Grade 11 – Photography Summative Assignment (10% of final mark)
Teacher: Mr. Murray Name of Student: _________________________
Date Due: on or before ___________________
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED
Description: Photo Essay & Photojournalism
W. Eugene Smith, Life magazine photographer and photoessayist, said, "The essay is relationships
between photos. One must develop an awareness of the relationships, instead of just taking
pictures. A person can go out and take pictures forever, and still never be able to unite, or bring
together, these photos into a single theme, unless they have thought about the entire story or
essay. The photos must be related -- one photograph says something about the subject; the next
may amplify on that subject, or may add its own dimension to the subject."
What is a photo essay?
Creating a photo essay is a combination of art and journalism. As with a written essay, the elements of a
photo essay should be structured in a way that easily conveys a story to the viewer. Each individual photo
contributes to the overall story, theme, and emotions of the essay. The photos you choose must not only
be compositionally and artistically strong, but also informative and educational. Finding photos that
have both qualities can be very challenging, but the result can be very powerful.
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:
1) The story- Your essay should be able to stand alone, without a written article,
and make logical sense to the viewer.
2) A range of photos: A variety of photos (wide angle, detailed, portraits etc.) should be included.
Think about what the main photo would be.
3) The order of the photos: It is important that the order of your photos effectively tell a story,
in an interesting and logical sequence.
4) Information and emotion: Your photos should include both informational and emotional photos.
Those essays that effectively evoke emotion while providing information tend to convey their
messages the best.
5) Captions: In a photo essay, captions are your best opportunity to describe what is happening in
words and ensure that the viewer understands. Include informational content in these
captions if necessary.
Your photographic essay must tell a story. Like a National Geographic story or a magazine story this must
contain pictures and written material as well as captions. It can be about a person, place or a thing.
