What is a picture story?

A photo story is the intentional use of pictures and words assembled into a story. One of the best ways you can tell a photo story is in a photo book. To better understand what a photo story is, it can be helpful to understand what a photo story is not.

In photography, visual storytelling is often called a ‘photo essay‘ or ‘photo story’, to convey one single message. 

How do you create a picture story?

Questions are the best way to elicit a decent plan for your pictures to tell a proper story. Here are some of our favorites:

• What is your story’s goal?
• What genre does it fit within?
• Who are the key characters? How can you gain their trust?
• What research do you need to do on your subject or location?
• How much time do you have?
• What level of access do you have?
• What equipment and props do you need?
• When and where are you going?
• What lighting and weather will you need to prep for?
• What’s the arc of your story? How will you capture the beginning, middle, and end?
• How will you share your story? What medium will you use?

Examples of picture story’s

In 1948, it was commissioned by Life Magazine, Smith spent 23- days with Dr. Ernest Ceriani and produced a photo essay about Colorado’s country doctor.

Eugene Smith’s at-times almost unsettlingly intimate pictures illustrate in poignant detail the challenges faced by a modest, tireless rural physician—and gradually reveal the inner workings and the outer trappings of what is clearly a uniquely rewarding life.

Another Example

Afghanistan by Simon Nor flock. Simon Norfolk is a Nigerian landscape photographer from Lagos whose work mainly focuses on the nature of battlefields and conflict zones in their various forms. The war in Afghanistan has been going on for nearly 30 years now and because of this the landscape has been very much changed by the conflicts over this long period of time. This 12 picture series is one chapter in a continuous project Norfolk has been creating which attempts to understand how war and the need to fight war has shaped our world. The project also explores how daily life is influenced by military conflict through the technology we use and films we watch for example.

My Plan

I want to create a more informal photobook, but also one that is more relatable. My plan is to make one about teenage life and teenage culture, and also include the historical context of Jersey. For example I would like too make a mini book promoting Jersey and Jerseys teenagers, since there is a lot of superstition about them being so evil.