Concepts to Create a Photo Essay
As the old, cliché saying goes, “a photograph speaks a thousand words.” That statement cannot be more accurate when it comes to a photo essay. In this article, we share concepts to create a photo essay.
The great thing about a photo essay is that it allows you to express emotions and thoughts through an image, whichever way you want. You may take a random photo of some street corner in your area and open it for interpretation.
Creating a photo essay isn’t as difficult as you may think. But if you happen to be stumped for ideas, here are five concepts to help you create a photo essay.
Capture a street event
The streets around your neighborhood is always an excellent place to start when it comes to creating your photo essay. You can always tell stories by taking pictures of the people involved, or what may be happening behind the scenes.
These events can be as loud as an ongoing protest, or as peaceful and festive as a food bazaar. Whatever’s going on down there, try to capture the atmosphere of the entire event.
Feel free to play around with composition and the perspectives you use to add a touch of creativity to your shots.
Take a photo of the same location every day
Pretty sure, you have that favorite spot down the street from your apartment. Perhaps a go-to hangout spot outside a local coffee shop. If you’ve seen enough of these places day by day, you’ll be able to see how things change from yesterday to today and tomorrow.
But the next time you hang around, have your camera with you and snap away. You’ll notice how easy it is to make a photo essay out of the photos you take as each day passes for an entire week.
The fun part here is looking back from day one until the final day and seeing how each one dramatically differs from the other.
Take before and after pictures
Before and after photos are always a fun project to do. It can be tracking a diet from day one to day 30, or the No Shave November dare for men. Whatever it is, it’s always to see people evolve from one look to another in a given period.
For your next photo essay idea, collect all of these images and compile them into an album. But feel free to go beyond just people and take photos of objects and places as well.
These little photo evolutions can also serve as a mini time capsule to capture these memories with.
Go Behind the Scenes
It’s always interesting to see what’s happening behind the scenes of a particular presentation. That may be a fashion show, a Broadway play, or a television show. What goes on behind those cameras or curtains is always a subject of curiosity.
If you’ve managed to secure yourself a backstage pass, try dropping by the dressing room of that night’s main act. You’ll likely find a lot of compelling images to capture.
But if you’ll do so, try not to be the obnoxious photographer, acting like a paparazzo. Remember, being a photographer for such events is a privilege, not a right.
Visit a rundown place
From the outside, an old building will seem creepy and eerie, just by looking at it. But there are a lot of stories behind this dilapidated structure that’s likely been erected since World War II.
Just by taking a photo of an old, neglected church, for example, you’ll be able to formulate a lot of stories. That alone helps drum up the curiosity behind the place, which makes for a great subject.
Since we discussed concepts on creating photos, I tagged in an article titled “What Is Conceptual Photography: 16 Inspiring Examples” written by Taya Ivanova. This article provides you different ideas to try while exploring different concepts and that can definitely help out.
Be sure to read up on other articles found in our blogsite! We’ve highlighted one of our articles titled “Succeed in the 365 Photo Challenge Through These Tips”. Be sure to check it out!
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