The ability to tell a story in photographs is a valuable skill for both casual amateurs and professional photojournalists alike. While staged and contrived photo stories of real-life subject matter are generally discouraged, you will create a fictional story that must stand on its own merits as a story. This exercise is designed to get you thinking about the elements of a photo narrative.
Readings and Resources
Jonathan’s Battle, by Michael Schwartz
Instructions
For this assignment, you will work together in groups of four to produce a photographic story. The following guidelines and procedures apply:
- You must use exactly eight photographs to tell your story–no more, no less. Of course, you can take as many pictures as you’d like and choose what you feel are your best shots. In fact, it’s recommended that you take a wide variety of shots.
- Each person in the group should contribute at least one photograph to the story.
- You must use the LIFE Magazine formula for a photo story:
- Introductory shot
- Medium shot
- Close-up
- Portrait
- Interaction shot
- Signature shot
- Clincher
- You do not have to represent all of the photo types outlined in the LIFE Magazine formula, but you should use enough to effectively tell the story.
- The story should have a beginning, middle, and end. It should portray a rise to a climax and resolution based on our discussion of Freytag’s Pyramid and the Fitchean Curve concepts used in written narratives.
- Each photograph should be above-average to excellent photographic quality.
- The photos should be inserted in proper narrative sequence into a Microsoft Movie Maker presentation.
- The title slide should be clear, easy to read and include the title of the photo story and the names of each person in your group.
- Be creative. Your ultimate goal is to tell an engaging visual story.
Evaluation
TBA
