“Media on the Street”: Photo
Essay
What is a Photo Essay?
A photo essay is a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a
series of emotions in the viewer. A photo essay will often show pictures in deep emotional
stages. Photo essays range from purely photographic works to photographs with captions or
small notes to full text essays with a few or many accompanying photographs. Photo essays
can be sequential in nature, intended to be viewed in a particular order, or they may consist of
non-ordered photographs, which may be viewed all at once or in an order chosen by the
viewer. Newspapers and magazines often have multi-page photo essays about significant
events, both good and bad, such as a sports championship or a natural disaster.
Types of Photo Essays:
A book or other complete publication.
A web page or portion of a website.
A single montage or collage of photographic images, with text or other additions, intended to
be viewed both as a whole and as individual photographs. Such a work may also fall in the
category of mixed media.
An art show which is staged at a particular time and location. Some such shows often fall in
the category of installation art.
A slide show or similar presentation, possibly with spoken text, which could be delivered on
slides, on DVD, or on a website.
In fashion publishing especially, a photo editorial- an editorial- style article dominated by or
entirely consisting of a series of thematic photographs.
Sample Photo Essays
Time Magazine: “What the World Eats”
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html
UNICEF Photo Essays: http://www.unicef.org/photoessays/indez-pe.html
NY Times Photo Essay: “Where Children Sleep”
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/where-children-sleep/
Assignment
Create a Photo Essay using four or more images to convey a concept, emotion, or story of how
the media has affected your subject. Under each image, write a brief caption of the image’s
significance to reinforce theme / narrative. Essentially, “tell” a story by “showing” images.
Once you have completed the visual component of your Photo Essay, write a 500-word
reflection on the significance of your photos to your main idea / theme. The trick is to be as
creative as you can with this; the quality of the photographs will not be judged, but the
concept behind each image and the thematic connections will be evaluated. If you are
transferring images from the computer, they must be printed and handed in as a hard copy.
Criteria for Photo Essay
Your photo essay must include:
1. Four or more photographs depicting a concept based on the connection between life
and the media.
2. Each image must have a caption that explains the connection between the photo and
the concept you have chosen.
3. The photo essay must be handed in as a hard copy along with a 500 word reflection
detailing:
-Why the images you chose are significant to your concept
-How the images connect to the media and society
Responsibility
Organization
Independent
Work
Initiative
Collaboration
Self- Regulation
E G S N Completes and submits work according to
agreed timelines.
E G S N Photographs are readily available to begin
task.
E G S N Uses class time appropriately to complete
tasks
E G S N Demonstrates curiosity and interest in
assignment.
E G S N Utilizes knowledge of peers to assist when
necessary.
E G S N Stays on task and sets guidelines for oneself.
“Media on the Street”: Photo Essay Evaluation Checklist
Please ensure that your assignment covers the following requirements:
Knowledge: /10
 Demonstrates knowledge of the task
 Demonstrates knowledge of how images connect to the media and its environment
Thinking:
/10
 Use the critical/ creative thinking processes effectively
 Expresses knowledge of image analysis through a detailed reflection
Application:
/10
 Makes connections between each image and overall concept/theme
 Effectively demonstrates knowledge of media’s integration to public/private life
Communication:
/10
 Uses conventions such as spelling and grammar effectively
 Images communicate message to the intended audience with considerable
effectiveness