The Photo Essay

Mentorship

Duration: 6 Months

Starts: Saturday, November 20th, 2010 at 12PM EST

Meets: Group meets one Saturday per month. One on one sessions scheduled independantly.

Mentor: David H. Wells

* Find more information or enroll today!

 If you prefer, call us toll free: 1-877-570-3988

There comes a point in the career of any serious photographer when a portfolio of strong, single pictures is just not enough, and building a multi-image project on a single theme is the next big step. A photo-essay is a collection of stylistically or thematically unified images telling a story of some aspect of the human experience. A photo-essay can be linear; for example, a visual narration of a series of events in an individual’s life. Or a it can be a portfolio of stand-alone images interpreting a place or theme.

All that matters is that the images are unified and together they tell a story. Although many photo-essays are documentary in style, they can also emphasize urban architecture, self-portraiture or ethnic rituals, for example.

Similarly, though most photo-essays are for publication, increasingly they are produced for exhibition in galleries or by special interest groups. This mentorship will guide photographers on how to translate ideas about the human experience into a coherent collection of finished, story-telling photographs. Students will learn how to find ideas for photo-essays, how to edit ideas down to a select, workable few, and how to work with editors/curators through the entire shooting, editing and publication/exhibition process.

David will share his expertise in long-term projects both in the live presentations and during one-on-one photography sessions with each student during the course of the mentorship.

During this mentorship, mentorees will focus on:

  • Learning to write out an idea for a photographic project, the first step towards funding, exhibiting and publishing such a project. Putting an idea on paper helps create the outline a photographer fills in while shooting. The mentor will share samples of successful proposals that have earned exhibits/publication/grants.
  • Producing a photo-essay; examples may be:
    • A linear photo-essay about a week in the life of a local school.
    • A stylized photo-essay of night images of local public spaces.
    • A travel magazine essay on daily life in a small town.
    • Completing a portfolio of autobiographical images on childhood.
    • Matching poems and images to celebrate the joy of a summer day.
  • Establishing a market for the photo-essay by researching what types of publications could use the finished piece. Visits to newsstands and libraries will help students locate potential publishers. Students will learn how to present their work to potential publishers, negotiate fees, and how to work with editors throughout the process of producing the photo-essay.

 

 

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mentorships, digital photography

Last updated 487 days ago by Norm Brzycki