Building on my first article in this new series of photo essays I’ve begun to think more about what makes a makes a compelling photo essay.
I dug deep into the archives and I found these images of a Lithuanian migrant I met many years ago in London who had come to the UK in search of work, but had fallen on hard times.
We’ll use Lars as an example in exploring how to curate an interesting series of images.
Like any good book or film, a photo essay requires a variety of angles and compositions to help draw the viewer in, maintain visual interest and deliver an engaging story. These shot types can be broken down into the following:
Establishing (long) shots
Medium Shots
Transition & Detail shots
Medium Close Ups & Portraiture
Establishing Shots
The establishing shot would typically be shot wide at 24mm (full frame) and introduces our character and scene. Here, the scene is the main focal point.
The distance of the camera to the subject determines emotional distance between the audience and the subject, and at this stage the audience is present, but observing.
Medium Shots
A medium shot typically frames a person from the waist up. It focuses on the character while still showing some of the surrounding environment.
These are best shot at 35mm. This lens length is close to that of the human eye and gives the viewer a realistic vantage point leading to a more natural looking image.
At this point these first two types of shot have revealed facts to the viewer, but who has not yet been emotionally engaged.
Cutaways & Details
A cutaway is a shot of something related to, but outside the main action of a scene. They help to transition the viewer from one image to another, into a new scene. If you want to tell stories with images, you need cut aways.
Close up shots tightly frame a person or object making them the primary focus. Using close-ups can keep your audience involved with a story. This can be important for revealing details about the scene our character is in.
Medium Close Ups/ Portraits
Where as long & medium shots are appropriate for delivering facts and orientating your audience, medium close-up shots & portraiture reveal our character and builds the strongest emotional connection with the viewer.
With this type of shot alone however it is difficult to tell the whole story. It is hard for the audience to gain an understanding of what’s going on without supporting imagery or captions.
Just as important as telling a story through a variety of angles and compositions, is to achieve a coherent look among your images. Your choice of camera, lens and colour palette will all affect this.
Below I’ve taken and rearranged our examples into what I feel is the most compelling narrative and added some brief text to add context to the images and introduce the man himself. When writing your accompanying text be sure to touch on the who, what, why, where and when of the scene.
As you go through the images, be conscious of how you feel towards the subject in each photograph and think about the elements we have discussed above.
Would you have arranged the images differently? Let me know in the comments below.
Photo Essays #2: Homeless on Oxford Street
Lars, a homeless Lithuanian migrant, plays the recorder for pennies on Oxford Street, but no one wants to listen.
There are a few cents, a rock and other pieces of shrapnel in his plastic fruit punnet.
To be honest, he isn’t very good. The performance is a ruse, he likes to people watch.
“London is a city of bums and billionaires” he told me as we sat with our backs to the cold concrete of Oxford Street watching people hurry by.
Being a bit of a bum himself he moves around the city a lot, he has his favourite spots; Parliament Square, Trafalgar, by the lock in Camden.
The problem is he says, “I just can’t settle down.”
—
Oxford Street, London. I September 2015
