The photo essay is synonymous with documentary photography which is expressed as a thematic series of photos on a subject. However, the essay is not confined to just photojournalism as there are many genres of photographic speciality that can accommodate the essay: - landscape, macro, photojournalism, fashion, portraiture the list goes on. I think over time I’ve dabbled in most of them. But regardless of the photographic genre; rarely do I find one photo suffices and I lean toward the essay to capture my subject. When I worked on papers and had the opportunity to shoot features, the essay was the norm. I like creating an editorial spread of images that is rarely seen today due to the shrinking real estate of editorial newsprint. Today I’m no longer limited by the confines of newsprint and can dabble with my blog as an aspiring editorial god. On a side note, this may be one contributing reason why newsprint is going the way of the Dodo. But that’s another story. I simply enjoy producing a thematic series of photos on a subject of interest.
The late Frank P Hoy in his book ‘Photojournalism: The Visual Approach’ advocated a methodology to essay taking that has stood the test of time and a sure way to soothe the beast in the cranky editor.
