Resources for Photoessays

Photoessays attempt to communicate a message about a subject without using any text.  Thus, the composition of individual photographs must work together with the strategic arrangement of photographs to create meaning.  Following are a list of resources you can draw on for creating photoessays.

Readings

• Lindsay Kolowich, Phone Photography 101: How to Take Good Pictures With Your Phone
• Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics, “Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter” (pdf, ELMS) – This chapter explains the six different modes of transitions between images that help send different messages to the viewer.

Examples

• CNN, 25 of the Most Iconic Photographs
• TIME Lightbox has a recurring collection of the best photoessays of each month.
• Co-Design, “The 22 Best Photo Essays of 2015”

Photo Editing Software

• Photoshop is available to download for free by UMD students as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud package in TerpWare
• Pixlr has free web and mobile apps for using layers, adjusting color, transforming objects, and using filters and overlays.