5. In 1968, photographer
Bill Cunningham began
“Facades,” a project
that involved posing
models in front of New
York City architectural
landmarks, with the
playful twist that models
would be wearing
clothes of the same era
as the construction of
the landmark. Fellow
photographer, Editta
Sherman, who was also
Cunningham's
neighbor, posed in
many of the photos.
6.
7. Editta Sherman poses in a period costume in front of the Gothic
Bridge in Central Park, which was designed in 1860. The bridge gets
its name from the Gothic Cathedral style curves of the ironwork.
8.
9. Editta Sherman rides the
subway dressed in a
Victorian period costume to
a photo shoot at the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden in
1972. Cunningham and
Sherman, a celebrity
photographer of famous
artists and musicians who
died at age 101 last year,
were neighbors in the
famous Carnegie Hall
Studios. They often rode
the subway to the various
locations to avoid wrinkling
the costumes. The first
underground subway line
was built in 1904, just a few
years after the death of
Queen Victoria in 1901.
10. Editta Sherman
wearing a costume
ca. 1910, poses in
front of Federal Hall,
which was built ca.
1842, in New York.
11. Editta Sherman
poses in front of St.
Paul’s Chapel and
Churchyard, which
was built ca.
1766-96, in New
York.
14. While love of the game is a plus,
the more important survival tip is
knowing the rules of the game.
15. Some Types of Photo Essays
1. Event
2. Day-In-The-Life
3. Where-Is-It-Now
4. Environmental
5. Individual Profile
6. Group Profile
7. Organization Profile
16. Event
1. Definition: Create a visual narrative for a
singular event
2. Early Bird: Arrive before everyone else to
capture the “ghost” shot
3. Last to Go: Leave last to capture the “echo”
shot –– what’s left?
4. Ins/Outs: Go behind the scenes and give
everything a face
5. Look Around: Imagine where an event
spectator’s eyes might
18. Day-in-the-Life
1. Definition: Chronicle the life/vocation of a
group or individual over the course of a day
2. Shadow: Stay close and capture her/her
every move
3. MTV: Imagine you run the camera for a
hokey reality show on MTV
22. Environmental
1. Definition: Feature a local environment
2. Architecture: Capture pretty buildings
3. People: Photograph people
4. Both: You know…get ‘em together
23. Environmental Examples
1. People of Walmart
2. Wall Street after the stock market closes
3. A local street corner that’s become overly
busy because of an ill-placed light
4. The Los Angeles River
5. Bridge to Nowhere
24. Profiles
1. Definition: Feature an individual or group
(like a band) in certain environments
2. Day-In-The-Life: Sometimes profile them
over the course of a day
3. It Takes Time: Most of the time, an effective
profile-style photo essay will take more than
a day; the good shots don’t come easily
25. Profiles Examples
1. Going on the road with a rock band
2. Photographing a doctor’s interactions with
patients over a certain period of time
3. Going behind the scenes with a filmmaker
4. Chronicling a popular athlete’s routines, on
and off the field
26. Company Profiles
1. Definition: Capture the internal dealings and
cultural significance of an organization
2. Impact: How, for example, might a food
kitchen influence its surroundings?
3. People: Always locate and favor the human
element in any story
28. When determining a worthy photo
essay topic, always remember the
importance of news values.
29. A photo essay is like a written one:
you always need focus.
30. In groups of 3 or 4, brainstorm
topics, and then ask yourself:
‣ How well does this idea fit the goal of
producing a double page spread photo
essay?
‣ How might the parameters of the proposal be
adjusted to make the product more powerful
or the project more manageable?
‣ What are two photos that might be used tell
this story?
31. Next, come up with one question
you have for the entire class about
how to achieve the results you’re
envisioning.
‣ The problem could be logistical, technical, or
aesthetic.
‣ You may need to describe one or more of the
projects briefly to the rest of the class in order
for us to understand your question.
32. Poynter’s 5 Shots
1. The Scene Setter
2. The Medium Shot
3. The Portrait
4. Capturing Detail
5. Capturing Action
38. Story Structure
1. Intro: How will you hook the audience with
your work?
2. Body: Consider the variety of shots required
to grab the audience
3. Climax: What shot(s) best exemplifies your
entire photo essay?
4. Conclusion: What’s the final shot?
43. Exercise
1. Develop a 5-shot photo essay right now (I
imagine “Thursday night life” might be a
popular topic)
2. Go outside and make it happen
3. GO!
