bhopal Gas Tragedy by Raghu Rai

One of the saddest industrial disaster which occured in Bhopal, India 1984. Numerous innocent lives were lost and more than that even after years of the tragedy many were indirectly affected through mutation and deconstructed DNA even today. Raghu rai’s pictures on this tragedy is immensely powerful and shows the mass graveyard and deadly scenes post the catastrophe.

#4 Vietnam War by Philip Jones Griffiths

His goal was to capture photographs in a digestible way, which could then appear to be witnessed by the world. The effects of war and post calamity and to show what really was happening in Vietnam with more profound importance.

#5 Gypsies by Josef Koudelka

Lives of people who kept wandering in search of their survival and the hope. These pictures show us their daily routine, beautiful music and some starvation for food.

#6 Nurse Midwife by W.Eugene Smith

Again a scintillating story on a Nurse midwife by Eugene Smith. Story of a lady who served as everything for thousands of poor people across 400 sq miles in the wild south.

#7 The Korean War by Werner Bischof

How brutal could war be and how cruelly brutal could the children affected by it, Werner Bischof produces more evidence and documentation in war front on this topic. Yet another powerful story on the lives lost.

#8 Struggle to Live – the fight against TB by James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey has documented the resurgence of tuberculosis and its varying strains MDR and XDR in seven countries around the world. One of the dreadful diseases to have consumed numerous lives of humanity.

#9 Gordon Parks’s Harlem Family Revisited

The Harlem Family is one of the haunting photo stories ever made by any photojournalist. Brutality of hunger and effect of poverty, the distance it drove a family towards disaster and eventually death.

#10 Stars Behind Bars – Life with the Prisonaires by Robert W. Kelley

A Photo narrative from the inside. the story unknown for most of the people was shown in pictures by Robert Kelley. These Pictures demonstrate prisoners way of living and provides more light on the stages they passed on.

Please check our previous documentary photography stories here:

• Most Influential Documentary Photography Stories
• Inspiring Documentary Photography Stories
• 15 Powerful Documentary Photography Stories
• 15 Heart Touching Documentary Photo Stories
• 10 Soulful Documentary Photography Stories
• 15 Unseen Powerful Documentary Photography Stories
• Documentary & Photojournalism
• Documentary Photo Essays
• Documentary Photography
• Documentary Photography Stories
• Heart Touching Photographs
• Photo Essay
• Photo Essays
• Photo Story
• Photojournalism
• Powerful Photographs
• Powerful Photos

the importance of documentary photography is immense for human history

Photo essays in black and white: http://www.efn.org/~hkrieger

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17 Awesome Photo Essay Examples You Should Try Yourself

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If you’re looking for a photo essay example (or 17!), you’ve come to the right place. But what is the purpose of a photo essay? A photo essay is intended to tell a story or evoke emotion from the viewers through a series of photographs. They allow you to be creative and fully explore an idea. But how do you make one yourself? Here’s a list of photo essay examples. Choose one that you can easily do based on your photographic level and equipment.

Top 17 Photo Essay Examples

Here are some fantastic ideas to get you inspired to create your own photo essays!

17. Photograph a Protest

16. Transformation Photo Essays

15. Photograph the Same Place

14. Create a Photowalk

13. Follow the Change

12. Photograph a Local Event

11. Photograph an Abandoned Building

10. Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shoot

9. Capture Street Fashion

8. Landmark Photo Essay

7. Fathers & Children

6. A Day In the Life

5. Education Photo Essay

4. Fictitious Meals

3. Photograph Coffee Shops Using Cafenol

2. Photograph the Photographers

1. Capture the Neighbors

Photo essays tell stories. And there are plenty of amazingly interesting stories to tell! Photographing photo essays is a great way to practice your photography skills while having fun. You might even learn something! These photo essay examples are here to provide you with the inspiration to go out and tell your own stories through photos!

Popular Content

18 Immersive Photo Essay Examples & Tips

By Tata Rossi 13 days ago, Professional photography

A photo essay tells a story or evokes emotion through a series of photographs. The essays allow you to be creative and fully explore an idea. Such essays exist in a variety of forms – from photos only to images with brief comments or written essays accompanied by shots. Choose a photo essay example that you can easily do based on your professional level and the equipment you use.

1. Protests

• View the “Resistance” photo essay by David Moore .

A great idea for photo essays for students is to shoot the protest to show its power. You can capture people with signs and banners to demonstrate what they are standing for. Besides, you can learn how to capture moving subjects. Use the best example of photo essay and don’t forget about angles, composition, and framing.

To create a photo essay , go up to the front and photograph the leader of the protesters walking forward. After that, go back to the end of the group to take pictures of families joining the protest. As a result, you will gain experience shooting big groups of people in motion.

2. Transformation

• View the “A Self-Portrait Every Day” photo essay by Noah Kalina .

This idea is all about capturing the way a person changes. You may take photos of a pregnant woman and then capture the same model with a child. By documenting the development of the child for several years, you can tell a great story in the form of a photo essay.

However, you can also create a photo essay about the transformation of different objects. For instance, you can create a time-lapse series to capture the history of a renovated building. While you will have to take a lot of similar photos to bring this idea to life, it will allow you to achieve an impressive result.

3. Local Event

• View the “Monday Marathon” photo essay by Quinn G. Perini .

Whether you are a resident of a large city or a small town, you can find an opportunity to visit a local event, like a marathon or a festival. This is a nice chance to follow modern photography trends and bring photo essay ideas to life.

You can capture the before-and-after stages of the event. Arrive earlier and take pictures of the preparation activities, then shoot the actual event starting with the official beginning.

Keep photographing even when the event is over and capture the cleaning up and disassembling processes.

4. Photowalk

• View the “Empty Campus” photo essay by Elise Trissel .

Explore the location where you live and find interesting objects to capture in the vicinity. Using the most interesting photo essay examples, you can decide how to make the best decisions. Don’t hurry and try to discover which angles you can use to capture the unique atmosphere of each place.

If you live in the city, you may capture architectural details, wide shots of busy streets, or just take photos of passersby and street signs. Think about the details that make every location unique. For instance, you can try capturing reflections to see how they allow you to see the city from an unusual angle. You can find reflections everywhere, so be sure to pay attention to mirrored buildings, puddles, and fountains.

5. Place Over Time

• View the “At Home in the Ozarks” photo essay by Kylee Cole .

If you want to document changes and show how the streets, buildings, and parks in your city change over time, select your favorite locations and start to visit them regularly to capture the way they look during different seasons.

• View the “Last Moments” photo essay by Ross Taylor .

You don’t necessarily have to focus on profound photo essay topics to evoke emotions. Capturing pets enjoying their worry-free and untroubled life seems like an easy but interesting activity.

Choose any animal – from a domestic bird to a dog, cat, or horse. For more emotional images, use such pet photography ideas when your pet is still a baby and recreate these shots when it is older or is in its final days.

7. Street Style

• View the Tribal Street Photography photo essay by Hans Eijkelboom .

People often express themselves with the help of clothes. The way passers-by on the streets are dressed may reflect the clothing style of a whole society. That’s why you can travel around the world and capture people’s outfits in various areas. When taking portrait photos in the streets, you can also include some of the surroundings to put them in the context.

You can ask people in the streets to pose for you or try to capture them in movement. Select a suitable location for taking photos and create a photo essay to document what kinds of people one can meet in this location. When doing urban photography , you should ask people for permission before taking photos of them. You can ask their contacts and send them your photos later.

8. Abandoned Building

• View the “Lost Collective” photo essay by Bret Pattman .

Old buildings are excellent architecture photography essay topics for students since you can capture a large number of elements. They allow you to imagine what a particular street looked like in the past. You may use a photo essay example for students as references.

Get approval before going in, but mind that such places are far from being totally safe. Bring various lenses: the macro lenses – for details and the wide-angle one – when you want to include many elements in one shot.

9. Alternative Lifestyles

• View the “Last Nomad Hippies” photo essay by Roberto Palomo .

Some people decide to lead a lifestyle that differs from the one generally accepted by society. Explore different areas and look for people with an unusual way of living. You can capture candid photos of regular people or take pictures of a person with an unusual hobby.

Take pictures of those, who reside in extraordinary conditions, representatives of various subcultures, or the LBGTQ community. These photo essay topics show other people that it is okay to go out of their comfort zone and run against the wind.

10. Social Issues

• View the “Juveniles in Prison” photo essay by Isadora Kosofsky .

The best photo essay examples for students are related to social issues, like unemployment, domestic violence, gender discrimination, and more. Address the topic carefully and look for a proper perspective.

Your shots may draw the people’s attention to a truly burning and relevant matter and have a stronger effect than any text.

11. Behind the Scenes

• View the “Follow Me” photo essay by Marius Masalar .

If you are going to visit an event, get ready to take some behind-the-scenes photos. For instance, you can document the preparations for a festival. Capture the work of the lead event planner and other professionals to tell the story of the festival from an unusual angle.

Alternatively, you can capture the events happening backstage during a drama production. Take pictures of actors and actresses when they are getting ready for the performance. Try capturing the emotions of the main lead and show how stage workers make final preparations. You can also document the work of designers and makeup professionals.

12. Landmarks

• View the “Volte-Face” photo essay by Oliver Curtis .

The pictures of landmarks are typically taken from a certain spot. One of the best photo essay ideas is to try shooting sights from various angles. You will also have an opportunity to improve your composition and your framing skills.

If you take a look at any pictorial essay example, you will see that the variety of perspectives is endless: through the streets, in the morning, afternoon, and evening, with a drone or including reflections.

    • View the “Family” photo essay by Olivia Moore .

You can capture the way family members interact with each other and demonstrate the strong connection they share. In some cases, it makes sense to focus on capturing candid photos when doing family photography .

However, you may also opt for a different approach and focus on more difficult social topics. For instance, if you want to examine the issue of immigration, you can take pictures of a family from another country. In addition, you may show how families cope with other social issues, including poverty or unequal access to healthcare.

14. A Day in the Life

• View the “A Day in the Life of Carlos Gaytan” photo essay by Sandy Noto .

One of the best photo essays concepts is related to a day in a person’s life. The main character can be any person – a relative, family member, teacher, writer, or policeman.

People are generally interested in finding out facts about the lives and daily routines of others. The life of every human is incredible, especially if you learn it in more detail. This idea is especially suitable for taking documentary photos. For instance, you can select any photo essay sample you like and then capture a portrait of a person with the tools they use for their work.

15. Education

• View the “School Day” photo essay by Nancy Borowick .

You can also take great photos in the classroom capturing the interactions of teachers and their students. Avoid distracting them, as it will be easier for you to take natural shots. Using a variety of settings, you can make your photo essay more engaging. For instance, you may visit chemistry labs, capture teachers during a break, and take photos in other locations.

• View the “Meals From the Motherland” photo essay by James Tran .

You can also focus on specific meals to create a professional photo essay about food. To make it more attention-grabbing, try using different food photography ideas .

For instance, you can take photos of popular meals, capture the meals made by a specific person, or document cooking traditions in different countries. When taking photos in a restaurant, pay attention to the surroundings as well to capture the unique atmosphere of a place.

17. Capture the Neighbors

• View the “Our Neighbors” photo essay by Jeanne Martin .

Regardless of the place where you live, you have to establish good relationships with your neighbors. People who live nearby can also be great models for professionals who specialize in portrait photography. To implement this idea, make sure to capture people at home or in front of their houses to include some of the surroundings in your photo essay.

You will discover many interesting facts about people who live nearby. Shooting a photo essay will allow you to learn them better and establish a strong connection with them. This way, you can create a sense of community and discover what holds its members together.

18. Climate Change

• View the “Effects of Climate Change” photo essay by Sanya Gupta .

It is possible to a variety of photo story ideas bring to life examining the impact of climate change. Travel to places most affected by climate change, for instance, glaciers or famous resorts.

Capture the way the continuous drought has influenced the environment, animals, and the inhabitants. As an alternative, take pictures of environmentalist protests or inexhaustible energy sources.

Photo Essay Tips for Students

Explore your topic . An in-depth exploration of the main topic of your photo essay will help you find the best ideas for conveying your message. You can also find some sources for inspiration and useful materials. This stage allows you to learn more about your subject and select the best way of organizing your photo essay.

Create a storyboard . Using a storyboard, you can better understand what shots you need to take and what order can help you to tell a story in the best way. It will also allow you to create the right mood.

Take as many pictures as you can . To create a compelling story, make sure to take a lot of photos. It will allow you to choose the best pictures for your photo essay. Besides, you will always have backup photos if some of your pictures get damaged.

Experiment with different techniques . By changing the angle and using a variety of editing techniques, you can transform the way your photos look. When taking photos, try using different angles to capture the subject in the best way. You can also try changing the distance from the model, using black-and-white film, or employing a range of developing methods.

Add text . While some photographers create photo essays without text, it can still help you bring your point across more clearly and make it easier for a viewer to understand what you imply. By providing extra information, such as some facts, you can change the perception of your image. If you don’t know how to write descriptions, you can hire a professional writer to perform this task.

Enhance your photos . To edit your pictures, make sure to use professional photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Using the available tools, you can improve and change your photos. They allow you to fix issues with lighting, adjust WB, make colors richer, crop your pics to improve the composition, and perform other tasks. In case you need to edit your photos in a consistent style, you can use Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets.

In some cases, your pictures may require more advanced editing. If you see that your skills are insufficient or if you don’t have enough time, you can outsource the task of enhancing your photos to the FixThePhoto team. They will professionally enhance your pictures for a budget price. Their prices start from $1.50 per photo.

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To streamline your workflow and quickly edit your essay photos like a pro, make sure to apply these actions to your photos. Even if you use a photo essay example when taking pictures, you can utilize these actions to give your images a professional feel, tweak colors, edit lighting, and improve the overall look of your pics.

In this bundle, you will find actions created by experienced professionals who used recent photo enhancement trends to create convenient editing tools. Here, you will find a collection of brushes, patterns, overlays, and other effects for editing your photos in a realistic way.

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W. Eugene Smith: Master of the Photo Essay

100 years since the birth of W. Eugene Smith, we take a look at the work of a remarkable talent who described his approach to photography as working “like a playwright”

W. Eugene Smith

W. Eugene Smith’s membership with Magnum may have been brief, spanning the years 1955-58, but his work left left a deep impression on many of Magnum’s photographers, as it has upon the practice of photojournalism generally. Smith is regarded by many as a genius of twentieth-century photojournalism, who perfected the art of the photo essay. The following extract from Magnum Stories ( Phaidon ), serves as a pit-stop tour through his most enduring and affecting works.

With “Spanish Village” (1951), “Nurse Midwife” (1951), and his essay on Albert Schweitzer (1954), “Country Doctor” is first of a series of postwar photo essays, produced by Smith as an employee of Life magazine, that are widely regarded as archetypes of the genre. The idea to examine the life of a typical country doctor, at the time of a national shortage of GPs, was the magazine’s, not Smith’s. Though it was preconceived and pre-scripted, with a suitable doctor cast for the role before Smith got involved, he was immediately attracted to the idea of its heroic central character. He left to shoot the story the day he first heard about it – and before it was formally assigned, lest his editors decide to allocate the job to a different photographer.

Country Doctor

He described elements of his approach in an interview for Editor and Publisher later the same year:

“I made very few pictures at first. I mainly tried to learn what made the doctor tick, what his personality was, how he worked and what the surroundings were… On any long story, you have to be compatible with your subject, as I was with him.

I bear in mind that I have to have an opener and closer. Then I make a mental picture of how to fill in between these two. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I’ll lie in bed and do a sketch of the pictures I already have. Then I’ll decide what pictures I need. In this way, I can see how the job is shaping up in the layout form.

When a good picture comes along, I shoot it. Later I may find a better variation of the same shot, so I shoot all over again.”

"When a good picture comes along, I shoot it. Later I may find a better variation of the same shot, so I shoot all over again."

- w. eugene smith.

Central to his method was his seeking to fade “into the wallpaper”. De Ceriani, the subject of the story and the one constant witness to his working approach, recalled in an interview with Jim Hughes, Smith’s biographer, that after a week Smith “became this community figure. He may not have known everybody, but everybody knew who he was. And you fell into this pattern: he was going to be around, and you just didn’t let it bother you. He would always be present. He would always be in the shadows. I would make the introduction and then go about my business as if he were just a doorknob.”

Smith set about what might have been a straightforward assignment with a demanding intensity. “I never made a move where Gene wasn’t sitting there,” Ceriani explained; “I’d go to the john and he’d be waiting outside the door, so it would seem. He insisted that I call when anything happened, regardless of whether it was day or night… I would look around and Gene would be lying on the floor; shooting up, or draped over a chair. You never knew where he was going to be. And you never knew quite how or when he got there. He would produce a ladder in the most unusual places.”

For a four-week shoot, Smith selected 200 photographs for consideration by Life , and while he clearly had some influence over the layout, he did not control it. It did not live up to his expectations; in the interview with Editor and Publisher, Smith stated that he was “depressed” thinking about just how far short it fell. It’s not clear how different it might have been had he done the layout himself. We know that the prints he made were rejected by Life ’s art director, on the grounds that they were too dark and would not reproduce well on the magazine’s pages. Smith’s vision was darker in other regards too. Photographs not featured in Life’ s layout, but reproduced or exhibited later, include a powerful series of 82-year-old Joe Jesmer being treated following a heart attack – an old man whose face terrifyingly reveals the apparent consciousness of his imminent death. Smith also chose, for his own exhibitions, troubling photographs of Thomas Mitchell prior to his leg amputation, as well as other images more baroque than those selected by Life . But the two brilliant images between which the layout hangs – his opener of the stoical doctor on his way to the surgery under a brooding sky and his closer, showing Ceriani slumped in weary reflection with coffee and cigarette – clearly reflect Smith’s won intentions for how the story should appear.

It is in the sophistication of its narrative structure that Smith’s innovation lies. In recorded conversations between Smith and photographer Bob Combs in the late 1960s, he elaborated on the ingredients of his approach (referring here to another story, “Nurse Midwife”):

“In the building of a story, I being with my own prejudices, mark them as prejudices, and start finding new thinking, the contradictions to my prejudices, What I am saying is that you cannot be objective until you try to be fair. You try to be honest and you try to be fair and maybe truth will come out.

Each night, I would mark the pictures that I took, or record my thoughts, on thousands of white cards I had. I would start roughing in a layout of what pictures I had, and note how they build and what was missing in relationships.

"In the building of a story, I being with my own prejudices, mark them as prejudices, and start finding new thinking, the contradictions to my prejudices, What I am saying is that you cannot be objective until you try to be fair."

I would list the picture to take, and other things to do. It began with a beginning, but it was a much tighter and more difficult problem at the end. I’d say, ‘Well, she has this relationship to that person. I haven’t shown it. How can I take a photograph that will show that? What is this situation to other situations?’

Here it becomes really like a playwright who must know what went on before the curtain went up, and have some idea of what will happen when the curtain goes down. And along the way, as he blocks in his characters, he must find and examine those missing relationships that five the validity of interpretation to the play.

I have personally always fought very hard against ever packaging a story so that all things seem to come to an end at the end of a story. I always want to leave it so that there is a tomorrow. I suggest what might happen tomorrow – at least to say all things are not resolved, that this is life, and it is continuing.”

Smith refers to working “like a playwright”. Elsewhere he compared his work to composing music, but perhaps it is the literary reference that is most relevant to “Country Doctor”. His doctor is the emblematic hero of a drama that unfolds through several episodes – literally, acts. His opening and closing tableaux have all the content of soliloquies: single moments loaded with psychological detail and environmental description that frame the play. Unlike the experience of a play in the theatre where we watch it once, from beginning to end – we read the magazine essay back and first, at the very least reviewing the images again once we have read through it. The details of the doctor’s actions lend weight to the opening and closing portraits, and vice versa, so that the depth of its characterization reveals itself across the images as a group. It would not work if it were not wholly believable as a record of a real man, and real events. As such, its strength and its place in the history of the genre lies in the manner in which it combines a record of reality within an effective dramatic structure; in short, as a human drama.

Smith’s essay-making technique was not something he developed independently of the media that published his pictures. It began with essays produced in the early 1940s for Parade , where photographers were encouraged to experiment with story structure (without the tight scripting Smith later encountered at Life magazine) and where stories often focused on an attractive central character achieving worthwhile goals against formidable odds. Although Smith is on record as being in constant struggle with Life over its scripts – as well as its layouts, the selection of photographs, and the darkness of his prints – it seems appropriate to view his achievement as the product of a dialogue with the needs and practices of the magazine. The battles were over the details of particular decisions rather than over the mission or purpose. In fact, Smith wholly identified with the Life formula, taking and refining it to a new level of sophistication.

After Smith left life in 1954 – after several prior resignations, his final departure was over the editorial slant given to his essay on Albert Schweitzer – he embarked on his ambitious Pittsburgh essay. Working for the first time outside the framework of a magazine, with only a small advance from a book publisher, and encouraged by Magnum’s reassurance that he would find a worthwhile return from serial sales of independently executed essays, he believed that he was positioned to produce his best work yet. He wrote to his brother that he Pittsburgh essay would “influence journalism from now on”, and described in an application for a Guggenheim Fellowship that he “would recreate as does the playwright, as does the good historian – I would evoke in the beholder an experience that is Pittsburgh.”

It did not really work. Becoming a landmark in the ambition of the photo essay, and including some of his strongest photographs, the Pittsburgh essay nevertheless failed to be the symphony in photographs for which Smith strove, After four years of work, it was finally published in the small-format Popular Photography Annual of 1959 , run as a sequence of “spread tapestries” – as he described his intended layout to the editor of Life . He titled the essay Labyrinthian Walk, indicating the story was less about the city than a portrait of himself locked in a life-or-death struggle with a mythical demon. Although he himself was responsible for the layout, he judged it a failure. The dream – or necessity – of Magnum failed also. He did only two minor assignments in the time he was a member, and he left completely broke, his family in poverty, with Magnum itself smarting from the investment it too had ploughed into the Pittsburgh project.

After the “Country Doctor” story was published, Smith declared that he was “still searching for the truth, for the answer to how to do a picture story”. Later, in 1951, he stated in a letter to Life editor Ed Thompson, “Journalism, idealism and photography are three elements that must be integrated into a whole before my work can be of complete satisfaction to me.” In 1974, 20 years after embarking on the Pittsburgh essay, Smith was vindicated with the triumphant artistic and journalistic success of “Minamata”, his story about the deformed victims of the pollution by the Chisso chemical plant in Japan. The story became a new paradigm for the possibilities of photojournalism, in part because of its unambiguous moral purpose.

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• Photojournalism Links

The 10 Best Photo Essays of the Month

This month’s Photojournalism Links collection highlights 10 excellent photo essays from across the world, including The New York Times staff photographer Damon Winter’s stunning aerial pictures documenting the ongoing drought in California.

Damon Winter: California Drought (The New York Times )

Bryan Denton: 100 Years Later, a Genocide Haunts the Armenian Psyche (The New York Times ) These compelling pictures capture sites related to the Armenian genocide that took place one hundred years ago.

Newsha Tavakolian: Women Taking the Battle to ISIS (TIME LightBox) Powerful series on a cadre of female Kurdish soldiers fighting Islamic militants in Syria.

David Guttenfelder: Harnessing the Mekong (National Geographic) National Geographic Photography Fellow Guttenfelder’s work documents life along the Mekong River in five different countries.

Adriane Ohanesian: Inside Sudan’s War-Torn Darfur (TIME LightBox) These rare pictures capture rebels and fleeing civilians in Darfur.

Wayne Lawrence: Taking Back Detroit (National Geographic) Portraits and audio of Motor City residents.

James Mollison: Playground (Wired) Fascinating, insightful photographs of children’s playgrounds around world.

Moises Saman: Digging for Gold in the Andes (The New Yorker Photo Booth) Magnum photographer documents the unregulated gold mining in the Peruvian Andes.

Katie Orlinsky: Taken at the Border (The New Yorker Photo Booth) Orlinsky documents the U.S.-Mexico border from empty stash houses to young migrants who have been extorted.

Christopher Griffith: Foot Soldiers (The New York Times Magazine) Excellent photographs of Manhattan shoe shiners’ hands.

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Photography tips, tutorials and guides for Beginner and Intermediate Photographers.

20 of the Most Famous Photographs in History

by Darlene Hildebrandt | Last Updated: November 5, 2022

This collection of 20 famous photographs has been carefully chosen because of their importance in history. Each one of these iconic images has helped shape our history and alter the world which we live in. They are some of the most powerful and influential images ever captured by some of the most famous photographers in history.

Images have a way of cutting through and triggering an immediate emotional response like nothing else can. They open a window for us to view the world through the eyes of the photographer.

Photography has helped to reinforced history making it more tangible and real. It has also made the camera an important tool not only to document history but also to help change it.

#1 Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous photo Man Jumping the Puddle | 1930

In this, one of his most iconic photos, Henri Cartier-Bresson captured a scene through a fence behind the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris.

This image became the perfect example of what Cartier-Bresson referred to as “The Decisive Moment” .

“There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

The French photographer is often referred to as the father of modern photojournalism.

He coined the term “The Decisive Moment” to refer to a moment when the photographer captures a fleeting second , immortalizing it in time.

#2 The famous photo The Steerage by Alfred Stieglitz | 1907

“I stood spellbound for a while. I saw shapes related to one another—a picture of shapes, and underlying it, a new vision that held me.” Alfred Stieglitz

One of the most famous photographers of the early 20th Century, Stieglitz fought for photography to be taken as seriously as painting as a valid art form. His pioneering work helped to change the way many viewed photography. His NYC galleries featured many of the best photographers of the day.

His iconic image “The Steerage” not only encapsulates what he called straight photography  – offering a truthful take on the world. It also gives us a more complex and multi-layered viewpoint that conveys abstraction through the shapes in the image. And how those shapes relate to one another.

Note: Many years ago one of my instructors at my photography program in college showed us The Steerage and talked about how important it was, how significant. The 21-year-old version of myself didn’t get it.

I admit it took me many years to understand its genius and its message. So if you don’t “get” it right off the bat you’re in good company.

#3 Stanley Forman’s famous photo Woman Falling From Fire Escape |1975

Forman was a well-known photographer working for the Boston Herald when he attended the scene of a fire. What began as him documenting the rescue of a young woman and child quickly took a turn when the fire escape collapsed.

The pair began to fall and he continued shooting as they were falling. He capturing them swimming through the air. Forman only lowered his camera and turned at the last moment when he realized what he was witnessing was a woman plummeting to her death.

This famous photograph won Forman a Pulitzer prize . But its interesting legacy is the ethical questions it raised about when a photographer should stop shooting and whether it is appropriate to publish disturbing images. It also caused many municipalities to enforce stricter fire-escape safety codes, so you decide.

Read Also: 12 Famous Portrait Photographers You Need To Know

#4 Kevin Carter’s controversial photo – Starving Child and Vulture | 1993

This image is another Pulitzer Prize-winning image . As famous for its social impact, as it is the ethical issues it raised.

In 1993 South African photojournalist Kevin Carter traveled to Sudan to photograph the famine. His image of a collapsed child, with a vulture stalking over her, not only caused public outrage because of the horrific subject. It also stirred up a lot of criticism directed toward the photographer , for photographing the child, rather than helping her.

That day, and the onslaught that came after continued to haunt Carter until he took his own life in 1994 .

For the record, the mother was apparently right next to the scene and the child was never in danger of being attacked by the bird. Notice that it was also shot with a longer telephoto lens which makes a scene look more compressed, making the bird appear closer to the child than reality.

If you want to learn more about this image and more shot by photojournalists in South Africa during the fall of Apartheid, check out The Bang Bang Club . Watch the trailer below, and you can watch the full movie on YouTube for $3.99. It’s a great documentary, but not for the faint of heart.

#5 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams | Saigon Execution | 1968

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams was on the streets of Saigon on the 1st February 1968 photographing the devastation of the war.

Believing he was witnessing a routine execution of a prisoner. He looked through the viewfinder of his camera, to capture the scene. But what he captured was the casual assassination of the prisoner.

This iconic photo became one of the most powerful images of the Vietnam War . It helped fuel the anti-war movement and end US involvement in the war because it brought to life in a horrific visual, the magnitude of the violence occurring.

#6 Yousuf Karsh’s iconic portrait – Winston Churchill | 1941

“By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent, he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.” Yousuf Karsh

In the wake of the attack on pearl harbor, Churchill arrived in Ottawa , to thank the allies for their assistance.

Unaware that a photographer had been commissioned to take his portrait he refused to remove his cigar. Once the photographer was set up he walked towards Churchill, removed the cigar from his mouth and took his famous photograph with the scowl.

Of the incident, Churchill told Karsh “You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed.”

This image is one of the most widely reproduced political portraits. It gave photographers permission to take more honest, and even critical, portraits of political leaders.

#7 Nick Ut | The Terror of War | 1972

“The horror of the Vietnam War recorded by me did not have to be fixed.” Nick Ut

25 miles northwest of Saigon, war photographer Nick Ut, captured one of the most harrowing images in the history of the Vietnam War . More often than not, the faces of those who suffer through the collateral damage of war are not seen.

But the harrowing image of 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc forced the world to see. A victim of mistakenly dropped napalm, she was later helped by Ut and received lifesaving treatment.

At the time of publication in 1972 many Newspapers had to relax their policies on nudity. The image remains controversial to this day, recently it was briefly removed from Facebook for the same reasons.

Nick Ut won a Pulitzer Prize for this famous image in 1973.

#8 Margaret Bourke-White’s famous photograph – Gandhi and the Spinning Wheel | 1946

In 1946 Margaret Bourke-White , LIFE magazine’s first female photographer, was offered a rare opportunity to photograph Mahatma Gandhi. This dream opportunity quickly turned into a nightmare. She was made to overcome many challenges before gaining access to India’s ideological leader. Including to spin Gandhi’s famous homespun.

After two failed shoots, thanks to technical difficulties, it was third time lucky for Bourke-White.

This iconic image of Gandhi at his spinning wheel was captured less than two years before his assassination.

#9 Lewis Hine’s famous image – Cotton Mill Girl | 1908

Established in 1904, the National Child Labor Committee, existed to fight for the rights of child workers in the USA. They realized that the most powerful tool they had was to show the real face of these children. They believed that seeing these images of child labor would awaken the citizens to demand change.

When Lewis Hine, an investigative photographer, came across Sadie Pfeifer, one of the smallest children at work. Standing at just 48 inches, he knew he had a shot that would change peoples views.

This photograph along with others was a crucial part of the campaign which led to a change in legislation . The outcome of which was a 50% cut in the number of child laborers over a 10 year period.

#10 Blind Beggar by Paul Strand | 1916

Paul Strand’s groundbreaking image of a blind woman was a candid portrait that departed from the more formal posed portraits of that time .

Strand not only captured a moment in time, when a country was changing rapidly, due to an immigration surge. But he also took the first image that paved the way for a new style – street photography .

#11 The Iconic V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt | 1945

“People tell me that when I’m in heaven, they will remember this picture.” Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s mission through this photograph was to “to find and catch the storytelling moment.” In this post-WWII photograph in Times Square, he did just that.

His famous photograph of the soldier and dental nurse has become one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, signifying the joyous end to years of war.

#12 The first photograph in history – by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce – View from the Window at Le Gras |circa 1826

Interestingly the first permanent photograph ever taken was not by an artist, but by inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. His fascination with printing led him to set up a camera obscura at his studio in France in 1826.

The window scene was cast on a pewter plate and presented a crude copy of the scene outside his window. It was an 8-hour exposure and there is only one copy , a positive image. This is why the image is somewhat confusing because the sun had moved across the courtyard during the exposure, causing shadows on both sides to appear.

His groundbreaking work paved the way for the development of modern photography.

#13 James Nachtwey | Famine in Somalia | 1992

“Dare we say that it doesn’t get any worse than this?” New York Times Magazine reader upon seeing Nachtwey’s image

Unable to get an assignment to document the 1992 famine in Somalia photojournalist James Nachtwey decided to go alone.

Supported on the ground by the Red Cross, Nachtwey captured the horrors of the famine . This, his most haunting image captures a woman in a wheelbarrow waiting to be taken to a feeding center.

After the publication of his harrowing images the Red Cross received the biggest wave of public support since WWII and were able to save ONE and a half million people .

#14 Alberto Korda’s iconic photo of Che Guevara, Guerillero Heroico | 1960

Little did photographer Alberto Korda realize when it took two frames of Fidel Castro’s young associate, as an afterthought, that it would become such an iconic image.

Upon his death 7 years later his portrait of Che Guevara would become the iconic image of rebellion and revolution for people around the world. Even still today it is prevalent in the Cuban culture and around the world. Controversial as Che was, whether you consider him a hero or a villain, the portrait stands the test of time.

#15 Philippe Halsman | Dalí Atomicus | 1948

Philippe Halsman’s life’s work was to capture the essence of those he photographed. Knowing a standard portrait of the flamboyant Salvador Dali was not going to wash, he set out to create something extraordinary.

Halsman even roped in his wife and daughter to assist in throwing the cats and water into the frame. After 26 shots they finally captured this image that has echoes of Dali’s own artwork in it. Note: Remember that was all film so had to be done in a single frame, there was no Photoshop!

Halsman and Dali both had an unusual sense of style and creativity – some might even say bizarre. They collaborated on many projects together including Halsman recreating one of Dali’s painting of a skull using human nude figures.

Halsman helped to shape modern-day portrait photography. His images of Dali, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock broke the mold and encouraged photographers to collaborate with their subjects .

#16 Dorothea Lange | Migrant Mother | 1936

On assignment for the Resettlement Administration,  Dorothea Lange was tasked to capture the plight of those most affected by the Great Depression in 1936.

Lang tightly framed 32-year-old Thompson and her young children drawing the viewer into the pain and exhausting etched on her face which appears aged beyond her years.

Upon her return, Lange’s, now famous photograph, became the most iconic image of the 160,000 taken to document this desperate time.

The government acted upon seeing the suffering and sent 20,000 pounds of food.

#17 Eadweard Muybridge | The Horse in Motion | 1878

Embarking on a task to discover whether a horse takes flight when galloping. Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was commissioned by California governor Leland Stanford to prove his theory.

Muybridge developed a technique to capture the horse using an exposure lasting just a fraction of a second. He had 12 cameras lined up that were triggered to photograph in rapid succession by the galloping horse.

The series of images Muybridge captured didn’t just prove that a horse does indeed take flight. They also led the way for a new way of using photography with other technology to capture the truth.

This method led the way for the development of animation and motion pictures.

#18 W. Eugene Smith | Country Doctor | 1948

“I do not seek to possess my subject but rather to give myself to it,” W. Eugene Smith

Smith’s aim was to see the world from the perspective of his subjects and for the viewers looking at his work to do the same. This image is taken from his photo Essay “Country Doctor” was taken after Smith had spent 23 days with the subject.

Following the doctor around and really getting to know him, Smith was able to capture the essence of his subject through a single frame. This image and accompanying essay became a template for the form which many have emulated since.

But the image was part of the large photo essay which set a new standard for this genre of photography, photojournalism.

#19 Robert Capa | The Falling Soldier | 1936

Capa’s image of a Spanish militiaman being shot was taken without him ever looking through his viewfinder.

Captured by holding his camera above his head while in the trenches this image took war photography to a different level. Soon after, journalists began to be formally embedded into army units as their importance in capturing and documenting the horrors of war was realized.

#20 Harold Edgerton | Milk Drop Coronet | 1957

Electrical-engineering professor Edgerton began a series of experiments in his MIT lab, inventing a camera that would photograph a fleeting moment in the dark .

Combining high-tech strobe lighting and a camera shutter that would enable the photographer to capture a moment invisible to the naked eye. He set up a milk dropper next to a timer along with his camera.

His stop-motion photograph was able to freeze the impact of a drop of milk on a table and cemented photography’s importance in the world of advancing the human understanding of our physical world.

Keep studying

I want to remind you these are just 20 of the many really important images that have been created over the years. There are so many more significant photo and photographers, so I encourage you to continue reading and researching.

For starters, you can read about 12 Famous Portrait Photographers from History that You Need to Know and also 25 of the most famous photographers from the past who’ve taken the iconic photos you’re familiar with (or maybe not.)

Please share your favorite famous images in the comments below, and tell us how it’s significant and why it’s important to you.

About Darlene Hildebrandt

Darlene is an educator who teaches aspiring amateurs and hobbyists how to improve their skills through her articles here on Digital Photo Mentor, her beginner photography course , and private tutoring lessons . To help you at whatever level you're at she has two email mini-courses. Sign up for her free beginner OR portrait photography email mini-course . Or get both, no charge!

March 4, 2019 at 3:34 pm

what about the Apollo 8 photo of Earth, I feel that was a big one for the century

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How to Make a Photo Essay: 5 Tips for Impactful Results

A Post By: Christina N Dickson

Want to tell meaningful stories with your photos? That’s what a photo essay is all about: conveying concepts and narratives through a series of carefully chosen images.

While telling a story with photos can be a daunting task, there are several easy tips and techniques you can use in your photo essays to create striking, stunning, eye-opening results.

And that’s what I’m going to share in this article: five photo essay tips that you can immediately apply to your photography. You’ll leave as a better photo essayist than when you arrived!

Let’s get started.

What is a photo essay?

A photo essay is a collection of images placed in a specific order to convey certain emotions , specific concepts, or a progression of events.

In other words:

The photo essay tells stories just like a normal piece of writing , except with images instead of words. (Here, I’m using the term “story” loosely; as mentioned above, photo essays can encapsulate emotions or concepts in addition to traditional, time-based narratives.)

Plenty of world-class photojournalists use photo essays, including Lauren Greenfield, James Nachtwey, and Joachim Ladefoged. But the photo essay format isn’t exclusive to professionals, and photo essays don’t need to cover dramatic events such as wars, natural disasters, and social issues. Whether you are a complete beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional, the photo essay is a great way to bring your images to life, tell relevant stories about your own surroundings, and touch your family, friends, and coworkers.

So without further ado, let’s look at five easy tips to take your photo essays to the next level, starting with:

1. Find a topic you care about

Every good photo essay should start with an idea .

Otherwise, you’ll be shooting without a purpose – and while such an approach may eventually lead to an interesting series of photos, it’s far, far easier to begin with a topic and only then take out your camera.

As I emphasized above, a photo essay can be about anything. You don’t need to fixate on “classic” photo essay themes, such as war and poverty. Instead, you might focus on local issues that matter to you (think of problems plaguing your community). You can also think about interesting stories worth telling, even if they don’t have an activism angle.

For instance, is there an area undergoing major development? Try documenting the work from start to finish. Is there a particular park or nature area you love? Create a series of images that communicate its beauty.

One key item to remember:

Photo essays are most powerful when you, as the photographer, care about the subject. Whether you choose to document something major and public, like an environmental crisis, or whether you choose to document something small and intimate, like the first month of a newborn in the family, make sure you focus on a topic that matters to you .

Otherwise, you’ll struggle to finish the essay – and even if you do successfully complete it, viewers will likely notice your lack of passion.

2. Do your research

The best photo essays involve some real work. Don’t just walk around and shoot with abandon; instead, try to understand your subject.

That way, you can capture a more authentic series of photos.

For instance, if you document a newborn’s first month , spend time with the family. Discover who the parents are, what culture they are from, and their parenting philosophy.

If you cover the process of a school’s drama production, talk with the teachers, actors, and stagehands; investigate the general interest of the student body; find out how the school is financing the production and keeping costs down.

If you photograph a birthday party, check out the theme, the decorations they plan on using, what the birthday kid hopes to get for their gifts.

If you’re passionate about your topic, the research should come easy. You should enjoy learning the backstory.

And then, when it comes time to actually shoot, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the topic. You’ll know the key players in the story, the key ideas, and the key locations. You’ll be able to hone in on what matters and block out the flashy distractions.

Make sense?

3. Find the right angle

Once you’ve done your research, you’ll know your topic inside and out.

At which point you’ll need to ask yourself:

What is the real, authentic story I want to tell?

Every story has a hundred different angles and perspectives. And trying to share the story from every perspective is a recipe for failure.

Instead, pick a single angle and focus on it. If you’re documenting a local issue, do you want to focus on how it affects children? The physical area? The economy? If you’re documenting a newborn’s first month, do you want to focus on the interaction between the newborn and the parents? The growth of the newborn? The newborn’s emotions?

As you’ll find out during your research, even stories that seem to be completely one-sided have plenty of hidden perspectives to draw on.

So think about your story carefully. In general, I recommend you approach it from the angle you’re most passionate about (consider the previous tip!), but you’re always free to explore different perspectives.

4. Convey emotion

Not all photo essays must convey emotion. But the most powerful ones do.

After all, think of the stories that you know and love. Your favorite books, movies, and TV shows. Do they touch you on an emotional level?

Don’t get me wrong: Every photo essay shouldn’t cover a sappy, heartstring-tugging tale. You can always focus on conveying other emotions: anger, joy, fear, hurt, excitement.

(Of course, if your story is sappy and heartstring-tugging, that’s fine, too – just don’t force it!)

How do you convey emotions, though? There’s no one set way, but you can include photos of meaningful scenes – human interactions generally work well here! – or you can simply show emotion on the faces of your photographic subjects . Really, the best way to communicate emotions through your photos is to feel the emotions yourself; they’ll bleed over into your work for a unique result.

5. Plan your shots

Once you’ve done the research and determined the angle and emotions you’d like to convey, I recommend you sit down, take out a pen and paper, and plan your photo essay .

Should you extensively visualize each photo? Should you walk through the venue, imagining possible compositions ?

Honestly, that’s up to you, and it’ll depend on how you like to work. I do recommend that beginners start out by creating a “shot list” for the essay. Here, you should describe the main subject, the narrative purpose of the image, plus any lighting or composition notes. Once you become more experienced, you can be looser in your planning, though I still recommend you at least think about the different shots you want to capture.

You can start by planning 10 shots. Each one should emphasize a different concept or emotion, but make sure to keep a consistent thread running through every composition; after all, the end goal is to create a powerful series of images that tell a story.

One final tip:

While you should stick to your plan pretty closely, at least at first, don’t ignore the potential for spontaneity. If you see a possible shot, take it! You can later evaluate whether it’s a worthwhile addition to your essay.

Photo essay tips: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about what photo essays are, and – hopefully! – how to create a beautiful essay of your own.

Just remember: storytelling takes practice, but you don’t have to be an incredible writer to pull off a powerful photo essay. All you need is a bit of photographic technique, some creativity, and a lot of heart.

Once you start to tell stories with your photos, your portfolio will never be the same!

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for doing photo essays? Do you have any essays you’re proud of? Share them in the comments below!

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

is a visionary artist and philanthropist in Portland Oregon. Her work includes wedding photography www.BrideInspired.com and leadership with www.RevMediaBlog.com .

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The Most Influential Photojournalists of All Time You Should Know

In photojournalism, the photo is everything. It can either make or break a story, and these photos are some of the best in 2021. The photojournalists on this list have captured moments that will never be forgotten and changed history forever with their work. This article is all about photojournalists- who they are, what they do, and why it matters to our society today.

Table of Contents

Margaret Bourke-White

Margaret Bourke-White was one of the world’s first photojournalists. Her photojournalism career began in 1928, when she ventured into an industrial town to shoot a story on its factory conditions. She noticed that no female photojournalists had covered this type of story before, and as the only photojournalist at the time (other than her husband), she went back to New York City and pitched the idea to magazines. Bourke-White was able to rise quickly in her photojournalism career by building up a reputation for being tough and fearless, even when it came to capturing images of racism or anti-Semitism.

Margaret Bourke-White was a Pulitzer Prize winning American photographer and one of the first female photojournalists in America. She is best known for her photograph “Death on the Ganges”, taken during extreme flooding near Varanasi, India which would later be seen as symbolic of poverty around the world.

Margaret Bourke- White was an award-winning american journalist who took iconic photos that represented famine all over the globe and became one of few women to take actionable news photography at that time period when it had been largely dominated by men.

Margaret Bourke-White set out on an unlikely journey into photography and sociology, where she exposed racial inequality through her lens; thereby helping to shape American democracy for generations.

Robert Capa

Robert Capa is an iconic photojournalist with a photojournalism career spanning the better part of six decades and his work has been featured in Time, Life, and photojournalism magazine “Picture Post.” His photojournalistic style was shaped by the high-risk nature of photojournalism. Capa became famous for his photo “Falling Soldier” taken during the Spanish Civil War. The photo, which was published on the cover of LIFE magazine, depicts a Republican soldier who is about to be shot by a Fascist soldier. He was one of the first photographers to document warfare on this scale by capturing intimate moments between soldiers as they were firing guns or performing surgery under fire without any protection.

Robert Capa, photojournalist and co-founder of “Magnum Photos,” was known for his life on the battlefields capturing conflict in its most raw form – from World War II to Vietnam.

Dorothea Lange

Dorthea Lange was an American photojournalist who became known for her photojournalistic images of people, mostly from the Great Depression. Her photojournalism would help shape the social conscience of America during a time of poverty and economic crisis.

The Migrant Mother photo is one of her most famous photojournalism photography and depicts a mother of seven children at that time. Lange’s photo “Migrant Mother” was included in the inaugural exhibition curated by Philippe de Montebello titled “100 Photographs”. The photograph has become an icon capturing the hardships faced during the Great Depression.

Dorothea Lange was best known for her photojournalistic work with migrant communities in San Francisco. Lange’s photojournalistic work had a deep impact on social policy and the way Americans perceived economic inequality.

The photo “Migrant Mother” has become an iconic photojournalist as it symbolizes the hardships of those who suffered in this time period and is often used to represent migrant communities still today.

Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, Dorothea Lange – these three photojournalists have all contributed immensely to our society with their photojournalism photography that shaped how we view poverty around the world and helped us shape American democracy for generations. Their stories are just some of many examples of influential photojournalists you should know about!

Lynsey Addario

Lynsey Addario is one photojournalist who has captivated the photojournalism world with her photojournalistic photography. She was the first photojournalist granted access to observe life in Syria, and she continues to work within conflict zones. She is an accomplished photojournalist, best known for being a visual correspondent for The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic Magazine. Her photojournalism photography has taken her all over the world and she’s always on the ground, getting intimate moments captured that most photojournalists don’t get access to.

She has established herself as one of the most accomplished photojournalists of our time, through her photojournalistic photography capturing intimate moments, such as that of a Syrian woman holding up a photo of her son who had been killed in the conflict.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the most influential photojournalists of all time. He was a photojournalist during the 20th Century and his contributions to photojournalism have been undeniable. He is best known for his portraits of major cultural figures such as Gandhi, Picasso, and Coco Chanel.

He is considered the father of photojournalism, an art form that records social events as they unfold for use in publications like newspapers or magazines to provide information about what’s going on at these times.

Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the most important photographers in history: he pioneered photography by capturing moments while keeping them intact with their natural surroundings; his work helped shape modern visual culture because it has provided us with so much insight into our world from its earliest days.

W. Eugene Smith

Eugene Smith is considered the photojournalism pioneer. His photo series of a Kentucky coal miner and his family was the first photo essay of its kind in American photojournalism. Eugene Smith’s photo series on the people who died as a result of poverty and prejudice is one of his most influential photo essays. He has been published by Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Colliers, The Saturday Evening Post, and other top media outlets.

Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt is a photojournalist who was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1898. He came to New York City for the first time in 1938 and became a photojournalist here. He has created photo essays about children in Harlem, the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, and the life of Marilyn Monroe.

James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is a world renowned photographer who has captured some of the most powerful images of our time. Even though he’s been working for over five decades, his work still resonates with audiences today and will continue to do so in years to come.

James Nachtwey is a prominent American photographer. James has had the opportunity to capture images that document both war and humanitarian crises as well as more peaceful moments in human life, making him one of the most widely respected photojournalists alive today.

Mathew Brady

Mathew Brady, a photojournalist, was born in America and he is credited with taking the first photo of Abraham Lincoln.

Mathew Brady was one of the first photographers in America. He made his name as a photographer for capturing illustrations on film that many people were too afraid to put themselves into because they thought it would enslave them or make their lives worse than they already are.

Instead, Mathew captured images with dignity and respect–respecting those who participated in his artistry by providing an honest depiction of what life is like at this moment without glorifying anything but reality itself.

Carol Guzy is a photojournalist who first began her career with the Washington Post. Carol has received many awards for photojournalism, including the Pulitzer Prize. Some of her most iconic photo essays include photo series about the Vietnam War.

The photography of Carol Guzy can be found in many publications and libraries around the world. Starting out as an art major in college, Carol quickly found herself drawn to photography and became enamored with the camera’s ability to capture beauty that inspires other people. To this day she still works hard on every single photo shoot because “every frame tells its own story.”

Eddie Adams

Eddie Adams, a well-known late 20th century photographer and photojournalist enjoyed the work he did. He was said to always approach his subjects with an air of curiosity instead of fear or condescension. His photos are often seen as candid snapshots that freeze time in its most natural state without making any judgement on how things should be happening based solely on what is accepted by society at large.

His work has been featured prominently in major publications such as Time magazine and Vanity Fair for his journalistic photos that captured some sensational moments throughout history including war zones from Vietnam to Afghanistan.

Hansel Mieth

Hansel Mieth was one of the first photojournalists to try and make people aware of social issues. He used photojournalism to show the world how humans live in different countries and what they deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Hansel Mieth was known for his photojournalist work that dealt with social issues.

Eugene Smith’s photo series on the people who died as a result of poverty and prejudice is one of his most influential photo essays. He has been published by Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Colliers, The Saturday Evening Post, and other top media outlets.

Ron Haviv is an American photojournalist. He is best known for his photo essay on the Bosnian War which he appropriately titled ‘The War Against Bosnia’.

Ron Haviv is a photographer who has documented war, famine and violence in the most devastating places on earth.

Ron’s work reveals life as it really happens-the good times and bad; people living their lives with dignity amidst poverty and hardship; beauty amid deprivation of all sorts. Ron grew up in New York City during the height of American culture so he was always intrigued by what goes into producing images that have meaning to someone else beyond just him or her self -whether its magazine ads for example which are used every day without anyone realizing how complicated they are, or photographs from Eastern Europe taken decades ago documenting conditions before we knew about them.

Esther Bubley

Esther Bubley is a photojournalist who was born in 1921. She grew up in Czechoslovakia and her family eventually had to move to Paris during World War II because of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. She began taking photographs when she was twelve years old. When she tried to get them published, she was told that she needed an introduction letter from someone in photojournalism field, but none would write it for her. This pushed Bubley to apprentice under Henri Cartier-Bresson at Magnum Photos, where she became one of the first female photojournalists.

Don McCullin

Don McCullin is a renowned photojournalist who has been photographing for over 50 years.

Don McCullin, the famed British photographer and correspondent was born in 1935 to an engineering family from northern England. He began his career at 17 when he joined The North Western Evening Mail as their youngest ever staff reporter but quickly found photography more satisfying than reporting alone so switched careers almost immediately, working freelance with some of the world’s most prestigious magazines. He has been credited as one of the pioneers who brought photojournalism to its modern form through an exploration of significant social issues, especially war-related violence from conflicts such as Vietnam War.

Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry is a photojournalist who has had an immense impact on photojournalism. Steve McCurry found photojournalism to be more of a calling to him than simply a profession. This might explain why photojournalism is the only job that he’s done and how his work has been featured in National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Time Magazine.

Stephanie Sinclair

Stephanie Sinclair is a photojournalist who has focused on highlighting the issue of human trafficking. She started photojournalism to share people’s stories and in order to help bring awareness of photojournalism. Her work has been featured all over the world, including National Geographic, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair.

Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks is an American photographer and author. He first became famous for his photojournalism in Harlem, which he later published as a book titled “A Segregation Story”.

Gordon Parks was born on November 30th 1912 to parents of African-American and Native descent. To escape the racism that plagued their home town they moved from Oklahoma to Kansas City where Gordon attended school until highschool then finally moving again when deciding not pursue higher education at Tuskegee University because it lacked opportunities for photography students. This experience lead him into street photography capturing images documenting the lives of people living during what some call America’s golden age – 1920s through 1940s’ jazz era including civil rights movement leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Roy.

Jacob Riis was a photojournalist who had an immense impact on photojournalism. He got his start because he saw many immigrants and people living in poverty. He took photographs of tenements and slum areas within New York City for the New York Tribune. He would also capture candid photojournalism, which is photojournalism taken without someone’s knowledge. These photos were published in How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenement-Dwellers of New York (1890) .

She is a photojournalist who has been working with various photojournalism ventures. She began photojournalism as photojournalism career when she was only 16 years old. Ami Vitale has had an immense impact on photojournalism because she has helped to show people the impact that photojournalism can have on people’s lives and how it can help others.

Chris Hondros

Chris Hondros, photojournalist and photo editor of Getty Images, received wide recognition for his photo journalism in the war zone. He was born on March 15th 1962. He has won numerous awards and recognition for photojournalism projects such as the NPPA Robert Capa Gold Medal to name a few.

A professional cameraman and photojournalist, Chris Hondros was always striving to capture the best shot. “I’m all about getting there early so I can see what is going on in front of me before it actually happens,” he used to tell his colleagues at various magazines including Newsweek while discussing how important good research skills were for a photographer’s job.

Chris Hondros spent most of his career documenting wars abroad with an unflinching eye as one of many journalists who are supposed to cover these events without imposing their opinion upon them; only presenting the facts–such as when Saddam Hussein bombed Kurdish villages during the Gulf War or protesters being slaughtered by Serbian forces in Kosovo.

Susan Meiselas

The photographer, Susan Meiselas, is famous for her documentary work.

Susan Meiselas’ photography has been the subject of many documentaries and books documenting conflict in various parts of the world including Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Kurdistan and Rwanda.

Susan Meiselas is an American photographer who captured the social unrest of Central and South America during her time there.

Susan, a wildly talented artist from Brooklyn, was born with photography as one of her main passions – even at childhood she had used cameras to capture moments that otherwise would have gone unnoticed by others; like how quickly snow falls around your shoulders or the way sun bounces off leaves when you walk through it. This love for capturing living life on film led Susan to study art history before making big decisions about what direction she wanted take this talent into- documentary photography became a natural choice because it allowed for storytelling and picturing real people’s lives without altering them too much.

Her work in photography focuses on social issues such as poverty, gender inequality, human rights violations and environmental devastation.

Susan’s photographs focus on capturing people’s stories through their eyes to show how different cultures around the world live out every day life by documenting these communities with emotional honesty while using her own visual language that reflects both intuition and intellect for artistic expression

Walker Evans

The remarkably talented photographer, Walker Evans (1903-1975), was known for his iconic and beautifully composed black and white shots. His work is some of the most renowned in photography history – from street scenes to portraits of poor African American families living during The Great Depression.

He became famous for his photographs of everyday life during this time period by capturing ordinary details like people on sidewalks, store-fronts, or a movie theater billboard that would otherwise have been overlooked as “ordinary”.

Dickey Chapelle

Dickey Chapelle was a photojournalist who documented her experiences as a photojournalist. Dickey’s photojournalism mostly focused on documenting the culture of war, and her photojournalism has been referred to as “being one of the most momentous photojournalists of all time.”

Dickey Chapelle, a somewhat controversial figure in the field of journalism is best known for her time spent as a war correspondent during Vietnam War. Her photojournalist works ranged from documenting Vietnam War soldiers, women living in poverty, or prisoners on Death Row.

Roger Fenton

Roger Fenton is often credited as the first English photojournalist. His photojournalism is said to have a more naturalistic quality than photojournalism of the time, and his photojournalism focused on capturing images of everyday life in 19th-century England.

His photojournalism captured aspects of daily life that may not have otherwise been captured had he not been around to document it with his camera. Roger was also interested in capturing more emotional and social aspects of photojournalism as well – which has led to his photojournalism being hailed as some of the most important photojournalism ever taken because it captures a realistic interpretation of 19th-century England.

Lee Miller was born in 1907. She is best known for being a photojournalist and fashion model, but her first love was painting which she picked up as an art student at the Slade School of Fine Art when she began to take photographs on the side.

Lee Miller’s first aspirations were not that of photography: instead, she wanted to be a painter like many other artists who went through her school’s program during this time period (1920s).

Her photojournalism was best known for her photo-journalistic portrayal of the Third Reich. She was able to capture such an influential photojournalism by documenting life in Berlin and Munich before they were bombed during World War II- with a beautiful eye for photojournalism and realism.

Jessie Tarbox Beals

Jessie Tarbox Beals is an American photographer and artist who has been credited with being the first woman to create a major photographic chronicle of New York City.

Jessie’s photography showed her fascination by capturing life as she saw it: in motion, asymmetrical, sometimes off-kilter – but always magical. Jessie was never one for traditional subjects like landscapes or portraits because there were so many moments that expressed what art can be all about: theater from everyday lives; feelings frozen into pictures at their peak intensity; personality drawn out from objects seen close up rather than observed on some sort of stage set against a backdrop.

Charlotte Brooks

Charlotte Finkelstein Brooks was a pioneer for women in the photography industry. The only woman staff photographer at Look magazine, she became an international photojournalist and captured some of history’s most celebrated moments from her perspective as female.

Martha Holmes

Martha Holmes is a photojournalist who had photojournalism as her focus during World War II. Her photojournalism of the war in 1939 to 1945 is one of the most important photojournalism taken during this time period because it captures the photojournalism that wasn’t really seen or documented because she was a woman.

Her photojournalism ranged from capturing women living in poverty around London, the Blitz’s destruction, and German bombers. And she was able to capture these photojournalism with such authenticity because she was a woman and she was also a witness to some of these events happening.

Lauren Greenfield

Lauren Greenfield is a photojournalist who has photojournalism as her focus and is best known for photojournalism that captures the youth culture of the 90s era. Her photojournalism has been published in magazines like “Vogue”, “The New York Times Magazine”, and “Rolling Stone”.

Lauren’s photojournalism was a photojournalistic portrayal of modern times from her perspective. She wanted to show how young people in different cultures were growing up with such vastly different lifestyles because of globalization. Her photojournalisms explored human nature by exploring what people do with their lives, particularly wealthy youth who are living these seemingly perfect lives.

David Burnett

David Burnett is an American photographer known for his documentary style. He focuses on the people of America and their culture, as he captures them in moments that are seemingly mundane but beautiful all at once.

His photojournalism was a photo-journalistic portrayal of life in America during a time when many photojournalists were not allowed to enter the country and document what was happening.

His work from 1979 revolution in Iran are some of the most iconic pieces to this day and he is still celebrated for his great accomplishments as well as being recognized by many other publications.

Nina Leen was one of the photojournalists that I admired the most. Her photojournalism at the time wasn’t receiving much credit because she was a woman so her photojournalism became quite revolutionary and creative because she had to work harder to receive recognition.

Her photojournalism consisted of photo-journalistic portrayals of society, culture, and customs in the Soviet Union from 1928.

She took photojournalism in a variety of disciplines, which included photojournalistic portraits, photo-documentary photojournalisms, photo-reportage photojournalisms, social photo reportages and ethnographic photo reportages.

Her photojournalism had such creativity and beauty because she was capturing something that were really different.

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist and photo editor. He is known for his many projects in photojournalism and photo editing. One of the first photojournalists who dedicated his work to photojournalism, he has received two World Press Photo awards and two Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, among others. One of his most famous photographs was a photo from 1979 of then-Iranian president Ruhollah Khomeini as he was speaking in exile during the Iranian Revolution. The photo captures Khomeini’s face with an aurora borealis type glow on it because of the northern lights in the background and the backlight that was coming from behind him.

Marion Carpenter

Marion Carpenter was an influential photojournalist who is best known for her photojournalism about the Rwandan Genocide.

Marion Carpenter was born in England and is a photojournalist. She’s won awards from organizations like the Overseas Press Club, The World Press photo award, and the Robert Capa Gold medal.

David Douglas Duncan

I’m going to share with you a photojournalist that was one of the most influential photojournalists. His name is David Douglas Duncan, who was born in 1914. He spent time in the military, and he became a photojournalist during World War II. He became one of the most important photojournalists of that era through his work with magazines like LIFE and TIME.

John Dominis

John Dominis was born on June 27, 1921. He was an American photojournalist. John Dominis worked for LIFE Magazine and he photographed many events such as the aftermath of Hurricane Betsy and the 1964 Harlem Race riots.

Carolyn Cole

Carolyn Cole is a photojournalist based in Los Angeles, California. She has been on the photojournalism field for about 25 years now and has won many awards for her work. With photojournalism taking a turn for the worse from digital photojournalists as more people want to do it, she says that photojournalism is still a great job.

Brent Stirton

Brent Stirton is a photojournalist and filmmaker that has photographed some of the most intriguing photojournalistic pieces. His work has been published in multiple magazines including National Geographic, Newsweek, and Stern. He has been nominated for four World Press Photo awards and won one.

He has also done photojournalistic work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Gabon and Rwanda. Stirton’s most famous photo is a photo of rebel leader Laurent Nkunda taken on March 25th 2008 in North Kivu near Goma. It was featured on the cover of Time magazine and became controversial due to its publication date coinciding with Barack Obama’s inauguration as U.S President

Clifton C. Edom

Clifton C. Edom (February 12, 1907 – January 30, 1991) was an influential photojournalist who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Yale University and worked as a photojournalist for Associated Press, the “New York Post” and the “Chicago Tribune”.

Edom did much more than take photographs for publications; he promoted peace initiatives around the world and advocated action against apartheid through his photos that depicted life under terrible conditions in South

John H. White

John H. White photojournalist is a photojournalist who has covered the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967 for “The Akron Beacon Journal” and then, from 1969 to 1973, for “Time”.

He was born on March 18, 1945  in Lexington, NC.

It’s been reported that he retired in 1991.

White served as the photo editor for “The New York Times” before his retirement.

Frances Benjamin Johnston

Frances Benjamin Johnston was a photojournalist. She studied at the Alameda College of California and in 1895, she went to study photojournalism in Paris. In 1897, Johnston returned to San Francisco and set up her photo studio. Her photojournalism work focused on documenting the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.

Arthur Rothstein

Arthur Rothstein was an American photographer and photojournalist.

He is best known for his photographs of rural America during the Great Depression, including many images related to drought and dust storms in Texas or Iowa as well as sharecroppers’ children picking cotton on a Georgia plantation. He also photographed everyday life, especially social issues such as poverty housing conditions in Chicago slums; coal mining towns like Bear Creek Village near Birmingham; Indian celebrations at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; African-Americans working on chain gangs outside Jasper County Courthouse just before Christmas 1936 (allowing us to see how this type of work differed from laboring inside prison walls); tenant farmer families living with their pigs under one roof about 30 miles south of Montgomery Alabama.

Thérèse Bonney

Thérèse Bonney was a photojournalist. She was born in London, England but she later moved to France where she studied photojournalism. When she went back to England, she became an assistant editor for photo-magazines and photo-journals. Her photojournalism work focused on photographing people from different parts of the world as well as industrial sites.

Julien Bryan

Julien Bryan was a photojournalist and photo editor who worked with the staff of the photo agency Magnum. He became photo editor for LIFE magazine in 1947. The photo quality standards at this time were high because there were very few color photo reproductions at that time. Bryan, therefore, insisted on using color images as much as possible in order to make photo stories more visually appealing.

In his photoessay on the American West, Julien Bryan used color photography to capture scenes that were not typically depicted in black and white photographs. This photo sequence of Native Americans was a major example of Bryan’s use colors so as to avoid the typical stereotypes imposed by B&W photos (Bryan 1965).

One photojournalist who has had a significant impact on photojournalism is Matt Black. He is well known for his photo essays on human rights which were published in several established magazines. Black’s photo essays were published in magazines such as the “New York Times Magazine,” “Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone” and many others.

Black joined Magnum Photos agency after he met photographer David Hurn who was a member of this prestigious photojournalism agency for years. Black became an active photojournalist during the 1980s due to his involvement with human rights causes which led him to have photo essays that were published throughout several well-known publications. His work has been exhibited at galleries from London to Tokyo and from New York City to Los Angeles over the past few decades making it clear that Matt Black is one of the most influential photojournalists of all time you should know about.

Catherine Leroy

Catherine Leroy is a photojournalist who was born in the 20th century. She started photographing during the Second World War. Leroy’s photojournalism contains images that capture worlds and people that are hard to believe still exist today. These photos include many different types of cultures including India, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Africa.

Some photojournalists she regularly collaborated with include Michel Frizot, Antoine D’Agata and Raymond Depardon.

– Leroy’s photojournalism captures worlds that are hard to believe still exist today

– She is a photojournalist who was born in the 20th century

– Leroy started photographing during the Second World War and her photojournalism contains images of cultures from India, Afghanistan, Haiti, Africa. These photos capture many different types of cultures including people posing for pictures near statues on Easter Island or children playing soccer at dusk in rural Senegal

– Some photojournalists she has worked with before include Michel Frizot (editor), Antoine d’Agata and Raymond Depardon .

Wilson Hicks

Wilson Hicks is probably the photojournalist who has impacted me the most. He was part of LIFE magazine’s photo team in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and he was one of the first photojournalists to cover world news. His photojournalism work is still important today because he captured an important moment in history – I think he might be my favorite photojournalist of all time.

John Filo is one of the most influential photojournalists of all time. He, along with all photojournalists:

>take photographs that capture what is happening in the world in real time;

>have no political agenda and are not a part of any organization or corporation; >report on what they see and try to be as objective as possible.

This means photojournalists depend on various journalistic tools to get their message across, including writing, audio recordings, video and photos. Filo was born on September 8th 1949 in Baton Rouge Louisiana USA. As a photojournalist he travelled the world capturing pictures of remarkable events such as the war in El Salvador, civil rights demonstrations, and articles of rebellion in Africa.

David Seymour

David Seymour is one of the photojournalists in the world that have been most influential. He has worked for Reuters photo agency for about two decades. David Seymour’s photojournalism highlights an aspect of photojournalistic work that is not often seen.

He is able to take the photojournalistic photo that most people can’t imagine.

As photojournalists, we are always looking for new ways in which images might be made more powerful or more evocative – telling a story by virtue of what we leave out as much as what we put in. Seymour has achieved this through his use of light and shadow, often focusing on very personal subjects: children at play; women cooking over open fires; individuals living with disabilities who have been turned away from society. The result is photo-essays about life’s unexpected moments and pleasures: an elderly woman breastfeeding her grandson while he watches television (2005); villagers gathering around a makeshift soccer field lit only by candles (2012).

Dirck Halstead

Dirck Halstead is among the photojournalists that have a history of photojournalism. He has been a photojournalist for many years and has reached international acclaim. He was also photojournalist during the Vietnam War and captured some of the most famous images in photojournalism. He was born in  1936. The photojournalists’ work has been recognized and honored with more than 50 awards over his career in photojournalism.

Who is a famous photojournalist?

Dan Eldon is a photojournalist that focuses on the photojournalism of human rights.

Dirck Halstead, John Filo, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, and Dorothea Lange are also very famous.

Who Are the Most Famous Photographers of Today?

There are many photojournalists that do photojournalism today. But, there are some photojournalists that have been the most successful photojournalists of today.

* John Filo: photojournalist born on September eighth 1949 in Baton Rouge Louisiana USA. As a photojournalist he has travelled the world capturing pictures of remarkable events such as the war in El Salvador, civil rights demonstrations, and articles of rebellion in Africa.

John was also one of many photojournalists captured during the Vietnam War that later became recognized with more than fifty awards over his career for photojournalism;

* David Seymour: photojournalist who focuses on taking photos that are not always seen by most people. He is able to take images from different angles so they can be made into something special or evocative while telling their story–leaving out what might have been distracting. One example is when he took a photo of a young girl in the midst of playing with her mother;

* Dirck Halstead: photojournalist who has been recognized and honored for more than fifty awards over his career. He was also photojournalist during the Vietnam War and captured some of most famous images in photojournalism.

How Much Money Do Photojournalists Make?

Photojournalists can make between $7,000 and $200,000 a year. The photojournalist’s salary will depend largely on their employer, the photojournalist’s skillset, and how many photojournalists there are in that field.

What is the role of a photojournalist?

A photojournalist’s job is to take photo and video images which are used in photo and photo essay stories. They capture the world in photo and video images, telling stories visually with their work.

Photojournalists are often freelancers who sell photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution as stock photography. Others may be staff photojournalists who produce material on a contract basis for newspapers, books, major corporations, non-profit organizations etc., while others still are government employees working within nongovernmental offices of various sorts such as public relations departments of companies (such as those which make consumer products), hospitals or schools. Photojournalism is one more word associated with objective journalism – news without any opinionated commentary included by the writer other than that already expressed through the subjects portrayed in photographs or articles written about them.

What is an example of a photojournalism?

An example of photojournalism is photo essay stories that are taken by photojournalists. They capture the world in photo and photo essay stories, telling stories visually with their work. The photojournalist’s job is to take photo and video images which are used in photo and photo essay stories. Photojournalists are also often freelancers who sell photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution as stock photography. Others may be staff photojournalists who produce material on a contract basis for newspapers, books, major corporations, non-profit organizations etc., while others still are government employees working within nongovernmental offices of various sorts such as public relations departments of companies (such as those which make consumer products), hospitals or schools.

What is the daily life of a photojournalist like?

A photojournalist’s daily life is exciting and often unpredictable. Photojournalists can find themselves in dangerous situations, or have a photo opp turn up out of nowhere. They have to be prepared for anything at any time. They are constantly trying to capture the world through their lens and produce photo essay stories, photo essays which will tell the story visually.

Photojournalists also work with photo agencies and magazines that are distribution as stock photography so they may not know what images they will be capturing on any given day until the assignment has been made. Most photojournalists work on a freelance basis and sell photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution so they must be prepared for anything which may come up because this job is never dull and never routine.

Photojournalists also work with photo agencies and magazines that are distribution as stock photography so they may not know what images they will be capturing on any given day until the assignment has been made. Most photojournalists work on a freelance basis and sell photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution so they must be prepared for anything which may come up because this job is never dull and never routine. Photojournalism is one more word associated with objective journalism – news without any opinionated commentary included by the writer other than that already expressed through the subjects portrayed in photographs or articles written about them.

What advice would you give an aspiring photojournalist?

Advice I would give to someone who is interested in working as a photojournalist is to truly love photojournalism. This will help them stay motivated and driven when things get tough or assignments don’t turn out the way they wanted.

What’s the difference between a photojournalist and a photo editor?

A photo editor may not be capable of taking photos while photo journalists often work on their own but can also work for themselves by working with many different organizations, publications etc which need photography services such as photo editing, shooting video content, capturing live footage during an event etc. A photographer specializes in photographing people; whereas a photojournalist captures everything from celebrities posing at red carpet events to war zones across the world.

What is photojournalism?

The photojournalism is photo stories that are taken by photojournalists. They capture the world in photo and photo essay stories, telling stories visually with their work. The photojournalist’s job is to take photo and video images which are used in photo and photo essay stories. Photojournalists are also often freelancers who sell photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution as stock photography. Others may be staff photojournalists who produce material on a contract basis for newspapers, books, major corporations, non-profit organizations etc., while others still are government employees working within nongovernmental offices of various sorts such as public relations departments of companies (such as those which make consumer products), hospitals or schools.

What is the difference between a photographer and a photojournalist?

A photojournalist’s job is to photo and video images that are used in photojournalism. A photojournalist photo and video images which are used in photojournalism to tell stories visually. photojournalism photo essay stories which tell the story visually. A photo journalist may not be able to take photos but they work with many different organizations, publications etc. They often have a contract for freelance basis selling photos to photo agencies or magazines for distribution as stock photography while others may be staff photojournalists who produce material on a contract basis for newspapers, books, major corporations, or non-profit organizations etc.

What are biggest challenges for photojournalists today?

One photojournalist I spoke with said that she has had to take into consideration the safety of photojournalists when taking photojournalism photo stories. She no longer feels safe from photojournalism photo story assignments due to the recent deaths. She said that photojournalists often find themselves in dangerous situations where they are injured, harassed or even killed for trying to capture photo journalism photo stories.

How to survive as a photojournalist?

One photojournalist that has been able to establish a successful photojournalism career is James Nachtwey. He has made a name for himself by photographing events such as the devastation of September 11th, hunger and famine in Africa and the Balkans, and genocide in Rwanda. He starts his photojournalism career in 1967 as an intern with Time magazine and then becomes the youngest photographer on staff at Life magazine.

“To survive as a photojournalist,” Jacques advises you “should first master photography.” He also suggests that photojournalists should be able to handle heavy gear and be agile to get shots in difficult locations. Photojournalists should also have patience to deal with difficult people or work for long hours without complaint.

What are photojournalism ethics?

Photojournalism and photojournalists are usually seen as advocates of the oppressed by portraying an objective look at important issues in a way that just words cannot accomplish.The photojournalist may capture what they see through photography or work with video to document events. When photojournalism is practiced well it can be used as an effective tool for raising awareness on important issues.

What is probably the best film camera used by photojournalists?

I think that the best camera photojournalists use is the Canon 5D MK III.

What is photojournalism’s scope?

Photojournalism’s scope ranges from photo-souvenirs, photo-journalism etc.

What is the importance of photojournalism in society?

Photojournalism is a highly influential profession because photojournalists often develop work that can be used to best raise awareness for important issues

– photojournalists capture what they see through photography or work with video to document events which has the power of informing and educating society in ways that just words cannot accomplish

– the importance of photo journalism may also lie in its ability to advocate society’s oppressed groups–photography often crosses personal boundaries, thereby allowing humanity access into another person’s world without miscommunication or misinterpretation.

Who was one of the first photojournalists in history?

One photojournalist in history who is known for being one of the first photojournalists is Lewis Hine. One photo documentary that he made was called Changing child labor in America.

What are the challenges of photojournalism?

Challenges photojournalists often have to deal with are, photojournalism should never be used solely for the purposes of personal gain, photojournalism does not have boundaries and photojournalists need to be aware of the consequences that their actions could put on others.

How has photojournalism changed the world?

It is difficult to imagine modern society without the iconic images that have captured moments in history and preserved them for posterity.

The photojournalism industry has been around since long before cameras were even available but it only recently gained worldwide prominence with improving technology and easier access to recording devices like smartphones or video recorders. The world wide web as well made news accessible 24/7 making global events feel more personal than ever before.

Images are able to capture history in a way that no one will forget, and now they can be distributed globally with just an internet connection.

What are the best college textbooks in photojournalism?

On our ranking of the top four books for photography majors, we find that “The Complete Photographer” is the best among them.

What are some good ideas for a photojournalism project?

For those who love taking pictures on their phones–especially selfies–you might find it rewarding to document what is happening in front of them during different moments in time as these photos can serve as reminders about how they felt at certain periods throughout life.

What can you say about the evolution of photojournalism?

The evolution of photojournalism over the years has been a fascinating and challenging one. In an era where people have more access to cameras than ever before, it’s imperative that journalists be able to show their audience what they are looking at in ways both visually engaging and informative. One way this is accomplished through photography with images capturing moments from all different angles so we can see them for ourselves without having to place our trust blindly on someone else’s words or interpretation. Photojournalists not only tell stories but also document history as events unfold around us which puts pressure on these men/women who must make quick decisions when faced with dangerous situations while trying capture a perspective others may misinterpret if left unrepresented by photos taken during those crucial few seconds.

Ever since the invention of photography, photojournalism has become an essential part of journalism. It captures events in a present-day setting and brings them to life on film for readers around the world to understand what is happening as it unfolds before their eyes. In recent years, many have questioned if this form of reporting will change with advances made in technology that blur realty and virtual reality.

We’ve highlighted some of the most influential photojournalists in history to help you get inspired. Do any of these photographers sound familiar? If not, learn more about them and their work today! These are the people who have helped shape how we see the world through a lens. What will you change your photography perspective on after reading this article?

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Pictures That Tell Stories: Photo Essay Examples

Like any other type of artist, a photographer’s job is to tell a story through their pictures. While some of the most creative among us can invoke emotion or convey a thought with one single photo, the rest of us will rely on a photo essay.

In the following article, we’ll go into detail about what a photo essay is and how to craft one while providing some detailed photo essay examples.

What is a Photo Essay? 

A photo essay is a series of photographs that, when assembled in a particular order, tell a unique and compelling story. While some photographers choose only to use pictures in their presentations, others will incorporate captions, comments, or even full paragraphs of text to provide more exposition for the scene they are unfolding.

A photo essay is a well-established part of photojournalism and have been used for decades to present a variety of information to the reader. Some of the most famous photo essayists include Ansel Adams , W. Eugene Smith, and James Nachtwey. Of course, there are thousands of photo essay examples out there from which you can draw inspiration.

Why Consider Creating a Photo Essay?

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth 1000 words.” This adage is, for many photographers, reason enough to hold a photo essay in particularly high regard.

For others, a photo essay allow them to take pictures that are already interesting and construct intricate, emotionally-charged tales out of them. For all photographers, it is yet another skill they can master to become better at their craft.

As you might expect, the photo essay have had a long history of being associated with photojournalism. From the Great Depression to Civil Rights Marches and beyond, many compelling stories have been told through a combination of images and text, or photos alone. A photo essay often evokes an intense reaction, whether artistic in nature or designed to prove a socio-political point.

Below, we’ll list some famous photo essay samples to further illustrate the subject.

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Famous Photo Essays

“The Great Depression” by Dorothea Lange – Shot and arranged in the 1930s, this famous photo essay still serves as a stark reminder of The Great Depression and Dust Bowl America . Beautifully photographed, the black and white images offer a bleak insight to one of the country’s most difficult times.

“The Vietnam War” by Philip Jones Griffiths – Many artists consider the Griffiths’ photo essay works to be some of the most important records of the war in Vietnam. His photographs and great photo essays are particularly well-remembered for going against public opinion and showing the suffering of the “other side,” a novel concept when it came to war photography.

Various American Natural Sites by Ansel Adams – Adams bought the beauty of nature home to millions, photographing the American Southwest and places like Yosemite National Park in a way that made the photos seem huge, imposing, and beautiful.

“Everyday” by Noah Kalina – Is a series of photographs arranged into a video. This photo essay features daily photographs of the artist himself, who began taking capturing the images when he was 19 and continued to do so for six years.

“Signed, X” by Kate Ryan – This is a powerful photo essay put together to show the long-term effects of sexual violence and assault. This photo essay is special in that it remains ongoing, with more subjects being added every year.

Common Types of Photo Essays

While a photo essay do not have to conform to any specific format or design, there are two “umbrella terms” under which almost all genres of photo essays tend to fall. A photo essay is thematic and narrative. In the following section, we’ll give some details about the differences between the two types, and then cover some common genres used by many artists.

⬥ Thematic 

A thematic photo essay speak on a specific subject. For instance, numerous photo essays were put together in the 1930s to capture the ruin of The Great Depression. Though some of these presentations followed specific people or families, they mostly told the “story” of the entire event. There is much more freedom with a thematic photo essay, and you can utilize numerous locations and subjects. Text is less common with these types of presentations.

⬥ Narrative 

A narrative photo essay is much more specific than thematic essays, and they tend to tell a much more direct story. For instance, rather than show a number of scenes from a Great Depression Era town, the photographer might show the daily life of a person living in Dust Bowl America. There are few rules about how broad or narrow the scope needs to be, so photographers have endless creative freedom. These types of works frequently utilize text.

Common Photo Essay Genres

Walk a City – This photo essay is when you schedule a time to walk around a city, neighborhood, or natural site with the sole goal of taking photos. Usually thematic in nature, this type of photo essay allows you to capture a specific place, it’s energy, and its moods and then pass them along to others.

The Relationship Photo Essay – The interaction between families and loved ones if often a fascinating topic for a photo essay. This photo essay genre, in particular, gives photographers an excellent opportunity to capture complex emotions like love and abstract concepts like friendship. When paired with introspective text, the results can be quite stunning. 

The Timelapse Transformation Photo Essay – The goal of a transformation photo essay is to capture the way a subject changes over time. Some people take years or even decades putting together a transformation photo essay, with subjects ranging from people to buildings to trees to particular areas of a city.

Going Behind The Scenes Photo Essay – Many people are fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes of big events. Providing the photographer can get access; to an education photo essay can tell a very unique and compelling story to their viewers with this photo essay.

Photo Essay of a Special Event – There are always events and occasions going on that would make an interesting subject for a photo essay. Ideas for this photo essay include concerts, block parties, graduations, marches, and protests. Images from some of the latter were integral to the popularity of great photo essays.

The Daily Life Photo Essay – This type of photo essay often focus on a single subject and attempt to show “a day in the life” of that person or object through the photographs. This type of photo essay can be quite powerful depending on the subject matter and invoke many feelings in the people who view them.

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Photo Essay Ideas and Examples

One of the best ways to gain a better understanding of photo essays is to view some photo essay samples. If you take the time to study these executions in detail, you’ll see just how photo essays can make you a better photographer and offer you a better “voice” with which to speak to your audience.

Some of these photo essay ideas we’ve already touched on briefly, while others will be completely new to you. 

Cover a Protest or March  

Some of the best photo essay examples come from marches, protests, and other events associated with movements or socio-political statements. Such events allow you to take pictures of angry, happy, or otherwise empowered individuals in high-energy settings. The photo essay narrative can also be further enhanced by arriving early or staying long after the protest has ended to catch contrasting images. 

Photograph a Local Event  

Whether you know it or not, countless unique and interesting events are happening in and around your town this year. Such events provide photographers new opportunities to put together a compelling photo essay. From ethnic festivals to historical events to food and beverage celebrations, there are many different ways to capture and celebrate local life.

Visit an Abandoned Site or Building  

Old homes and historical sites are rich with detail and can sometimes appear dilapidated, overgrown by weeds, or broken down by time. These qualities make them a dynamic and exciting subject. Many great photo essay works of abandoned homes use a mix of far-away shots, close-ups, weird angles, and unique lighting. Such techniques help set a mood that the audience can feel through the photographic essay.

Chronicle a Pregnancy

Few photo essay topics could be more personal than telling the story of a pregnancy. Though this photo essay example can require some preparation and will take a lot of time, the results of a photographic essay like this are usually extremely emotionally-charged and touching. In some cases, photographers will continue the photo essay project as the child grows as well.

Photograph Unique Lifestyles  

People all over the world are embracing society’s changes in different ways. People live in vans or in “tiny houses,” living in the woods miles away from everyone else, and others are growing food on self-sustaining farms. Some of the best photo essay works have been born out of these new, inspiring movements.

Photograph Animals or Pets  

If you have a favorite animal (or one that you know very little about), you might want to arrange a way to see it up close and tell its story through images. You can take photos like this in a zoo or the animal’s natural habitat, depending on the type of animal you choose. Pets are another great topic for a photo essay and are among the most popular subjects for many photographers.

Show Body Positive Themes  

So much of modern photography is about showing the best looking, prettiest, or sexiest people at all times. Choosing a photo essay theme like body positivity, however, allows you to film a wide range of interesting-looking people from all walks of life.

Such a photo essay theme doesn’t just apply to women, as beauty can be found everywhere. As a photo essay photographer, it’s your job to find it!

Bring Social Issues to Life  

Some of the most impactful social photo essay examples are those where the photographer focuses on social issues. From discrimination to domestic violence to the injustices of the prison system, there are many ways that a creative photographer can highlight what’s wrong with the world. This type of photo essay can be incredibly powerful when paired with compelling subjects and some basic text.

Photograph Style and Fashion

If you live in or know of a particularly stylish locale or area, you can put together an excellent thematic photo essay by capturing impromptu shots of well-dressed people as they pass by. As with culture, style is easily identifiable and is as unifying as it is divisive. Great photo essay examples include people who’ve covered fashion sub-genres from all over the world, like urban hip hop or Japanese Visual Kei. 

Photograph Native Cultures and Traditions  

If you’ve ever opened up a copy of National Geographic, you’ve probably seen photo essay photos that fit this category. To many, the traditions, dress, religious ceremonies, and celebrations of native peoples and foreign cultures can be utterly captivating. For travel photographers, this photo essay is considered one of the best ways to tell a story with or without text.

Capture Seasonal Or Time Changes In A Landmark Photo Essay

Time-lapse photography is very compelling to most viewers. What they do in a few hours, however, others are doing over months, years, and even decades. If you know of an exciting landscape or scene, you can try to capture the same image in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, and put that all together into one landmark photo essay.

Alternatively, you can photograph something being lost or ravaged by time or weather. The subject of your landmark photo essay can be as simple as the wall of an old building or as complex as an old house in the woods being taken over by nature. As always, there are countless transformation-based landmark photo essay works from which you can draw inspiration.

Photograph Humanitarian Efforts or Charity  

Humanitarian efforts by groups like Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders can invoke a powerful response through even the simplest of photos. While it can be hard to put yourself in a position to get the images, there are countless photo essay examples to serve as inspiration for your photo essay project.

How to Create a Photo Essay

There is no singular way to create a photo essay. As it is, ultimately, and artistic expression of the photographer, there is no right, wrong, good, or bad. However, like all stories, some tell them well and those who do not. Luckily, as with all things, practice does make perfect. Below, we’ve listed some basic steps outlining how to create a photo essay

Steps To Create A Photo Essay

Choose Your Topic – While some photo essayists will be able to “happen upon” a photo story and turn it into something compelling, most will want to choose their photo essay topics ahead of time. While the genres listed above should provide a great starting place, it’s essential to understand that photo essay topics can cover any event or occasion and any span of time

Do Some Research – The next step to creating a photo essay is to do some basic research. Examples could include learning the history of the area you’re shooting or the background of the person you photograph. If you’re photographing a new event, consider learning the story behind it. Doing so will give you ideas on what to look for when you’re shooting.  

Make a Storyboard – Storyboards are incredibly useful tools when you’re still in the process of deciding what photo story you want to tell. By laying out your ideas shot by shot, or even doing rough illustrations of what you’re trying to capture, you can prepare your photo story before you head out to take your photos.

This process is especially important if you have little to no control over your chosen subject. People who are participating in a march or protest, for instance, aren’t going to wait for you to get in position before offering up the perfect shot. You need to know what you’re looking for and be prepared to get it.

Get the Right Images – If you have a shot list or storyboard, you’ll be well-prepared to take on your photo essay. Make sure you give yourself enough time (where applicable) and take plenty of photos, so you have a lot from which to choose. It would also be a good idea to explore the area, show up early, and stay late. You never know when an idea might strike you.

Assemble Your Story – Once you develop or organize your photos on your computer, you need to choose the pictures that tell the most compelling photo story or stories. You might also find some great images that don’t fit your photo story These can still find a place in your portfolio, however, or perhaps a completely different photo essay you create later.

Depending on the type of photographer you are, you might choose to crop or digitally edit some of your photos to enhance the emotions they invoke. Doing so is completely at your discretion, but worth considering if you feel you can improve upon the naked image.

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Best Photo Essays Tips And Tricks

Before you approach the art of photo essaying for the first time, you might want to consider with these photo essay examples some techniques, tips, and tricks that can make your session more fun and your final results more interesting. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice we could find on the subject of photo essays. 

⬥ Experiment All You Want 

You can, and should, plan your topic and your theme with as much attention to detail as possible. That said, some of the best photo essay examples come to us from photographers that got caught up in the moment and decided to experiment in different ways. Ideas for experimentation include the following: 

Angles – Citizen Kane is still revered today for the unique, dramatic angles used in the film. Though that was a motion picture and not photography, the same basic principles still apply. Don’t be afraid to photograph some different angles to see how they bring your subject to life in different ways.

Color – Some images have more gravitas in black in white or sepia tone. You can say the same for images that use color in an engaging, dynamic way. You always have room to experiment with color, both before and after the shoot.

Contrast – Dark and light, happy and sad, rich and poor – contrast is an instantly recognizable form of tension that you can easily include in your photo essay. In some cases, you can plan for dramatic contrasts. In other cases, you simply need to keep your eyes open.

Exposure Settings – You can play with light in terms of exposure as well, setting a number of different moods in the resulting photos. Some photographers even do random double exposures to create a photo essay that’s original.

Filters – There are endless post-production options available to photographers, particularly if they use digital cameras. Using different programs and apps, you can completely alter the look and feel of your image, changing it from warm to cool or altering dozens of different settings.

Want to never run out of natural & authentic poses? You need this ⬇️ 

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If you’re using traditional film instead of a digital camera, you’re going to want to stock up. Getting the right shots for a photo essay usually involves taking hundreds of images that will end up in the rubbish bin. Taking extra pictures you won’t use is just the nature of the photography process. Luckily, there’s nothing better than coming home to realize that you managed to capture that one, perfect photograph. 

⬥ Set the Scene 

You’re not just telling a story to your audience – you’re writing it as well. If the scene you want to capture doesn’t have the look you want, don’t be afraid to move things around until it does. While this doesn’t often apply to photographing events that you have no control over, you shouldn’t be afraid to take a second to make an OK shot a great shot. 

⬥ Capture Now, Edit Later 

Editing, cropping, and digital effects can add a lot of drama and artistic flair to your photos. That said, you shouldn’t waste time on a shoot, thinking about how you can edit it later. Instead, make sure you’re capturing everything that you want and not missing out on any unique pictures. If you need to make changes later, you’ll have plenty of time! 

⬥ Make It Fun 

As photographers, we know that taking pictures is part art, part skill, and part performance. If you want to take the best photo essays, you need to loosen up and have fun. Again, you’ll want to plan for your topic as best as you can, but don’t be afraid to lose yourself in the experience. Once you let yourself relax, both the ideas and the opportunities will manifest.

⬥ It’s All in The Details 

When someone puts out a photographic essay for an audience, that work usually gets analyzed with great attention to detail. You need to apply this same level of scrutiny to the shots you choose to include in your photo essay. If something is out of place or (in the case of historical work) out of time, you can bet the audience will notice.

⬥ Consider Adding Text

While it isn’t necessary, a photographic essay can be more powerful by the addition of text. This is especially true of images with an interesting background story that can’t be conveyed through the image alone. If you don’t feel up to the task of writing content, consider partnering with another artist and allowing them tor bring your work to life.

Final Thoughts 

The world is waiting to tell us story after story. Through the best photo essays, we can capture the elements of those stories and create a photo essay that can invoke a variety of emotions in our audience.

No matter the type of cameras we choose, the techniques we embrace, or the topics we select, what really matters is that the photos say something about the people, objects, and events that make our world wonderful.

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How to Create a Photo Essay in 9 Steps (with Examples)

Photo Editing & Creativity , Tutorials

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What is a photo essay?

• Photo essays vs photo stories
• How photo essays help you
• 9 Steps to create photo essays

How to share your photo essays

Read Time: 11 minutes

Gather up a handful of images that seem to go together, and voila! It’s a photo essay, right? Well… no. Though, this is a common misconception.

In reality, a photo essay is much more thoughtful and structured than that. When you take the time to craft one, you’re using skills from all facets of our craft – from composition to curation.

In this guide, you’ll learn what makes a photo essay an amazing project that stretches your skills. You’ll also learn exactly how to make one step by step.

• Photo essay vs photo story

A photo essay is a collection of images based around a theme, a topic, a creative approach, or an exploration of an idea. Photo essays balance visual variety with a cohesive style and concept.

What’s the difference between a photo essay and a photo story?

The terms photo essay and photo story are often used interchangeably. Even the dictionary definition of “photo essay” includes using images to convey either a theme or a story.

But in my experience, a photo essay and a photo story are two different things. As you delve into the field of visual storytelling, distinguishing between the two helps you to take a purposeful approach to what you’re making .

The differences ultimately lie in the distinctions between theme, topic and story.

Themes are big-picture concepts. Example: Wildness

Topics are more specific than themes, but still overarching. Example : Wild bears of Yellowstone National Park

Stories are specific instances or experiences that happen within, or provide an example for, a topic or theme. Example: A certain wild bear became habituated to tourists and was relocated to maintain its wildness

Unlike a theme or topic, a story has particular elements that make it a story. They include leading characters, a setting, a narrative arc, conflict, and (usually) resolution.

With that in mind, we can distingush between a photo essay and a photo story.

Themes and Topics vs Stories

A photo essay revolves around a topic, theme, idea, or concept. It visually explores a big-picture something .

This allows a good deal of artistic leeway where a photographer can express their vision, philosophies, opinions, or artistic expression as they create their images.

A photo story  is a portfolio of images that illustrate – you guessed it – a story.

Because of this, there are distinct types of images that a photo story uses that add to the understanding, insight, clarity and meaning to the story for viewers. While they can certainly be artistically crafted and visually stunning, photo stories document something happening, and rely on visual variety for capturing the full experience.

A photo essay doesn’t need to have the same level of structured variety that a photo story requires. It can have images that overlap or are similar, as they each explore various aspects of a theme.

Photo essays can be about any topic. If you live in a city, consider using your nature photography to make an essay about the wildlife that lives in your neighborhood . 

The role of text with photos

A photo story typically runs alongside text that narrates the story. We’re a visual species, and the images help us feel like we are there, experiencing what’s happening. So, the images add significant power to the text, but they’re often a partner to it.

This isn’t always the case, of course. Sometimes photo stories don’t need or use text. It’s like reading a graphic novel that doesn’t use text. Moving through the different images that build on each other ultimately unveils the narrative.

Photo essays don’t need to rely on text to illuminate the images’ theme or topic. The photographer may use captions (or even a text essay), or they may let the images speak for themselves.

Definitions are helpful guidelines (not strict rules)

Some people categorize photo essays as either narrative or thematic. That’s essentially just calling photo stories “narrative photo essays” and photo essays “thematic photo essays.”

But, a story is a defined thing, and any writer/editor will tell you themes and topics are not the same as stories. And we use the word “story” in our daily lives as it’s defined. So, it makes far more sense to name the difference between a photo essay and a photo story, and bask in the same clarity writers enjoy .

Photo stories illustrate a particular experience, event, narrative, something that happened or is happening.

Photo essays explore an idea, concept, topic, theme, creative approach, big-picture something .

Both photo essays and photo stories are immensely powerful visual tools. And yes, the differences between them can certainly be blurred, as is always the case with art.

Simply use this distinction as a general guideline, providing extra clarity around what you’re making and why you’re making it.

To dig into specific types of images used to create powerful photo stories, check out this training: 6 Must-Have Shots for a Photo Story. 

Meanwhile, let’s dig deeper into photo essays.

Capturing amazing wildlife photos requires not only passion and skill but also the right equipment.

This guide breaks down the best options so you can find the perfect camera for your specific needs , whether you're a beginner or pro.

Photo essays are a chance to try new styles or techniques that stretch your skills and creativity. This image was part of an essay exploring simplicity and shape, and helped me learn new skills in black and white post-processing.

How photo essays improve your photography

Creating photo essays is an amazing antidote if you’ve ever felt a lack of direction or purpose in your photography. Photo essays help build your photographic skills in at least 3 important ways.

1. You become more strategic in creating a body of work

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of photographing whatever pops up in front of you. And when you do, you end up with a collection of stand-alone shots.

These singles may work fine as a print, a quick Instagram post, or an addition to your gallery of shots on your website. But amassing a bunch of one-off shots limits your opportunities as a photographer for everything from exhibits to getting your work published.

Building photo essays pushes you to think strategically about what you photograph, why, and how. You’re working toward a particular deliverable – a cohesive visual essay – with the images you create.

This elevates your skills in crafting your photo essay, and in how you curate the rest of your work, from galleries on your website to selecting images to sell as prints .

2. You become more purposeful in your composition skills

Composition is so much more than just following the rule of thirds, golden spirals, or thinking about the angle of light in a shot.

Composition is also about thinking ahead in what you’re trying to accomplish with a photograph – from what you’re saying through it to its emotional impact on a viewer – and where it fits within a larger body of work.

Photo essays push you to think critically about each shot – from coming up with fresh compositions for familiar subjects, to devising surprising compositions to fit within a collection, to creating compositions that expand on what’s already in a photo essay.

You’re pushed beyond creating a single pleasing frame, which leads you to shoot more thoughtfully and proactively than ever.

(Here’s a podcast episode on switching from reactive shooting to proactive shooting .)

3. You develop strong editing and curation skills

Selecting which images stay, and which get left behind is one of the hardest jobs on a photographer’s to-do list. Mostly, it’s because of emotional attachment.

You might think it’s an amazing shot because you know the effort that went into capturing it. Or perhaps when you look at it, you get a twinge of the joy or exhilaration you felt the moment you captured it. There’s also the second-guessing that goes into which of two similar images is the best – which will people like more? So you’re tempted to just show both.

Ultimately, great photographers appear all the more skilled because they only show their best work. That in and of itself is a skill they’ve developed through years of ruthlessly editing their own work.

Because the most powerful photo essays only show a handful of extraordinary images, you’re bound to develop the very same critical skill (and look all the more talented because of it).

Photo essays are also a great stepping stone to creating photo stories. If you’re interested in moving beyond stand-alone shots and building stories, shooting photo essays will get your creative brain limbered up and ready for the adventure of photo stories.

A photo essay exploring the natural history of a favorite species is an exciting opportunity for an in-depth study. For me, that was a photo essay on emotive images of the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) as it hunts in streams. 

9 Simple steps to create your photo essays

1. clarify your theme.

Choose a theme, topic, or concept you want to explore. Spend some time getting crystal clear on what you want to focus on. It helps to write out a few sentences, or even a few paragraphs noting:

• What you want the essay to be about
• What kinds of images you want to create as part of it
• How you’ll photograph the images
• The style, techniques, or gear you might use to create your images
• What “success” looks like when you’re done with your photo essay

You don’t have to stick to what you write down, of course. It can change during the image creation process. But fleshing your idea out on paper goes a long way in clarifying your photo essay theme and how you’ll go about creating it.

2. Create your images

Grab your camera and head outside!

As you’re photographing your essay, allow yourself some freedom to experiment. Try unusual compositions or techniques that are new to you.

Stretch your style a little, or “try on” the style of other photographers you admire who have photographed similar subjects.

Photo essays are wonderful opportunities to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and grow as a photographer .

Remember that a photo essay is a visually cohesive collection of images that make sense together. So, while you might stretch yourself into new terrain as you shoot, try to keep that approach, style, or strategy consistent.

Don’t be afraid to create lots of images. It’s great to have lots to choose from in the editing process, which comes up next.

3. Pull together your wide edit

Once you’ve created your images, pull together all the images that might make the cut. This could be as many as 40-60 images. Include anything you want to consider for the final essay in the wide edit.

From here, start weeding out images that:

• are weaker in composition or subject matter
• stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the collection
• Are similar to other stronger images in the collection

It’s helpful to review the images at thumbnail size. You make more instinctive decisions and can more easily see the body of work as a whole. If an image is strong even at thumbnail size to stand out from similar frames while also partnering well with other images in the collection, that’s a good sign it’s strong enough for the essay.

4. Post-process your images for a cohesive look

Now it’s time to post-process the images. Use whatever editing software you’re comfortable with to polish your images.

Again, a photo essay has a cohesive visual look. If you use presets, filters, or other tools, use them across all the images.

5. Finalize your selection

It’s time to make the tough decisions. Select only the strongest for your photo essay from your group of images.

Each image should be strong enough to stand on its own and make sense as part of the whole group.

Many photo essays range from 8-12 images. But of course, it varies based on the essay. The number of images you have in your final photo essay is up to you.

Remember, less is more. A photo essay is most powerful when each image deserves to be included.

6. Put your images in a purposeful order

Create a visual flow with your images. Decide which image is first, and build from there. Use compositions, colors, and subject matter to decide which image goes next, then next, then next in the order.

Think of it like music: notes are arranged in a way that builds energy, or slows it down, surprise listeners with a new refrain, or drop into a familiar chorus. How the notes are ordered creates emotional arcs for listeners.

How you order your images is similar.

Think of the experience a viewer will have as they look at one image, then the next, and the next. Order your images so they create the experience you want your audience to have.

7. Get feedback

The best photographers make space for feedback, even when it’s tough to hear. Your work benefits from not just hearing feedback, but listening to it and applying what you learn from it.

Show your photo essay to people who have different sensibilities or tastes. Friends, family members, fellow photographers – anyone you trust to give you honest feedback.

Watch their reactions and hear what they say about what they’re seeing. Use their feedback to guide you in the next step.

8. Refine, revise, and finalize

Let your photo essay marinate for a little while. Take a day or two away from it. Then use your freshened eyes and the feedback you received from the previous step to refine your essay.

Swap out any selects you might want to change and reorder the images if needed.

9. Add captions

Even if you don’t plan on displaying captions with your images, captioning your images is a great practice to get into. It gives context, story, and important information to each image. And, more than likely, you will want to use these captions at some point when you share your photo essay, which we dive into later in this article.

Add captions to the image files using Lightroom, Bridge, or other software programs.

Create a document, such as a Google or Word doc, with captions for each image.

In your captions, share a bit about the story behind the image, or the creation process. Add whatever makes sense to share that provides a greater understanding of the image and its purpose.

Photo essays allow you to explore deliberate style choices, such as a focus on shapes, patterns, textures, and lines. Since each photo is part of a larger essay, it encourages you to be bold with choices you might not otherwise make. 

5 Examples of amazing nature photo essays

1. “how the water shapes us” from the nature conservancy.

This gorgeous essay, crafted with the work of multiple photographers, explores the people and places within the Mississippi River basin. Through the images, we gain a sense of how the water influences life from the headwater all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Notice how each photographer is tasked with the same theme, yet approaches it with their own distinct style and vision. It is a wonderful example of the sheer level of visual variety you can have while maintaining a consistent style or theme.

View it here

2. “A Cyclist on the English Landscape” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This photo essay is a series of self-portraits by travel photographer Roff Smith while “stuck” at home during the pandemic. As he peddled the roads making portraits, the project evolved into a “celebration of traveling at home”. It’s a great example of how visually consistent you can be inside a theme while making each image completely unique.

3. “Vermont, Dressed In Snow” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This essay by aerial photographer Caleb Kenna uses a very common photo essay theme: snow. Because all images are aerial photographs, there’s a consistency to them. Yet, the compositions are utterly unique from one another. It’s a great example of keeping viewers surprised as they move from one image to the next while still maintaining a clear focus on the theme.

4. “Starling-Studded Skies” from bioGraphic Magazine

This beautiful essay is by Kathryn Cooper, a physicist trained in bioinformatics, and a talented photographer. She used a 19th century photographic technique, chronophotography, to create images that give us a look at the art and science of starling murmurations. She states: “I’m interested in the transient moments when chaos briefly changes to order, and thousands of individual bodies appear to move as one.” This essay is a great example of deep exploration of a concept using a specific photographic technique.

View it here   (Note: must be viewed on desktop)

5. “These Scrappy Photos Capture the Action-Packed World Beneath a Bird Feeder” from Audubon Magazine

This photo essay from conservation photographer Carla Rhodes explores the wildlife that takes advantage of the bounty of food waiting under bird feeders . Using remote camera photography , Rhodes gives viewers a unique ground-level perspective and captures moments that make us feel like we’re in conversation with friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. This essay is a great example of how perspective, personality, and chance can all come into play as you explore both an idea and a technique.

25 Ideas for creative photo essays you can make

The possibilities for photo essays are truly endless – from the concepts you explore to the techniques you use and styles you apply.

Choose an idea, hone your unique perspective on it, then start applying the 9 simple steps from above. 

• The life of a plant or animal (your favorite species, a species living in your yard, etc)
• The many shapes of a single species (a tree species, a bird species, etc)
• How a place changes over time
• The various moods of a place
• A conservation issue you care about
• Math in nature
• Urban nature
• Seasonal changes
• Your yard as a space for nature
• Shifting climate and its impacts
• Human impacts on environments
• Elements: Water, wind, fire, earth
• Day in the life (of a person, a place, a stream, a tree…)
• Outdoor recreation (birding, kayaking, hiking, naturalist journaling…)
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Lunar cycles
• Sunlight and shadows
• Your local watershed
• Coexistence

As you zero in on a photo essay theme, consider two things: what most excites you about an idea, and what about it pushes you out of your comfort zone. The heady mix of joy and challenge will ensure you stick with it. 

Your photo essay is ready for the world! Decide how you’d like to make an impact with your work. You might use one or several of the options below.

1. Share it on your website

Create a gallery or a scrollytelling page on your website. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website where people can peruse your photo essay and the rest of the photography you have.

Putting it on your website and optimizing your images for SEO helps you build organic traffic and potentially be discovered by a broader audience, including photo editors.

2. Create a scrollytelling web page

If you enjoy the experience of immersive visual experiences, consider making one using your essay. And no, you don’t have to be a whiz at code to make it happen.

Shorthand helps you build web pages with scrollytelling techniques that make a big impression on viewers. Their free plan allows you to publish 3 essays or stories.

3. Create a Medium post

If you don’t have a website and want to keep things simple, a post on Medium is a great option.

Though it’s known for being a platform for bloggers, it’s also possible to add images to a post for a simple scroll.

And, because readers can discover and share posts, it’s a good place for your photos to get the attention of people who might not otherwise come across it.

4. Share it on Instagram

Instagram has changed a lot over the last couple of years, but it’s still a place for photographers to share their work thoughtfully.

There are at least 3 great ways to share your photo essay on the platform.

– Create a single post for each image. Add a caption. Publish one post per day until the full essay is on your feed. Share each post via Instagram Stories to bring more attention and interaction to your photo essay.

– Create a carousel post. You can add up 10 photos to a carousel post, so you may need to create two of them for your full photo essay. Or you might create a series of carousel posts using 3-4 images in each.

– Create a Reel featuring your images as a video.  The algorithm heavily favors reels, so turning your photo essay into a video experience can get it out to a larger audience.

I ran a “create a reel” challenge in my membership community. One member created a reel with her still images around a serious conservation issue. It gathered a ton of attention and landed her opportunities to share her message through YouTube and podcast interviews and publishing opportunities. Watch it here.

5. Exhibit it locally

Reach out to local galleries, cafes, pubs, or even the public library to see if they’re interested in hanging your photo essay for display. Many local businesses and organizations happily support the work of local artists.

6. Pitch your photo essay to publications

One of the best ways to reach an audience with your work is to get it published. Find publications that are a great fit for the theme and style of your photo essay, then pitch your essay for consideration. You gain a fantastic opportunity to share your work widely and can earn a paycheck at the same time.

Remember that if you want to get your photo essay published, you may want to hold back from sharing it publicly before you pitch it to publications.

5 Strategies to Find the Positive Angle In Every Conservation Photo Story

Photo Stories and Essays , Tutorials

  Training your brain to see the silver linings and solutions is essential in several ways, from engaging your audience to gaining the interest of editors.  If you've been watching the news pretty much at all over the past couple of months, you know there's...

How to Make Time for Photography (Even When Life Gets Busy)

Photography Business , Tutorials

  It's easy to let your creative time slip to the back burner... or slip off the stove entirely. This surprisingly powerful tool will help you both make time for your photography AND make great forward progress on your projects.  Contents Use timed focus...

How to Create Personal Narrative Photo Stories That Viewers LOVE

  Your personal perspective and experiences can be a powerful storytelling strategy. But there are ways to do it right (and wrong). Here are my top 3 tips for what to keep in mind when photographing a story that's your own personal narrative so that your story is...

6 Books That Forever Changed My Wildlife Conservation Photography

  From how you approach being in the field and scouting locations, to how you approach the stories you photograph and communicate conservation issues, these 6 books are the (unconventional) must-read list for every conservation photographer.  An...

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How to train your brain to see solutions in photo stories so that you can engage your audience and gain the interest of editors.

This surprisingly powerful tool will help you both make time for your photography AND make great forward progress on your projects.

If you do these 3 things, you’ll have a share-worthy story your viewers feel connected to and inspired by.

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Creating Photo Essays About Community: A Guide to Our Where We Are Contest

Step-by-step directions for depicting what’s memorable and meaningful about groups and the places where they gather.

By Katherine Schulten

It’s hard not to be inspired by the immersive 2023 photo-essay series Where We Are .

As you scroll through and are introduced to young female wrestlers in India , rappers in Spain , band kids in Ohio and Black debutantes in Detroit , you can’t help but think about the communities you have been a part of — or have noticed in your own neighborhood or school.

That’s why we hope you’ll participate in our contest , which invites teenagers to use these photo essays as mentor texts to document the local, offline communities that most interest them.

How do you go about that? The steps are outlined below.

How to Create Your Photo Essay

Step 1: read the where we are series closely..

• Step 2: Decide what local community will be the subject of your photo essay.
• Step 3: Take photos that show both the big picture and the small details.
• Step 4: Interview members of the community about why it is special.
• Step 5: Give your photo essay context via a short written introduction.
• Step 6: Write captions for your photos that give new information or add depth or color.
• Step 7: Edit all the pieces together and submit.

Immerse yourself in several of these photo essays, using our related activity sheet to help you start to notice and name some of the things that make this series special. You can do the same with our winner and runners-up from last year’s contest.

When you’re done, we’ll help you use those same strategies to document the community you have chosen.

Here are free links to the entire series:

1. The Magic of Your First Car 2. At This Mexican Restaurant, Everyone is Family 3. Where the Band Kids Are 4. In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own 5. At Camp Naru, Nobody Is ‘an Outlier’ 6. For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Cotillion Is More Than a Ball 7. At This Wrestling Academy, Indian Girls Are ‘Set Free’ 8. In Seville, Spain, These Young Rappers Come Together to Turn ‘Tears Into Rhymes’ 9. For a Queer Community in Los Angeles, This Public Park Is a Lifeline 10. In Guatemala, a Collective of Young Artists Finds Family Through Film 11. On a Caribbean Island, Young People Find Freedom in ‘Bike Life’ 12. At This Texas Campus Ministry, ‘Inclusive Love’ Is the Mission 13. For Young Arab Americans in Michigan, the Hookah Lounge Feels like Home

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5 Best Sites for Photo Essays and News in Pictures

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Take Dynamic Burst Photos on Android and iPhone Using These Tips

I got chatgpt to roast my instagram page, and it was glorious, how you can find out what's filling up your hard drive.

You know that you can read the news in a paper, listen to it on the radio, or watch it on TV. But not many know that you can also see what's happening around the world as photos or slideshows.

Journalistic photo essays have been around for some time now. Life magazine revolutionized this new style of consuming news and information. But now that Life has stopped, where should you go to see the news in an interesting new way ?

1. Time's LightBox for News, Life for Archives

Before we go further, you should know that all the archives of Life magazine's photo essays are available online. You can see them at Life.com , which is a subsidiary of Time magazine now.

Time itself has its own section for such photo essays, called LightBox . It's not always chronological, but it's always topical. The site covers everything from events like a mass shooting to journeys through different countries.

All the archives are completely free, and the site works well on both desktop and mobile. Have fun going through this one, especially the Life magazine portfolios. It's old, but it's still among the most intelligent content you can read today .

2. The Atlantic's In Focus

Photo editor Alan Taylor doesn't go out into the field himself. But he's an expert at picking gems from the works of others to tell a story. At The Atlantic , Taylor has access to several news agencies to construct these hand-curated essays.

The variety is mind-boggling. Taylor tells stories of war, of seasons, of travel, or disaster, of sports, of culture, and anything else he can think of. They are all large-sized photos that look good even on a high-resolution screen. Each picture also has its original caption. And there's a fullscreen slideshow option too. It's an immersive experience.

Taylor also collates the best photos in the news every week. It's a different way to catch up on what's happening across the world, as a single picture and a caption tells the story. In Focus is an excellent example of the quality you get when real humans curate content .

3. Boston Big Picture

Before In Focus , Alan Taylor started the Boston Big Picture photo blog at The Boston Globe . It has the same format, themes, and ideas. Some of the topical essays also repeat, but there is enough new stuff to visit both.

The original blog to support photojournalism, Big Picture continues to deliver quality updates every week. Again, you will get high-resolution photos that are highlighted above all else. Captions will tell you what you need to know about it.

A favorite is the "Globe Staff's best of the month" which marries photojournalism and street photography. It's the kind of blog that teaches you to be a great photographer , while still entertaining you.

4. Reuters Full Focus

In a time of fake news, for those who want trustworthy news through photos, turn to Reuters. The global news agency's dedicated page has striking photojournalism covering myriad topics.

The blog features both styles of web photo essays. Established photojournalists get single-topic essays of their own. Meanwhile, Reuters photo editors also create slideshows from the works of the entire team. This adds a lot of depth to coverage of areas like the conflict in the Middle East, or a disaster like the recent Hurricane Maria.

Like all the other sites, you can view a slideshow in fullscreen mode, or expand all images on a single web page. Fair warning, the site takes a long time to load, but it's worth it.

5. Al Jazeera's In Pictures

Even as a long-time fan of Alan Taylor, my personal favorite news photo blog today is Al Jazeera's In Pictures . It effortlessly combines news events and interesting non-news features.

As you probably know, Al Jazeera is a leading news site that prides itself on being independent and free of censorship . So such uncensored photos can sometimes be a little hard to stomach. Look out for warnings in case the pictures will be traumatic.

It is also the most regularly updated site among all these photo blogs. The gamut of topics is also wide and varied. Bookmark this one, you'll want to come back to it often.

Do You Read, Watch, or Listen to News?

The news is getting difficult to trust these days. It's almost like the onus is on you to fact-check and verify the news , not on the journalists themselves. Naturally, you will end up finding someone you trust and stick with them.

How do you prefer to get your news these days? Do you like to watch video clips on social networks, YouTube, or a proper news channel on TV? Are you a reader who relies on newspapers and websites? Or are you that rare radio and podcast listener?

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40 Best Essays of All Time (Including Links & Writing Tips)

I had little money (buying forty collections of essays was out of the question) so I’ve found them online instead. I’ve hacked through piles of them, and finally, I’ve found the great ones. Now I want to share the whole list with you (with the addition of my notes about writing). Each item on the list has a direct link to the essay, so please click away and indulge yourself. Also, next to each essay, there’s an image of the book that contains the original work.

About this essay list:

40 best essays of all time (with links and writing tips), 1. david sedaris – laugh, kookaburra.

A great family drama takes place against the backdrop of the Australian wilderness. And the Kookaburra laughs… This is one of the top essays of the lot. It’s a great mixture of family reminiscences, travel writing, and advice on what’s most important in life. You’ll also learn an awful lot about the curious culture of the Aussies.

Writing tips from the essay:

2. charles d’ambrosio – documents, 3. e. b. white – once more to the lake, 4. zadie smith – fail better, 5. virginia woolf – death of the moth, 6. meghan daum – my misspent youth, 7. roger ebert – go gentle into that good night, 8. george orwell – shooting an elephant, 9. george orwell – a hanging, 10. christopher hitchens – assassins of the mind, 11. christopher hitchens – the new commandments, 12. phillip lopate – against joie de vivre, 13. philip larkin – the pleasure principle, 14. sigmund freud – thoughts for the times on war and death, 15. zadie smith – some notes on attunement.

“You are privy to a great becoming, but you recognize nothing” – Francis Dolarhyde. This one is about the elusiveness of change occurring within you. For Zadie, it was hard to attune to the vibes of Joni Mitchell – especially her Blue album. But eventually, she grew up to appreciate her genius, and all the other things changed as well. This top essay is all about the relationship between humans, and art. We shouldn’t like art because we’re supposed to. We should like it because it has an instantaneous, emotional effect on us. Although, according to Stansfield (Gary Oldman) in Léon, liking Beethoven is rather mandatory.

16. Annie Dillard – Total Eclipse

17. édouard levé – when i look at a strawberry, i think of a tongue, 18. gloria e. anzaldúa – how to tame a wild tongue, 19. kurt vonnegut – dispatch from a man without a country, 20. mary ruefle – on fear.

Most psychologists and gurus agree that fear is the greatest enemy of success or any creative activity. It’s programmed into our minds to keep us away from imaginary harm. Mary Ruefle takes on this basic human emotion with flair. She explores fear from so many angles (especially in the world of poetry-writing) that at the end of this personal essay, you will look at it, dissect it, untangle it, and hopefully be able to say “f**k you” the next time your brain is trying to stop you.

21. Susan Sontag – Against Interpretation

22. nora ephron – a few words about breasts, 23. carl sagan – does truth matter – science, pseudoscience, and civilization, 24. paul graham – how to do what you love, 25. john jeremiah sullivan – mister lytle, 26. joan didion – on self respect, 27. susan sontag – notes on camp, 28. ralph waldo emerson – self-reliance, 29. david foster wallace – consider the lobster, 30. david foster wallace – the nature of the fun.

The famous novelist and author of the most powerful commencement speech ever done is going to tell you about the joys and sorrows of writing a work of fiction. It’s like taking care of a mutant child that constantly oozes smelly liquids. But you love that child and you want others to love it too. It’s a very humorous account of what it means to be an author. If you ever plan to write a novel, you should read that one. And the story about the Chinese farmer is just priceless.

31. Margaret Atwood – Attitude

32. jo ann beard – the fourth state of matter, 33. terence mckenna – tryptamine hallucinogens and consciousness, 34. eudora welty – the little store, 35. john mcphee – the search for marvin gardens.

The Search for Marvin Gardens contains many layers of meaning. It’s a story about a Monopoly championship, but also, it’s the author’s search for the lost streets visible on the board of the famous board game. It also presents a historical perspective on the rise and fall of civilizations, and on Atlantic City, which once was a lively place, and then, slowly declined, the streets filled with dirt and broken windows.

36. Maxine Hong Kingston – No Name Woman

37. joan didion – on keeping a notebook, 38. joan didion – goodbye to all that, 39. george orwell – reflections on gandhi, 40. george orwell – politics and the english language, other essays you may find interesting, oliver sacks – on libraries, noam chomsky – the responsibility of intellectuals, sam harris – the riddle of the gun.

Sam Harris, now a famous philosopher and neuroscientist, takes on the problem of gun control in the United States. His thoughts are clear of prejudice. After reading this, you’ll appreciate the value of logical discourse overheated, irrational debate that more often than not has real implications on policy.

Tim Ferriss – Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide

Edward said – reflections on exile, richard feynman – it’s as simple as one, two, three…, rabindranath tagore – the religion of the forest, richard dawkins – letter to his 10-year-old daughter.

Every father should be able to articulate his philosophy of life to his children. With this letter that’s similar to what you find in the Paris Review essays , the famed atheist and defender of reason, Richard Dawkins, does exactly that. It’s beautifully written and stresses the importance of looking at evidence when we’re trying to make sense of the world.

Albert Camus – The Minotaur (or, The Stop In Oran)

Koty neelis – 21 incredible life lessons from anthony bourdain, lucius annaeus seneca – on the shortness of life, bertrand russell – in praise of idleness, james baldwin – stranger in the village.

It’s an essay on the author’s experiences as an African-American in a Swiss village, exploring race, identity, and alienation while highlighting the complexities of racial dynamics and the quest for belonging.

Bonus – More writing tips from two great books

The sense of style – by steven pinker, on writing well – by william zinsser, now immerse yourself in the world of essays, rafal reyzer.

Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

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My mom never stopped smiling when things were hard. I learned it's a leadership superpower.

• Growing up, my mom was always smiling.
• She was always looking at life with the glass is half-full mentality.
• As a lawyer, I now see the power of a big smile.

My mom's positivity is pervasive. When I was a teenager, my parents took my sister and me on a backpacking canoe trip in the Adirondacks. It wasn't the sort of thing we did often, and our heavy canoe was difficult to carry through the necessary portages. On one particularly steep, weed-riddled stretch, Mom struggled with Dad to get the canoe over the hill. Every time they set it down for a break, she'd shake her head, smile, laugh a little, then continue onward until the canoe was back in the water.

That's how I meet challenges today, but growing up, I didn't always appreciate Mom's glass-is-always-half-full attitude . I wanted to be a successful leader, and to be a leader, especially as a woman, I knew I needed to be taken seriously.

Though I didn't put much stock in smiling or laughing , Mom passed those traits on to me without my intention.

When I smiled too much, I worried my other skills would be overlooked

"Good at smiling" isn't the sort of thing that goes on a résumé , and I long dismissed its value, even as I smiled and laughed through college, then law school, and then climbed the ranks of a multinational corporate law firm.

The first time I recognized the power of a smile in a professional setting was my sophomore year in college, when a business professor said, "I really appreciate how you always come to class with a smile." At the time, happy wasn't a word I'd use to describe myself. But he was right. I smiled and laughed a lot.

Yet, more often than compliments, my tendency toward smiling caused others to overlook and even dismiss my other credentials.

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When I was offered a position at a prestigious law firm, my then-boyfriend said, "Of course you got the job; you have an attractive smile." He said nothing about my other qualifications, like graduating magna cum laude   from Georgetown University or being at the top of my class at Columbia Law School. No, it was just about the smile, and he was an echo of what I heard from the larger culture: Don't smile too much, or your other skills and talents will be overlooked.

I learned smiling was an undervalued leadership superpower

While practicing corporate law, staying calm amid high stakes and demanding deadlines was a crucial skill. But it wasn't until a senior partner told me my smile put him and clients at ease, that I recognized how my ability to stay calm stemmed from the way my mother modeled positivity by smiling in the face of challenge.

Whether I was presenting to the Department of Justice, managing a team of over 100 lawyers, or responding to an urgent client request, smiling enabled me to do the job more effectively.

It wasn't just how the positive energy calmed others, but perhaps more importantly, how it calmed me, too. Smiling enabled me to stay present and attentive during many frenzied moments at the office. Indeed, science supports this. A study found that smiling reduces the body's reaction to stress .

My mother's smile not only carried me through some of life's most difficult moments but enabled me to find success in a demanding, high-stakes career. From the vantage point of age, I now understand that an ability to smile and laugh often, when combined with hard work and intelligence, makes for a powerful leader.

Watch: Authenticity to oneself and one's brand are they keys to success, says Aba Blankson, CMO of NAACP

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