Photo EssaY: Life in Hong Kong
What is a Photo Essay?
A photo-essay (or photographic essay) is a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. A photo essay will often show pictures in deep emotional stages. Photo essays range from purely photographic works to photographs with captions or small notes to full text essays with a few or many accompanying photographs. Photo essays can be sequential in nature, intended to be viewed in a particular order, or they may consist of non-ordered photographs which may be viewed all at once or in an order chosen by the viewer.
‘Trapped’ by Benny Lam
Develop Visual Literacy
Review the image below and then answer the questions that follow. In doing so it will give you a greater understanding of the image and help you plan photos for your own photo essay.
- Where did your eye go first? Then where? Write about why this happened.
- Would you describe the picture as simple or busy? How does this affect the journey your eye took in question 1?
- Look harder at the photograph. List some of the details you might not have noticed at first. Include information about people, placesand nature, including the climate or the weather.
- How do the answers to question 3 help you know where and when the photograph might have been taken? What do they tell you about the people in the photograph?
- What can’t you see or would you like to see to have a better concept or understanding of what is happening in the photo?
- Where is the photographer? Is he or she above, below or at the same level as the subject of the picture? Is he or she near or far away? What kind of information do you get because of these things? What kind of information might you get if the photographer were closer up or further away?
- Keeping all these things in mind, if you had to write a caption, which expressed in one or two sentences what this picture is about, what would you say?
- In your opinion, why did the photographer want you to see this picture?
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Taken from http://newdeal.feri.org/classrm/partr2.htm
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Review other photo essays
You will spend 20 minutes now reviewing a series of Photo Essays on various topics relating to Hong Kong. Write down some key things about the photos. Use the questions below to guide you
Hong Kong Photography EssaysStill need some ideas then check these out
- Why is this photo essay so effective?
- What is the message that the photographer is trying to get across with these images?
- How has the photographer captured the true nature of what is going on?
- What rules of composition have you recognised in the images?
Hong Kong Photography EssaysStill need some ideas then check these out
What are the social issues that exist in Hong Kong?
You are going to create a spider diagram of all the issues that you could look at when undertaking a social awareness photo essay on Hong Kong.
These could be:
Spend some time researching all the issues that the people of Hong Kong face.
These could be:
- Social or Personal issues that you or a family member may face on a daily basis;
- Environmental issues that Hong Kong is linked to in some way;
- Economical Issues that are faced by its population;
- Political issues we face in Hong Kong.
Spend some time researching all the issues that the people of Hong Kong face.
Photo Essay Tips
A photo essay isn’t simply for photojournalists however. Every human being is drawn to stories. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, the photo essay is a brilliant way to bring your images to life.
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Review the PPT below and the tips opposite in order that you start thinking about a theme and structure for your photographic essay. Remember this is a project that will be ongoing for several months and will ultimately form the basis of our exhibition.
Photo Essay Outline from RCB78 Once you have come up with a theme that you would like to study on your photo essay, start to complete the photographic essay template below. Remember planning is key to a successful project. You wouldn't just rush out and write an important essay without planning so why do this when doing a photographic essay!
Above taken and adapted from Natalia Delgado at www.slideshare.net
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Taken from Christina N Dickson blog on Tips for a Photo Essay
Photo Essay Fun