Major forms of photography include single photos, picture groups, sequences, series, and photo essays. Photo essays allow photographers to explore stories in more depth than single photos by depicting concepts or themes over longer periods of time with multiple related photos and a personal viewpoint. Effective picture stories include 4+ photos accompanied by text to tell about a subject, with all photos relating to each other and the broader story. Photographers are advised to thoroughly research and document subjects to effectively capture and sequence photos that clearly and cohesively tell the story.

1. Major forms
Single picture, picture groups, picture
sequences, picture series and photo essays
or picture stories
- give photographers an opportunity to explore in depth the “why”
in a story as well as the “what” and “where”

2. The single picture
 Make sure that you have one image that sums things up
– that tells what happened in one picture
 The basic unit of U.S. newspapers is STILL the single
storytelling photograph with accompanying captions.
 How to get it:
 PJ’s are always scan scenes, particularly news
scenes, with a keen and inquiring eye.
 Look at what first appears to be the most important
aspect of the scene. Then look elsewhere to make sure
it is what it appears to be.

3. The picture group
 Picture groups – two or more pictures about the same
subject published together – can communicate more
information than individual pictures can.
 Require less space than a photo essays and picture
stories
 The distant view anchors the group and puts it in
geographic perspective, a medium view sums up details
and a close view shows important aspects lots in distant
images.
 Sometimes, picture groups convey information to
readers more effectively than if the pictures were
published separately.

4. Picture sequences
 A series of pictures about the same subject taken
from the same position within a few seconds of each
other.
 Taken in about one second
 You can take multiple pictures per second

5. Picture series
 Series are taken sequentially over a longer period of
time than picture sequences and without regard to
the photographer’s position.
 Tell the broader story than a picture sequence but
more restricted story than a picture group.

6. Photo essays and picture
stories
 More in-depth typically than other forms
 More than 10 pictures
 Usually taken over a longer period of time: weeks,
months, years
 Depict concepts of themes: truth, poverty, pollution
 Include the photographer’s personal view as an
integral past of the essay
 You must develop a keen sense of what is going on, its
importance, and the ability to relate each image to the
others accompanying it.

7. Picture stories
 At least 4 photos, used together with text blocks or longer word stories*
 One advantage is that you can write the text for the picture story
 Tell about a single subject or some aspect of it –usually done in relatively
short period of time: days or hours
 Can appear in the newspaper and in special sections
 All the photos must relate to each other
 Ideas come from:
 Personal knowledge
 Minor and major stories in newspapers and magazines
 Press releases
 TV, online and radio
 Friends, relatives and acquaintances

8. How to prepare for picture
stories:
 Be familiar with the subject before you leave the
house
 Set aside a day or half a day to shoot: complete
coverage demands time to do things right
 If the subject is inherently visually exciting, you
may only need a short text block of captions
 If not, a longer story to accompany the pictures if
best

9. Arriving to your scene:
 Your job is to remove the mask by making the
subject feel comfortable.
 A laid-back attitude of “you’re important and I am
here to listen to you, find out about you and what
you do” can help.
 A rushed photograph stands little chance of making
a subject feel comfortable and getting through to
who they really are
 So, genuine interest in people is essential

10. At the scene:
 When you first arrive, the walk-around is
essential, so forget about taking pictures for now.
 Let people talk about themselves and show you –
you can use your recorder now if you ask
permission.
 Walk-around allows the subject to become familiar
with you.
 Get your “color” here: what the subject and place
look like, smell, act.. Find specific picture situations
here.

11. After the walk-around
 Suggest a break. Don’t ask for anything other than
water.
 Talk in-depth with the subject during the break.
Always be alert for little tidbits that will allow you
to tell a story that readers can become involved in.
 Readers need to see what you saw, feel what you
felt, learn what you learned.
 You’re almost ready to take pictures!

12. Shoot!
 Shoot horizontals and verticals of the same scene
 Record at least one establishing image
 Include long, medium, close up images
 Record small details with close ups
 Cropping should be done BEFORE you shoot
 Do not spend so much time on one situation that you cannot
cover others adequately.
 Allow time for caption gathering – complete and in-depth
caption information is a must!
 Don’t be afraid to interrupt your shooting if the subject says
something that would make a good quote.

13. How to digest after
shooting picture stories:
 Choosing a lede: every picture story needs an “eye
burner” or anchor that brings the reader into the page.
 Three different photo story types: news, sports and
feature
 News – lede photo is informational and includes strong
dramatic or emotional aspects
 Sports – image of a turning point or includes powerful
emotions
 Feature – more creative lede photo but usually person is not
recognizable – very few faces are so interesting to tell a
subject’s whole story - so the selection of the lede is
critically important
 Go for the most storytelling photo available, which ideally
contains an emotion-provoking element
 Portraits work best in picture stories as complementary
photos

14. Selection process
 Complementary photos are 3-5 images that are not
the lede but help tell the story.
 Picture stories must have a beginning, a middle and
an end, varied depths and content.
 The geographical placement of photos on the page
can add to the readers’ perception of “beginning
and end”
 The lede most often serves as the middle photo

15. Selection process
 The beginning photo is informational and
straightforward. The purpose is to add information not
included in the eye burner lede photo.
 The middle photos make up the meat of the story and
can contain any type of image known in PJ. The only rule
is that they must add dimension to the story.
 The ender should make the reader feel a sense of
completion or the end of a cycle or event. Try to stay
away from the obvious – sunsets, stop signs, etc. – Go for
thought provoking

16. Selection process
 The more detail an image has – the more size it
needs to visually communicate its information
 You will have likely end up with a bunch of
photographs that don’t have any more news value
than the other.
 So, try to consider the images from the reader’s
POV and try to give them something that they have
not seen before

17. Designing
 The reader should be able to follow the story without
interference from the design – it’s impossible to get more than
6 photos attractively on a page
 Never have two pictures on the same page that “say” the same
thing
 Typically: one main image, played large and toward the
middle of the page, with other pictures played smaller.
 A detail shot – tight close up of an object or a body part, such
as face or hands, is required
 Captions appear beneath each picture or in one or more
groups near the related images.
 White space, which is an area of the page without design
elements, is a design element itself.

18. See
 http://www.storiestoldbythecamera.com/?p=2593
 http://www.patrickfallonphoto.com/2011/02/06/
picture-story-design-layout-exercise/
 http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/photography/
 http://photobyeve.blogspot.com/2011/02/picture-
story-3-editing-practice.html
 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5114929/ns/mult
imedia-news_photos/

19. Photo essays
 Eugene W. Smith published a photo book about mercury
pollution in a Japanese fishing village (1975)
 http://www.magnumphotos.com/Catalogue/W-Eugene--
Smith/1971/JAPAN-Minamata-Mercury-poisoning-1971-
1975-NN144972.html
 Donna Ferratos’ 1991 book about domestic violence against
women
 http://emuseum.icp.org/view/objects/aslist/People$0040
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