Cover image by Taylor Dorrell, from his photo essay .


Because each publication and media outlet has their own set of guidelines, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what rules photojournalists have to follow when creating photo stories. Still, in general, you can assume that these guidelines are on the stricter side to maintain the integrity of the photos.
Photo story, or photo essay, means presenting a story or essay primarily through images. Of course, many of photo stories have written elements that help narrate the story. And, individual images may even have captions that give more in-depth information or context to that photo. The Portraits: Your photo essay should include at least one portrait. Capturing an emotional expression or telling action shot can effectively humanize your story. These photos often evoke strong emotions and empathy in the viewer (whether it is a positive and enthusiastic emotion, or a sympathetic and concerned emotion.) The Lead Photo: Similar to the first two sentences of a newspaper article, your lead photo should effectively draw in your audience. This is usually the most difficult photo to choose and should follow the theme of your essay. It could be an emotional portrait or an action shot, but ultimately it should provoke the curiosity of the viewer. By including a variety of types of photos in your essay, you will ensure that it is both interesting and informative. The following types of photos, presented together, can create a successful photo essay. Not only is it important to choose powerful photos, but also to present them in an effective order. While the order of some photos (e.g. the lead photo, and the clincher) is set, the order of most types of photos in your essay is your preference. There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. The narrative essay tells a story through a sequence of events or actions. They may follow an individual or activity over a period of time and present this story in chronological order. A thematic photo essay focuses on a central theme (e.g. homelessness, the environment, etc.) and presents photos relevant to that theme.
Regardless of what type of photo essay you choose to present, the following elements should be considered during its creation: If you have doubts about the way how to write a picture analysis essay, we can say that it is absolutely up to you and depends on your own style of writing. At any rate, what you need is to practice your imagination, and to collect the necessary information. Then your will have value and impact.

Another photographer who's essay's I like is Dennis Stock.

A photo story, or photo essay, is a means of visual storytelling. Photojournalists use photo stories to narrate a series of images so that they give better insight into an event or topic. These essays range from photos of an event that describe what happened, to long term or long-form stories following things like wars and elections.

Let’s look at some of the key shots in a photo essay.

After reading this tutorial, we hope that you’ll feel comfortable creating your own photo stories that reflect both your photography and your interests. Creating a photo story is a learning process, so you’ll also develop skills you can use in other areas of your photo work. You’ll learn more about what images work well together, how to space your photos, and when to give more context to your photos.

My copies of Life magazine with W. Eugene Smith photo essays.

What is a photo story? Photojournalists create photo stories to share their editorial or journalistic work. These standalone documentary photography pieces are a great tool to capture readers’ attention, especially in today’s visual world. How does a photojournalist create their own photo story?

Examples of photo essays include:

A photo essay (as well as a written essay) is simply an attempt. And attempts aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be genuine, honest, and direct:

Create a meaningful set of images by producing a photo essay or story

I like the idea of being flexible with your photo essays. Choose and select the photos you best feel convey your emotional and aesthetic mindset:

Here are some of the key elements of a photographic essay:

So, in a nutshell, curating a photo essay is an adventure filled with tough decisions and creative choices. It's about selecting the images that align with the narrative, even if it means leaving behind some of your favorite shots. But when the final result emerges, it's a breathtaking and rewarding experience for both the photographer and those who engage with the essay. I hope this essay imbues you with even a small version of the same feeling of human connection and joy it gave me to document.