Photo Essay
Juxtapose photos to tell a unique story.
A photo essay is a set of photographs shown in a specific sequence in order to explore a theme, tell a story, or evoke an emotional response. It can take the form of a published book, a feature in a paper magazine, an art gallery exhibit, or a web page. In this project you will use 6-12 twelve photos to tell a unique story, which you explain in a brief narrative and share online.
- Photography
Learning Goals
After you finish this activity you will be able to:
- Plan a photo essay using a shot list
- Write concise captions that complement your photos
- Produce well-composed photos that are sharp and well lit
- Demonstrate respect for privacy by obtaining photo releases
- Assignment Rubric
Instructions
Follow these steps to complete the project.
To track your progress, click each step as you finish.
Get inspired
An excellent first step in creating any media work is to examine exemplary works of the same type. Make a list for yourself of what makes these examples strong and inspiring.
Don't skip this step!
Tame your tools
By growing your skills in the tools used in any project, you save yourself time and produce stronger work.
Create a folder to store project resources
When beginning a new media project, it's best to organize your resources in a single location.
Alternate File Storage You may also organize your documents in cloud storage, such as Box or Google Drive .
Choose a topic and research it
The research phase will help you clearly identify and focus your photo essay around a single topic.
Google Image Search Image Repositories There are many other image repositories online offering free strock images, including Pixabay , Unsplash , and Pexels . ">
Example | Chinese New Year festival
Google Search
Prepare for your photo shoot.
Now that you have researched your topic, you will prepare for your photo shoot by creating a Story Outline and Shot List , and obtaining Signed Releases from anyone you will record. You will also gather your equipment and any props you will need.
Conduct the photoshoot
Now that you have planned and prepared well for your photoshoot, you will travel to your planned locations and conduct the shoot. If do use a phone or mobile device, you may wish to review these Tips for taking great photos with your phone .
Select and caption your photos
In this step, you will select, edit and caption the photos from your photoshoot to include in your essay.
Create and title a new Adobe Spark project
Now that you've written your script and gathered your edited and captioned images, you're ready to create your photo essay on the Adobe Spark platform.
Add photos to your photo essay
In this step you'll add the photos that make up the story (main content) of your photo essay.
× Use 'Photo' Option Only Do not choose the 'photo grid', 'slideshow', or 'split layout' options.
Preview and share your photo essay
After you've finished adding photos, you'll perform a final review of your photo essay and share it to the cloud.
Congratulations!
You've grown your multimedia literacy while creating cool things! Well done, you!
You might consider nominating work you are proud of to the Remix Project Showcase !
Walkthrough
Watch a walkthrough for this project.
Get Inspired
Explore examples of similar projects.
- H[U.S.]TLE Cindy Giron
- behiND the scenes Adriana Maria Perez
- Journey on Foot Across the Nepal Himalaya Lizzy
- An Immigrant's Dream for a Better Life David Gonzalez
- A Photo Essay on the Great Depression Modern American Poetry
- Life on London's First AIDS Ward Excerpted from The Ward by Gideon Mendel
Tame Your Tools
Master the skills used in this project.
- Adobe Spark Tutorial
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a paid service. However, as a faculty, staff, or student at Notre Dame you are eligible for free access. For more information, see our FAQ on LinkedIn Learning
Adobe Spark Accounts
When creating an Adobe Spark account, users who do not already have an Adobe ID should log in under their Notre Dame account by selecting:
Continue with Google
- Compiling an Engaging Photo Essay Rachel Bartlett
- Phone Photography 101: How to Take Good Pictures With Your Phone Lindsay Kolowich
Notre Dame has many helpful resources, including our Media Corps coaching staff , located in the Hesburgh Library.
Give Feedback
Remix is continually evolving. Please help us improve by providing feedback on this project or any other feature of Remix.
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