my favorite photo essay

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How to Create an Engaging Photo Essay (with Examples)

Photo essays tell a story in pictures. They're a great way to improve at photography and story-telling skills at once. Learn how to do create a great one.

Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles

Photography is a medium used to tell stories – sometimes they are told in one picture, sometimes you need a whole series. Those series can be photo essays.

If you’ve never done a photo essay before, or you’re simply struggling to find your next project, this article will be of help. I’ll be showing you what a photo essay is and how to go about doing one.

You’ll also find plenty of photo essay ideas and some famous photo essay examples from recent times that will serve you as inspiration.

If you’re ready to get started, let’s jump right in!

Table of Contents

What is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay is a series of images that share an overarching theme as well as a visual and technical coherence to tell a story. Some people refer to a photo essay as a photo series or a photo story – this often happens in photography competitions.

Photographic history is full of famous photo essays. Think about The Great Depression by Dorothea Lange, Like Brother Like Sister by Wolfgang Tillmans, Gandhi’s funeral by Henri Cartier Bresson, amongst others.

What are the types of photo essay?

Despite popular belief, the type of photo essay doesn’t depend on the type of photography that you do – in other words, journalism, documentary, fine art, or any other photographic genre is not a type of photo essay.

Instead, there are two main types of photo essays: narrative and thematic .

As you have probably already guessed, the thematic one presents images pulled together by a topic – for example, global warming. The images can be about animals and nature as well as natural disasters devastating cities. They can happen all over the world or in the same location, and they can be captured in different moments in time – there’s a lot of flexibility.

A narrative photo essa y, on the other hand, tells the story of a character (human or not), portraying a place or an event. For example, a narrative photo essay on coffee would document the process from the planting and harvesting – to the roasting and grinding until it reaches your morning cup.

What are some of the key elements of a photo essay?

• Tell a unique story – A unique story doesn’t mean that you have to photograph something that nobody has done before – that would be almost impossible! It means that you should consider what you’re bringing to the table on a particular topic.
• Put yourself into the work – One of the best ways to make a compelling photo essay is by adding your point of view, which can only be done with your life experiences and the way you see the world.
• Add depth to the concept – The best photo essays are the ones that go past the obvious and dig deeper in the story, going behind the scenes, or examining a day in the life of the subject matter – that’s what pulls in the spectator.
• Nail the technique – Even if the concept and the story are the most important part of a photo essay, it won’t have the same success if it’s poorly executed.
• Build a structure – A photo essay is about telling a thought-provoking story – so, think about it in a narrative way. Which images are going to introduce the topic? Which ones represent a climax? How is it going to end – how do you want the viewer to feel after seeing your photo series?
• Make strong choices – If you really want to convey an emotion and a unique point of view, you’re going to need to make some hard decisions. Which light are you using? Which lens? How many images will there be in the series? etc., and most importantly for a great photo essay is the why behind those choices.

9 Tips for Creating a Photo Essay

Credit: Laura James

1. Choose something you know

To make a good photo essay, you don’t need to travel to an exotic location or document a civil war – I mean, it’s great if you can, but you can start close to home.

Depending on the type of photography you do and the topic you’re looking for in your photographic essay, you can photograph a local event or visit an abandoned building outside your town.

It will be much easier for you to find a unique perspective and tell a better story if you’re already familiar with the subject. Also, consider that you might have to return a few times to the same location to get all the photos you need.

2. Follow your passion

Most photo essays take dedication and passion. If you choose a subject that might be easy, but you’re not really into it – the results won’t be as exciting. Taking photos will always be easier and more fun if you’re covering something you’re passionate about.

3. Take your time

A great photo essay is not done in a few hours. You need to put in the time to research it, conceptualizing it, editing, etc. That’s why I previously recommended following your passion because it takes a lot of dedication, and if you’re not passionate about it – it’s difficult to push through.

4. Write a summary or statement

Photo essays are always accompanied by some text. You can do this in the form of an introduction, write captions for each photo or write it as a conclusion. That’s up to you and how you want to present the work.

5. Learn from the masters

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Making a photographic essay takes a lot of practice and knowledge. A great way to become a better photographer and improve your storytelling skills is by studying the work of others. You can go to art shows, review books and magazines and look at the winners in photo contests – most of the time, there’s a category for photo series.

6. Get a wide variety of photos

Think about a story – a literary one. It usually tells you where the story is happening, who is the main character, and it gives you a few details to make you engage with it, right?

The same thing happens with a visual story in a photo essay – you can do some wide-angle shots to establish the scenes and some close-ups to show the details. Make a shot list to ensure you cover all the different angles.

Some of your pictures should guide the viewer in, while others are more climatic and regard the experience they are taking out of your photos.

7. Follow a consistent look

Both in style and aesthetics, all the images in your series need to be coherent. You can achieve this in different ways, from the choice of lighting, the mood, the post-processing, etc.

8. Be self-critical

Once you have all the photos, make sure you edit them with a good dose of self-criticism. Not all the pictures that you took belong in the photo essay. Choose only the best ones and make sure they tell the full story.

9. Ask for constructive feedback

Often, when we’re working on a photo essay project for a long time, everything makes perfect sense in our heads. However, someone outside the project might not be getting the idea. It’s important that you get honest and constructive criticism to improve your photography.

How to Create a Photo Essay in 5 Steps

Credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh

1. Choose your topic

This is the first step that you need to take to decide if your photo essay is going to be narrative or thematic. Then, choose what is it going to be about?

Ideally, it should be something that you’re interested in, that you have something to say about it, and it can connect with other people.

2. Research your topic

To tell a good story about something, you need to be familiar with that something. This is especially true when you want to go deeper and make a compelling photo essay. Day in the life photo essays are a popular choice, since often, these can be performed with friends and family, whom you already should know well.

3. Plan your photoshoot

Depending on what you’re photographing, this step can be very different from one project to the next. For a fine art project, you might need to find a location, props, models, a shot list, etc., while a documentary photo essay is about planning the best time to do the photos, what gear to bring with you, finding a local guide, etc.

Every photo essay will need different planning, so before taking pictures, put in the required time to get things right.

4. Experiment

It’s one thing to plan your photo shoot and having a shot list that you have to get, or else the photo essay won’t be complete. It’s another thing to miss out on some amazing photo opportunities that you couldn’t foresee.

So, be prepared but also stay open-minded and experiment with different settings, different perspectives, etc.

5. Make a final selection

Editing your work can be one of the hardest parts of doing a photo essay. Sometimes we can be overly critical, and others, we get attached to bad photos because we put a lot of effort into them or we had a great time doing them.

Try to be as objective as possible, don’t be afraid to ask for opinions and make various revisions before settling down on a final cut.

7 Photo Essay Topics, Ideas & Examples

Credit: Michelle Leman

• Architectural photo essay

Using architecture as your main subject, there are tons of photo essay ideas that you can do. For some inspiration, you can check out the work of Francisco Marin – who was trained as an architect and then turned to photography to “explore a different way to perceive things”.

You can also lookup Luisa Lambri. Amongst her series, you’ll find many photo essay examples in which architecture is the subject she uses to explore the relationship between photography and space.

• Process and transformation photo essay

This is one of the best photo essay topics for beginners because the story tells itself. Pick something that has a beginning and an end, for example, pregnancy, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the life-cycle of a plant, etc.

Keep in mind that these topics are linear and give you an easy way into the narrative flow – however, it might be difficult to find an interesting perspective and a unique point of view.

• A day in the life of ‘X’ photo essay

There are tons of interesting photo essay ideas in this category – you can follow around a celebrity, a worker, your child, etc. You don’t even have to do it about a human subject – think about doing a photo essay about a day in the life of a racing horse, for example – find something that’s interesting for you.

• Time passing by photo essay

It can be a natural site or a landmark photo essay – whatever is close to you will work best as you’ll need to come back multiple times to capture time passing by. For example, how this place changes throughout the seasons or maybe even over the years.

A fun option if you live with family is to document a birthday party each year, seeing how the subject changes over time. This can be combined with a transformation essay or sorts, documenting the changes in interpersonal relationships over time.

• Travel photo essay

Do you want to make the jump from tourist snapshots into a travel photo essay? Research the place you’re going to be travelling to. Then, choose a topic.

If you’re having trouble with how to do this, check out any travel magazine – National Geographic, for example. They won’t do a generic article about Texas – they do an article about the beach life on the Texas Gulf Coast and another one about the diverse flavors of Texas.

The more specific you get, the deeper you can go with the story.

• Socio-political issues photo essay

This is one of the most popular photo essay examples – it falls under the category of photojournalism or documental photography. They are usually thematic, although it’s also possible to do a narrative one.

Depending on your topic of interest, you can choose topics that involve nature – for example, document the effects of global warming. Another idea is to photograph protests or make an education photo essay.

It doesn’t have to be a big global issue; you can choose something specific to your community – are there too many stray dogs? Make a photo essay about a local animal shelter. The topics are endless.

• Behind the scenes photo essay

A behind-the-scenes always make for a good photo story – people are curious to know what happens and how everything comes together before a show.

Depending on your own interests, this can be a photo essay about a fashion show, a theatre play, a concert, and so on. You’ll probably need to get some permissions, though, not only to shoot but also to showcase or publish those images.

4 Best Photo Essays in Recent times

Now that you know all the techniques about it, it might be helpful to look at some photo essay examples to see how you can put the concept into practice. Here are some famous photo essays from recent times to give you some inspiration.

Habibi by Antonio Faccilongo

This photo essay wan the World Press Photo Story of the Year in 2021. Faccilongo explores a very big conflict from a very specific and intimate point of view – how the Israeli-Palestinian war affects the families.

He chose to use a square format because it allows him to give order to things and eliminate unnecessary elements in his pictures.

With this long-term photo essay, he wanted to highlight the sense of absence and melancholy women and families feel towards their husbands away at war.

The project then became a book edited by Sarah Leen and the graphics of Ramon Pez.

Picture This: New Orleans by Mary Ellen Mark

The last assignment before her passing, Mary Ellen Mark travelled to New Orleans to register the city after a decade after Hurricane Katrina.

The images of the project “bring to life the rebirth and resilience of the people at the heart of this tale”, – says CNNMoney, commissioner of the work.

Each survivor of the hurricane has a story, and Mary Ellen Mark was there to record it. Some of them have heartbreaking stories about everything they had to leave behind.

Others have a story of hope – like Sam and Ben, two eight-year-olds born from frozen embryos kept in a hospital that lost power supply during the hurricane, yet they managed to survive.

Selfie by Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer whose work is mainly done through self-portraits. With them, she explores the concept of identity, gender stereotypes, as well as visual and cultural codes.

One of her latest photo essays was a collaboration with W Magazine entitled Selfie. In it, the author explores the concept of planned candid photos (‘plandid’).

The work was made for Instagram, as the platform is well known for the conflict between the ‘real self’ and the one people present online. Sherman started using Facetune, Perfect365 and YouCam to alter her appearance on selfies – in Photoshop, you can modify everything, but these apps were designed specifically to “make things prettier”- she says, and that’s what she wants to explore in this photo essay.

Tokyo Compression by Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf has an interest in the broad-gauge topic Life in Cities. From there, many photo essays have been derived – amongst them – Tokyo Compression .

He was horrified by the way people in Tokyo are forced to move to the suburbs because of the high prices of the city. Therefore, they are required to make long commutes facing 1,5 hours of train to start their 8+ hour workday followed by another 1,5 hours to get back home.

To portray this way of life, he photographed the people inside the train pressed against the windows looking exhausted, angry or simply absent due to this way of life.

You can visit his website to see other photo essays that revolve around the topic of life in megacities.

Final Words

It’s not easy to make photo essays, so don’t expect to be great at it right from your first project.

Start off small by choosing a specific subject that’s interesting to you –  that will come from an honest place, and it will be a great practice for some bigger projects along the line.

Whether you like to shoot still life or you’re a travel photographer, I hope these photo essay tips and photo essay examples can help you get started and grow in your photography.

Let us know which topics you are working on right now – we’ll love to hear from you!

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Ana Mireles is a Mexican researcher that specializes in photography and communications for the arts and culture sector.

Penelope G. To Ana Mireles Such a well written and helpful article for an writer who wants to inclue photo essay in her memoir. Thank you. I will get to work on this new skill. Penelope G.

Herman Krieger Photo essays in black and white

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How to Create a Photo Essay in 9 Steps (with Examples)

Photo Editing , Tutorials

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What is a photo essay?

• Photo essays vs photo stories
• How photo essays help you
• 9 Steps to create photo essays

How to share your photo essays

Read Time: 11 minutes

Gather up a handful of images that seem to go together, and voila! It’s a photo essay, right? Well… no. Though, this is a common misconception.

In reality, a photo essay is much more thoughtful and structured than that. When you take the time to craft one, you’re using skills from all facets of our craft – from composition to curation.

In this guide, you’ll learn what makes a photo essay an amazing project that stretches your skills. You'll also learn exactly how to make one step by step.

• Photo essay vs photo story

A photo essay is a collection of images based around a theme, a topic, a creative approach, or an exploration of an idea. Photo essays balance visual variety with a cohesive style and concept.

What's the difference between a photo essay and a photo story?

The terms photo essay and photo story are often used interchangeably. Even the dictionary definition of “photo essay” includes using images to convey either a theme or a story.

But in my experience, a photo essay and a photo story are two different things. As you delve into the field of visual storytelling, distinguishing between the two helps you to take a purposeful approach to what you’re making .

The differences ultimately lie in the distinctions between theme, topic and story.

Themes are big-picture concepts. Example: Wildness

Topics are more specific than themes, but still overarching. Example : Wild bears of Yellowstone National Park

Stories are specific instances or experiences that happen within, or provide an example for, a topic or theme. Example: A certain wild bear became habituated to tourists and was relocated to maintain its wildness

Unlike a theme or topic, a story has particular elements that make it a story. They include leading characters, a setting, a narrative arc, conflict, and (usually) resolution.

With that in mind, we can distingush between a photo essay and a photo story.

Themes and Topics vs Stories

A photo essay revolves around a topic, theme, idea, or concept. It visually explores a big-picture something .

This allows a good deal of artistic leeway where a photographer can express their vision, philosophies, opinions, or artistic expression as they create their images.

A photo story  is a portfolio of images that illustrate – you guessed it – a story.

Because of this, there are distinct types of images that a photo story uses that add to the understanding, insight, clarity and meaning to the story for viewers. While they can certainly be artistically crafted and visually stunning, photo stories document something happening, and rely on visual variety for capturing the full experience.

A photo essay doesn’t need to have the same level of structured variety that a photo story requires. It can have images that overlap or are similar, as they each explore various aspects of a theme.

Photo essays can be about any topic. If you live in a city, consider using your nature photography to make an essay about the wildlife that lives in your neighborhood . 

The role of text with photos

A photo story typically runs alongside text that narrates the story. We're a visual species, and the images help us feel like we are there, experiencing what's happening. So, the images add significant power to the text, but they're often a partner to it.

This isn’t always the case, of course. Sometimes photo stories don’t need or use text. It’s like reading a graphic novel that doesn’t use text. Moving through the different images that build on each other ultimately unveils the narrative.

Photo essays don’t need to rely on text to illuminate the images' theme or topic. The photographer may use captions (or even a text essay), or they may let the images speak for themselves.

Definitions are helpful guidelines (not strict rules)

Some people categorize photo essays as either narrative or thematic. That's essentially just calling photo stories “narrative photo essays” and photo essays “thematic photo essays.”

But, a story is a defined thing, and any writer/editor will tell you themes and topics are not the same as stories. And we use the word “story” in our daily lives as it’s defined. So, it makes far more sense to name the difference between a photo essay and a photo story, and bask in the same clarity writers enjoy .

Photo stories illustrate a particular experience, event, narrative, something that happened or is happening.

Photo essays explore an idea, concept, topic, theme, creative approach, big-picture something .

Both photo essays and photo stories are immensely powerful visual tools. And yes, the differences between them can certainly be blurred, as is always the case with art.

Simply use this distinction as a general guideline, providing extra clarity around what you’re making and why you're making it.

To dig into specific types of images used to create powerful photo stories, check out this training: 6 Must-Have Shots for a Photo Story. 

Meanwhile, let’s dig deeper into photo essays.

Photo essays are a chance to try new styles or techniques that stretch your skills and creativity. This image was part of an essay exploring simplicity and shape, and helped me learn new skills in black and white post-processing.

How photo essays improve your photography

Creating photo essays is an amazing antidote if you’ve ever felt a lack of direction or purpose in your photography. Photo essays help build your photographic skills in at least 3 important ways.

1. You become more strategic in creating a body of work

It's easy to get stuck in a rut of photographing whatever pops up in front of you. And when you do, you end up with a collection of stand-alone shots.

These singles may work fine as a print, a quick Instagram post, or an addition to your gallery of shots on your website. But amassing a bunch of one-off shots limits your opportunities as a photographer for everything from exhibits to getting your work published.

Building photo essays pushes you to think strategically about what you photograph, why, and how. You're working toward a particular deliverable – a cohesive visual essay – with the images you create.

This elevates your skills in crafting your photo essay, and in how you curate the rest of your work, from galleries on your website to selecting images to sell as prints .

2. You become more purposeful in your composition skills

Composition is so much more than just following the rule of thirds, golden spirals, or thinking about the angle of light in a shot.

Composition is also about thinking ahead in what you’re trying to accomplish with a photograph – from what you’re saying through it to its emotional impact on a viewer – and where it fits within a larger body of work.

Photo essays push you to think critically about each shot – from coming up with fresh compositions for familiar subjects, to devising surprising compositions to fit within a collection, to creating compositions that expand on what’s already in a photo essay.

You’re pushed beyond creating a single pleasing frame, which leads you to shoot more thoughtfully and proactively than ever.

(Here’s a podcast episode on switching from reactive shooting to proactive shooting.)

3. You develop strong editing and curation skills

Selecting which images stay, and which get left behind is one of the hardest jobs on a photographer’s to-do list. Mostly, it’s because of emotional attachment.

You might think it’s an amazing shot because you know the effort that went into capturing it. Or perhaps when you look at it, you get a twinge of the joy or exhilaration you felt the moment you captured it. There’s also the second-guessing that goes into which of two similar images is the best – which will people like more? So you’re tempted to just show both.

Ultimately, great photographers appear all the more skilled because they only show their best work. That in and of itself is a skill they’ve developed through years of ruthlessly editing their own work.

Because the most powerful photo essays only show a handful of extraordinary images, you’re bound to develop the very same critical skill (and look all the more talented because of it).

Photo essays are also a great stepping stone to creating photo stories. If you’re interested in moving beyond stand-alone shots and building stories, shooting photo essays will get your creative brain limbered up and ready for the adventure of photo stories.

A photo essay exploring the natural history of a favorite species is an exciting opportunity for an in-depth study. For me, that was a photo essay on emotive images of the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) as it hunts in streams. 

9 Simple steps to create your photo essays

1. clarify your theme.

Choose a theme, topic, or concept you want to explore. Spend some time getting crystal clear on what you want to focus on. It helps to write out a few sentences, or even a few paragraphs noting:

• What you want the essay to be about
• What kinds of images you want to create as part of it
• How you’ll photograph the images
• The style, techniques, or gear you might use to create your images
• What “success” looks like when you’re done with your photo essay

You don’t have to stick to what you write down, of course. It can change during the image creation process. But fleshing your idea out on paper goes a long way in clarifying your photo essay theme and how you’ll go about creating it.

2. Create your images

Grab your camera and head outside!

As you’re photographing your essay, allow yourself some freedom to experiment. Try unusual compositions or techniques that are new to you.

Stretch your style a little, or “try on” the style of other photographers you admire who have photographed similar subjects.

Photo essays are wonderful opportunities to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and grow as a photographer.

Remember that a photo essay is a visually cohesive collection of images that make sense together. So, while you might stretch yourself into new terrain as you shoot, try to keep that approach, style, or strategy consistent.

Don’t be afraid to create lots of images. It’s great to have lots to choose from in the editing process, which comes up next.

3. Pull together your wide edit

Once you’ve created your images, pull together all the images that might make the cut. This could be as many as 40-60 images. Include anything you want to consider for the final essay in the wide edit.

From here, start weeding out images that:

• are weaker in composition or subject matter
• stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the collection
• Are similar to other stronger images in the collection

It's helpful to review the images at thumbnail size. You make more instinctive decisions and can more easily see the body of work as a whole. If an image is strong even at thumbnail size to stand out from similar frames while also partnering well with other images in the collection, that's a good sign it's strong enough for the essay.

4. Post-process your images for a cohesive look

Now it’s time to post-process the images. Use whatever editing software you’re comfortable with to polish your images.

Again, a photo essay has a cohesive visual look. If you use presets, filters, or other tools, use them across all the images.

5. Finalize your selection

It’s time to make the tough decisions. Select only the strongest for your photo essay from your group of images.

Each image should be strong enough to stand on its own and make sense as part of the whole group.

Many photo essays range from 8-12 images. But of course, it varies based on the essay. The number of images you have in your final photo essay is up to you.

Remember, less is more. A photo essay is most powerful when each image deserves to be included.

6. Put your images in a purposeful order

Create a visual flow with your images. Decide which image is first, and build from there. Use compositions, colors, and subject matter to decide which image goes next, then next, then next in the order.

Think of it like music: notes are arranged in a way that builds energy, or slows it down, surprise listeners with a new refrain, or drop into a familiar chorus. How the notes are ordered creates emotional arcs for listeners.

How you order your images is similar.

Think of the experience a viewer will have as they look at one image, then the next, and the next. Order your images so they create the experience you want your audience to have.

7. Get feedback

The best photographers make space for feedback, even when it’s tough to hear. Your work benefits from not just hearing feedback, but listening to it and applying what you learn from it.

Show your photo essay to people who have different sensibilities or tastes. Friends, family members, fellow photographers – anyone you trust to give you honest feedback.

Watch their reactions and hear what they say about what they’re seeing. Use their feedback to guide you in the next step.

8. Refine, revise, and finalize

Let your photo essay marinate for a little while. Take a day or two away from it. Then use your freshened eyes and the feedback you received from the previous step to refine your essay.

Swap out any selects you might want to change and reorder the images if needed.

9. Add captions

Even if you don’t plan on displaying captions with your images, captioning your images is a great practice to get into. It gives context, story, and important information to each image. And, more than likely, you will want to use these captions at some point when you share your photo essay, which we dive into later in this article.

Add captions to the image files using Lightroom, Bridge, or other software programs.

Create a document, such as a Google or Word doc, with captions for each image.

In your captions, share a bit about the story behind the image, or the creation process. Add whatever makes sense to share that provides a greater understanding of the image and its purpose.

Photo essays allow you to explore deliberate style choices, such as a focus on shapes, patterns, textures, and lines. Since each photo is part of a larger essay, it encourages you to be bold with choices you might not otherwise make. 

5 Examples of amazing nature photo essays

1. “how the water shapes us” from the nature conservancy.

This gorgeous essay, crafted with the work of multiple photographers, explores the people and places within the Mississippi River basin. Through the images, we gain a sense of how the water influences life from the headwater all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Notice how each photographer is tasked with the same theme, yet approaches it with their own distinct style and vision. It is a wonderful example of the sheer level of visual variety you can have while maintaining a consistent style or theme.

View it here

2. “A Cyclist on the English Landscape” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This photo essay is a series of self-portraits by travel photographer Roff Smith while “stuck” at home during the pandemic. As he peddled the roads making portraits, the project evolved into a “celebration of traveling at home”. It’s a great example of how visually consistent you can be inside a theme while making each image completely unique.

3. “Vermont, Dressed In Snow” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This essay by aerial photographer Caleb Kenna uses a very common photo essay theme: snow. Because all images are aerial photographs, there’s a consistency to them. Yet, the compositions are utterly unique from one another. It’s a great example of keeping viewers surprised as they move from one image to the next while still maintaining a clear focus on the theme.

4. “Starling-Studded Skies” from bioGraphic Magazine

This beautiful essay is by Kathryn Cooper, a physicist trained in bioinformatics, and a talented photographer. She used a 19th century photographic technique, chronophotography, to create images that give us a look at the art and science of starling murmurations. She states: “I’m interested in the transient moments when chaos briefly changes to order, and thousands of individual bodies appear to move as one.” This essay is a great example of deep exploration of a concept using a specific photographic technique.

View it here   (Note: must be viewed on desktop)

5. “These Scrappy Photos Capture the Action-Packed World Beneath a Bird Feeder” from Audubon Magazine

This photo essay from conservation photographer Carla Rhodes explores the wildlife that takes advantage of the bounty of food waiting under bird feeders . Using remote camera photography , Rhodes gives viewers a unique ground-level perspective and captures moments that make us feel like we’re in conversation with friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. This essay is a great example of how perspective, personality, and chance can all come into play as you explore both an idea and a technique.

25 Ideas for creative photo essays you can make

The possibilities for photo essays are truly endless – from the concepts you explore to the techniques you use and styles you apply.

Choose an idea, hone your unique perspective on it, then start applying the 9 simple steps from above. 

• The life of a plant or animal (your favorite species, a species living in your yard, etc)
• The many shapes of a single species (a tree species, a bird species, etc)
• How a place changes over time
• The various moods of a place
• A conservation issue you care about
• Math in nature
• Urban nature
• Seasonal changes
• Your yard as a space for nature
• Shifting climate and its impacts
• Human impacts on environments
• Elements: Water, wind, fire, earth
• Day in the life (of a person, a place, a stream, a tree…)
• Outdoor recreation (birding, kayaking, hiking, naturalist journaling…)
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Lunar cycles
• Sunlight and shadows
• Your local watershed
• Coexistence

As you zero in on a photo essay theme, consider two things: what most excites you about an idea, and what about it pushes you out of your comfort zone. The heady mix of joy and challenge will ensure you stick with it. 

Your photo essay is ready for the world! Decide how you’d like to make an impact with your work. You might use one or several of the options below.

1. Share it on your website

Create a gallery or a scrollytelling page on your website. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website where people can peruse your photo essay and the rest of the photography you have.

Putting it on your website and optimizing your images for SEO helps you build organic traffic and potentially be discovered by a broader audience, including photo editors.

2. Create a scrollytelling web page

If you enjoy the experience of immersive visual experiences, consider making one using your essay. And no, you don’t have to be a whiz at code to make it happen.

Shorthand helps you build web pages with scrollytelling techniques that make a big impression on viewers. Their free plan allows you to publish 3 essays or stories.

3. Create a Medium post

If you don’t have a website and want to keep things simple, a post on Medium is a great option.

Though it’s known for being a platform for bloggers, it’s also possible to add images to a post for a simple scroll.

And, because readers can discover and share posts, it’s a good place for your photos to get the attention of people who might not otherwise come across it.

4. Share it on Instagram

Instagram has changed a lot over the last couple of years, but it’s still a place for photographers to share their work thoughtfully.

There are at least 3 great ways to share your photo essay on the platform.

– Create a single post for each image. Add a caption. Publish one post per day until the full essay is on your feed. Share each post via Instagram Stories to bring more attention and interaction to your photo essay.

– Create a carousel post. You can add up 10 photos to a carousel post, so you may need to create two of them for your full photo essay. Or you might create a series of carousel posts using 3-4 images in each.

– Create a Reel featuring your images as a video.  The algorithm heavily favors reels, so turning your photo essay into a video experience can get it out to a larger audience.

I ran a “create a reel” challenge in my membership community. One member created a reel with her still images around a serious conservation issue. It gathered a ton of attention and landed her opportunities to share her message through YouTube and podcast interviews and publishing opportunities. Watch it here.

5. Exhibit it locally

Reach out to local galleries, cafes, pubs, or even the public library to see if they’re interested in hanging your photo essay for display. Many local businesses and organizations happily support the work of local artists.

6. Pitch your photo essay to publications

One of the best ways to reach an audience with your work is to get it published. Find publications that are a great fit for the theme and style of your photo essay, then pitch your essay for consideration. You gain a fantastic opportunity to share your work widely and can earn a paycheck at the same time.

Remember that if you want to get your photo essay published, you may want to hold back from sharing it publicly before you pitch it to publications.

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What is a Photo Essay? 9 Photo Essay Examples You Can Recreate

A photo essay is a series of photographs that tell a story. Unlike a written essay, a photo essay focuses on visuals instead of words. With a photo essay, you can stretch your creative limits and explore new ways to connect with your audience. Whatever your photography skill level, you can recreate your own fun and creative photo essay.

9 Photo Essay Examples You Can Recreate

• Photowalk Photo Essay
• Transformation Photo Essay
• Day in the Life Photo Essay
• Event Photo Essay
• Building Photo Essay
• Historic Site or Landmark Photo Essay
• Behind the Scenes Photo Essay
• Family Photo Essay
• Education Photo Essay

Stories are important to all of us. While some people gravitate to written stories, others are much more attuned to visual imagery. With a photo essay, you can tell a story without writing a word. Your use of composition, contrast, color, and perspective in photography will convey ideas and evoke emotions.

To explore narrative photography, you can use basic photographic equipment. You can buy a camera or even use your smartphone to get started. While lighting, lenses, and post-processing software can enhance your photos, they aren’t necessary to achieve good results.

Whether you need to complete a photo essay assignment or want to pursue one for fun or professional purposes, you can use these photo essay ideas for your photography inspiration . Once you know the answer to “what is a photo essay?” and find out how fun it is to create one, you’ll likely be motivated to continue your forays into photographic storytelling.

1 . Photowalk Photo Essay

One popular photo essay example is a photowalk. Simply put, a photowalk is time you set aside to walk around a city, town, or a natural site and take photos. Some cities even have photowalk tours led by professional photographers. On these tours, you can learn the basics about how to operate your camera, practice photography composition techniques, and understand how to look for unique shots that help tell your story.

Set aside at least two to three hours for your photowalk. Even if you’re photographing a familiar place—like your own home town—try to look at it through new eyes. Imagine yourself as a first-time visitor or pretend you’re trying to educate a tourist about the area.

Walk around slowly and look for different ways to capture the mood and energy of your location. If you’re in a city, capture wide shots of streets, close-ups of interesting features on buildings, street signs, and candid shots of people. Look for small details that give the city character and life. And try some new concepts—like reflection picture ideas—by looking for opportunities to photographs reflections in mirrored buildings, puddles, fountains, or bodies of water.

2 . Transformation Photo Essay

With a transformation photography essay, you can tell the story about change over time. One of the most popular photostory examples, a transformation essay can document a mom-to-be’s pregnancy or a child’s growth from infancy into the toddler years. But people don’t need to be the focus of a transformation essay. You can take photos of a house that is being built or an urban area undergoing revitalization.

You can also create a photo narrative to document a short-term change. Maybe you want to capture images of your growing garden or your move from one home to another. These examples of photo essays are powerful ways of telling the story of life’s changes—both large and small.

3 . Day in the Life Photo Essay

Want a unique way to tell a person’s story? Or, perhaps you want to introduce people to a career or activity. You may want to consider a day in the life essay.

With this photostory example, your narrative focuses on a specific subject for an entire day. For example, if you are photographing a farmer, you’ll want to arrive early in the morning and shadow the farmer as he or she performs daily tasks. Capture a mix of candid shots of the farmer at work and add landscapes and still life of equipment for added context. And if you are at a farm, don’t forget to get a few shots of the animals for added character, charm, or even a dose of humor. These types of photography essay examples are great practice if you are considering pursuing photojournalism. They also help you learn and improve your candid portrait skills.

4 . Event Photo Essay

Events are happening in your local area all the time, and they can make great photo essays. With a little research, you can quickly find many events that you could photograph. There may be bake sales, fundraisers, concerts, art shows, farm markets, block parties, and other non profit event ideas . You could also focus on a personal event, such as a birthday or graduation.

At most events, your primary emphasis will be on capturing candid photos of people in action. You can also capture backgrounds or objects to set the scene. For example, at a birthday party, you’ll want to take photos of the cake and presents.

For a local or community event, you can share your photos with the event organizer. Or, you may be able to post them on social media and tag the event sponsor. This is a great way to gain recognition and build your reputation as a talented photographer.

5. Building Photo Essay

Many buildings can be a compelling subject for a photographic essay. Always make sure that you have permission to enter and photograph the building. Once you do, look for interesting shots and angles that convey the personality, purpose, and history of the building. You may also be able to photograph the comings and goings of people that visit or work in the building during the day.

Some photographers love to explore and photograph abandoned buildings. With these types of photos, you can provide a window into the past. Definitely make sure you gain permission before entering an abandoned building and take caution since some can have unsafe elements and structures.

6. Historic Site or Landmark Photo Essay

Taking a series of photos of a historic site or landmark can be a great experience. You can learn to capture the same site from different angles to help portray its character and tell its story. And you can also photograph how people visit and engage with the site or landmark. Take photos at different times of day and in varied lighting to capture all its nuances and moods.

You can also use your photographic essay to help your audience understand the history of your chosen location. For example, if you want to provide perspective on the Civil War, a visit to a battleground can be meaningful. You can also visit a site when reenactors are present to share insight on how life used to be in days gone by.

7 . Behind the Scenes Photo Essay

Another fun essay idea is taking photos “behind the scenes” at an event. Maybe you can chronicle all the work that goes into a holiday festival from the early morning set-up to the late-night teardown. Think of the lead event planner as the main character of your story and build the story about him or her.

Or, you can go backstage at a drama production. Capture photos of actors and actresses as they transform their looks with costuming and makeup. Show the lead nervously pacing in the wings before taking center stage. Focus the work of stagehands, lighting designers, and makeup artists who never see the spotlight but bring a vital role in bringing the play to life.

8. Family Photo Essay

If you enjoy photographing people, why not explore photo story ideas about families and relationships? You can focus on interactions between two family members—such as a father and a daughter—or convey a message about a family as a whole.

Sometimes these type of photo essays can be all about the fun and joy of living in a close-knit family. But sometimes they can be powerful portraits of challenging social topics. Images of a family from another country can be a meaningful photo essay on immigration. You could also create a photo essay on depression by capturing families who are coping with one member’s illness.

For these projects on difficult topics, you may want to compose a photo essay with captions. These captions can feature quotes from family members or document your own observations. Although approaching hard topics isn’t easy, these types of photos can have lasting impact and value.

9. Education Photo Essay

Opportunities for education photo essays are everywhere—from small preschools to community colleges and universities. You can seek permission to take photos at public or private schools or even focus on alternative educational paths, like homeschooling.

Your education photo essay can take many forms. For example, you can design a photo essay of an experienced teacher at a high school. Take photos of him or her in action in the classroom, show quiet moments grading papers, and capture a shared laugh between colleagues in the teacher’s lounge.

Alternatively, you can focus on a specific subject—such as science and technology. Or aim to portray a specific grade level, document activities club or sport, or portray the social environment. A photo essay on food choices in the cafeteria can be thought-provoking or even funny. There are many potential directions to pursue and many great essay examples.

While education is an excellent topic for a photo essay for students, education can be a great source of inspiration for any photographer.

Why Should You Create a Photo Essay?

Ultimately, photographers are storytellers. Think of what a photographer does during a typical photo shoot. He or she will take a series of photos that helps convey the essence of the subject—whether that is a person, location, or inanimate object. For example, a family portrait session tells the story of a family—who they are, their personalities, and the closeness of their relationship.

Learning how to make a photo essay can help you become a better storyteller—and a better photographer. You’ll cultivate key photography skills that you can carry with you no matter where your photography journey leads.

If you simply want to document life’s moments on social media, you may find that a single picture doesn’t always tell the full story. Reviewing photo essay examples and experimenting with your own essay ideas can help you choose meaningful collections of photos to share with friends and family online.

Learning how to create photo essays can also help you work towards professional photography ambitions. You’ll often find that bloggers tell photographic stories. For example, think of cooking blogs that show you each step in making a recipe. Photo essays are also a mainstay of journalism. You’ll often find photo essays examples in many media outlets—everywhere from national magazines to local community newspapers. And the best travel photographers on Instagram tell great stories with their photos, too.

With a photo essay, you can explore many moods and emotions. Some of the best photo essays tell serious stories, but some are humorous, and others aim to evoke action.

You can raise awareness with a photo essay on racism or a photo essay on poverty. A photo essay on bullying can help change the social climate for students at a school. Or, you can document a fun day at the beach or an amusement park. You have control of the themes, photographic elements, and the story you want to tell.

5 Steps to Create a Photo Essay

Every photo essay will be different, but you can use a standard process. Following these five steps will guide you through every phase of your photo essay project—from brainstorming creative essay topics to creating a photo essay to share with others.

Step 1: Choose Your Photo Essay Topics

Just about any topic you can imagine can form the foundation for a photo essay. You may choose to focus on a specific event, such as a wedding, performance, or festival. Or you may want to cover a topic over a set span of time, such as documenting a child’s first year. You could also focus on a city or natural area across the seasons to tell a story of changing activities or landscapes.

Since the best photo essays convey meaning and emotion, choose a topic of interest. Your passion for the subject matter will shine through each photograph and touch your viewer’s hearts and minds.

Step 2: Conduct Upfront Research

Much of the work in a good-quality photo essay begins before you take your first photo. It’s always a good idea to do some research on your planned topic.

Imagine you’re going to take photos of a downtown area throughout the year. You should spend some time learning the history of the area. Talk with local residents and business owners and find out about planned events. With these insights, you’ll be able to plan ahead and be prepared to take photos that reflect the area’s unique personality and lifestyles.

For any topic you choose, gather information first. This may involve internet searches, library research, interviews, or spending time observing your subject.

Step 3: Storyboard Your Ideas

After you have done some research and have a good sense of the story you want to tell, you can create a storyboard. With a storyboard, you can write or sketch out the ideal pictures you want to capture to convey your message.

You can turn your storyboard into a “shot list” that you can bring with you on site. A shot list can be especially helpful when you are at a one-time event and want to capture specific shots for your photo essay. If you’ve never created a photo essay before, start with ten shot ideas. Think of each shot as a sentence in your story. And aim to make each shot evoke specific ideas or emotions.

Step 4: Capture Images

Your storyboard and shot list will be important guides to help you make the most of each shoot. Be sure to set aside enough time to capture all the shots you need—especially if you are photographing a one-time event. And allow yourself to explore your ideas using different photography composition, perspective, and color contrast techniques.

You may need to take a hundred images or more to get ten perfect ones for your photographic essay. Or, you may find that you want to add more photos to your story and expand your picture essay concept.

Also, remember to look for special unplanned, moments that help tell your story. Sometimes, spontaneous photos that aren’t on your shot list can be full of meaning. A mix of planning and flexibility almost always yields the best results.

Step 5: Edit and Organize Photos to Tell Your Story

After capturing your images, you can work on compiling your photo story. To create your photo essay, you will need to make decisions about which images portray your themes and messages. At times, this can mean setting aside beautiful images that aren’t a perfect fit. You can use your shot list and storyboard as a guide but be open to including photos that weren’t in your original plans.

You may want to use photo editing software—such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop— to enhance and change photographs. With these tools, you can adjust lighting and white balance, perform color corrections, crop, or perform other edits. If you have a signature photo editing style, you may want to use Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets to give all your photos a consistent look and feel.

You order a photo book from one of the best photo printing websites to publish your photo story. You can add them to an album on a photo sharing site, such as Flickr or Google Photos. Also, you could focus on building a website dedicated to documenting your concepts through visual photo essays. If so, you may want to use SEO for photographers to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results. You could even publish your photo essay on social media. Another thing to consider is whether you want to include text captures or simply tell your story through photographs.

Choose the medium that feels like the best space to share your photo essay ideas and vision with your audiences. You should think of your photo essay as your own personal form of art and expression when deciding where and how to publish it.

Photo Essays Can Help You Become a Better Photographer

Whatever your photography ambitions may be, learning to take a photo essay can help you grow. Even simple essay topics can help you gain skills and stretch your photographic limits. With a photo essay, you start to think about how a series of photographs work together to tell a complete story. You’ll consider how different shots work together, explore options for perspective and composition, and change the way you look at the world.

Before you start taking photos, you should review photo essay examples. You can find interesting pictures to analyze and photo story examples online, in books, or in classic publications, like Life Magazine . Don’t forget to look at news websites for photojournalism examples to broaden your perspective. This review process will help you in brainstorming simple essay topics for your first photo story and give you ideas for the future as well.

Ideas and inspiration for photo essay topics are everywhere. You can visit a park or go out into your own backyard to pursue a photo essay on nature. Or, you can focus on the day in the life of someone you admire with a photo essay of a teacher, fireman, or community leader. Buildings, events, families, and landmarks are all great subjects for concept essay topics. If you are feeling stuck coming up with ideas for essays, just set aside a few hours to walk around your city or town and take photos. This type of photowalk can be a great source of material.

You’ll soon find that advanced planning is critical to your success. Brainstorming topics, conducting research, creating a storyboard, and outlining a shot list can help ensure you capture the photos you need to tell your story. After you’ve finished shooting, you’ll need to decide where to house your photo essay. You may need to come up with photo album title ideas, write captions, and choose the best medium and layout.

Without question, creating a photo essay can be a valuable experience for any photographer. That’s true whether you’re an amateur completing a high school assignment or a pro looking to hone new skills. You can start small with an essay on a subject you know well and then move into conquering difficult ideas. Maybe you’ll want to create a photo essay on mental illness or a photo essay on climate change. Or maybe there’s another cause that is close to your heart.

Whatever your passion, you can bring it to life with a photo essay.

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17 Awesome Photo Essay Examples You Should Try Yourself

You can also select your interests for free access to our premium training:

If you’re looking for a photo essay example (or 17!), you’ve come to the right place. But what is the purpose of a photo essay? A photo essay is intended to tell a story or evoke emotion from the viewers through a series of photographs. They allow you to be creative and fully explore an idea. But how do you make one yourself? Here’s a list of photo essay examples. Choose one that you can easily do based on your photographic level and equipment.

Top 17 Photo Essay Examples

Here are some fantastic ideas to get you inspired to create your own photo essays!

17. Photograph a Protest

16. Transformation Photo Essays

15. Photograph the Same Place

14. Create a Photowalk

13. Follow the Change

12. Photograph a Local Event

11. Photograph an Abandoned Building

10. Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shoot

9. Capture Street Fashion

8. Landmark Photo Essay

7. Fathers & Children

6. A Day In the Life

5. Education Photo Essay

4. Fictitious Meals

3. Photograph Coffee Shops Using Cafenol

2. Photograph the Photographers

1. Capture the Neighbors

Photo essays tell stories. And there are plenty of amazingly interesting stories to tell! Photographing photo essays is a great way to practice your photography skills while having fun. You might even learn something! These photo essay examples are here to provide you with the inspiration to go out and tell your own stories through photos!

Popular Content

My Favorite Photo: 8 Photographers Share Theirs

By Madeline - 5 min read

What are the photos that you love the most – and why?

Every photographer has a favorite photo that they’ve taken. And it often isn’t the one that got the most likes or was picked for an image collection! It may be the one you went to great lengths to take, the one you’re hugely proud of or the one with the story behind it.

That’s why we asked you to scroll back through your EyeEm profile for our My Favorite Photo Mission with The Phoblographer ! Not only did we want you to enter the photo that brings the good memories flooding back, but we wanted the story behind it – the reason you love it so much.

Congratulations to Luis whose dreamy shot below was picked as the winner. He will soon be interviewed by The Phoblographer – so keep your eyes peeled!

Guadalquivir River, Seville, Spain: By

Luis: “I chose this photo because I like the atmosphere – the pale green color, and the contrast between the two athletes and the Guadalquivir river in Seville, Spain. Canoeing is a fascinating sport in which the entire body gets an intense and complete work. Feeling the canoe glide smooth and fast on the water’s surface, the feeling of freedom when navigating in nature… Nobody bothers you when you’re paddling.”

yentil: “This is a photo of my dear sister. We were shooting for her CD cover (she’s a singer songwriter) and this photo was actually an accident. We were taking serious photos but out of the blue she started to laugh. I like that her laugh is so real. In my opinion, that is the most beautiful thing there is.”

Calli: “This photo is different to many of the others that I have taken – and different to many of the ones you find on various social media platforms. I decided to mess around with lights one day. When going through and editing I accidentally clicked a button which caused the photo to turn out the way it did.”

Beaumaris Bay, Melbourne, Australia: By

Jamie: “This was a fun night out with my friends. We were trying to write our names in long exposure. We failed – it didn’t turn out the way that we wanted. So we decided to do some crazy random drawing with sparks. When I saw the picture I thought, wow, this is new and different. We need to let go of our plans sometime. You never know what is going to turn up – there is always something exciting waiting for you!”

zoe: “In fact, this is a failure. I intended to do a double color chiffon roll, then the roll failed. I had a new idea, I cut the cake into cubes, added cream and lemon peel. It looks like perfect baking work! Sometimes failure is not really failure. By the way, it is very delicious!”

Goa, India: By

Mayank Gautam

Mayank: “Street photography should mostly be discreet but I only have a big DSLR with a zoom lens. This gentleman was aware that I was clicking inside the bus and he doesn’t look very pleased about it. And so began a game of catching and deceiving – I would pretend to click something else and then click him. It is one of those incidents when I overcame my fear of street photography and went ahead for the picture.”

Pang Shengyong

Pang: “I like the composition of this picture. A few of the steel pipes split the space into several different parts so it looks rhythmic. Workers was building a simple roof on my relatives’ house. I waited for the moment that he looked at me and pressed the shutter. I like street photography but I don’t always take my DSLR. A lot of pictures are taken with my mobile phone.”

Walter Kuechel

Walter: “I took this photograph on a night I went out with some friends to take urban photography. This was the first place we visited and in the editing I tried to make it surreal. I picked it because it’s a new perspective of Mexico. I call it post-urbanism and it’s an ongoing project of mine.”

Thanks for sharing guys! And congratulations to all of the winners and runners-up in this Mission. Check out all the entrants in the My Favorite Photo album.

About The Phoblographer: The Phoblographer is a thought provoking photography blog that examines the psychology behind photographers and their work. The site also features real world reviews, news, tips, tutorials and essays on the art form.

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How to Make a Photo Essay: 5 Tips for Impactful Results

A Post By: Christina N Dickson

Want to tell meaningful stories with your photos? That’s what a photo essay is all about: conveying concepts and narratives through a series of carefully chosen images.

While telling a story with photos can be a daunting task, there are several easy tips and techniques you can use in your photo essays to create striking, stunning, eye-opening results.

And that’s what I’m going to share in this article: five photo essay tips that you can immediately apply to your photography. You’ll leave as a better photo essayist than when you arrived!

Let’s get started.

What is a photo essay?

A photo essay is a collection of images placed in a specific order to convey certain emotions , specific concepts, or a progression of events.

In other words:

The photo essay tells stories just like a normal piece of writing , except with images instead of words. (Here, I’m using the term “story” loosely; as mentioned above, photo essays can encapsulate emotions or concepts in addition to traditional, time-based narratives.)

Plenty of world-class photojournalists use photo essays, including Lauren Greenfield, James Nachtwey, and Joachim Ladefoged. But the photo essay format isn’t exclusive to professionals, and photo essays don’t need to cover dramatic events such as wars, natural disasters, and social issues. Whether you are a complete beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional, the photo essay is a great way to bring your images to life, tell relevant stories about your own surroundings, and touch your family, friends, and coworkers.

So without further ado, let’s look at five easy tips to take your photo essays to the next level, starting with:

1. Find a topic you care about

Every good photo essay should start with an idea .

Otherwise, you’ll be shooting without a purpose – and while such an approach may eventually lead to an interesting series of photos, it’s far, far easier to begin with a topic and only then take out your camera.

As I emphasized above, a photo essay can be about anything. You don’t need to fixate on “classic” photo essay themes, such as war and poverty. Instead, you might focus on local issues that matter to you (think of problems plaguing your community). You can also think about interesting stories worth telling, even if they don’t have an activism angle.

For instance, is there an area undergoing major development? Try documenting the work from start to finish. Is there a particular park or nature area you love? Create a series of images that communicate its beauty.

One key item to remember:

Photo essays are most powerful when you, as the photographer, care about the subject. Whether you choose to document something major and public, like an environmental crisis, or whether you choose to document something small and intimate, like the first month of a newborn in the family, make sure you focus on a topic that matters to you .

Otherwise, you’ll struggle to finish the essay – and even if you do successfully complete it, viewers will likely notice your lack of passion.

2. Do your research

The best photo essays involve some real work. Don’t just walk around and shoot with abandon; instead, try to understand your subject.

That way, you can capture a more authentic series of photos.

For instance, if you document a newborn’s first month , spend time with the family. Discover who the parents are, what culture they are from, and their parenting philosophy.

If you cover the process of a school’s drama production, talk with the teachers, actors, and stagehands; investigate the general interest of the student body; find out how the school is financing the production and keeping costs down.

If you photograph a birthday party, check out the theme, the decorations they plan on using, what the birthday kid hopes to get for their gifts.

If you’re passionate about your topic, the research should come easy. You should enjoy learning the backstory.

And then, when it comes time to actually shoot, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the topic. You’ll know the key players in the story, the key ideas, and the key locations. You’ll be able to hone in on what matters and block out the flashy distractions.

Make sense?

3. Find the right angle

Once you’ve done your research, you’ll know your topic inside and out.

At which point you’ll need to ask yourself:

What is the real, authentic story I want to tell?

Every story has a hundred different angles and perspectives. And trying to share the story from every perspective is a recipe for failure.

Instead, pick a single angle and focus on it. If you’re documenting a local issue, do you want to focus on how it affects children? The physical area? The economy? If you’re documenting a newborn’s first month, do you want to focus on the interaction between the newborn and the parents? The growth of the newborn? The newborn’s emotions?

As you’ll find out during your research, even stories that seem to be completely one-sided have plenty of hidden perspectives to draw on.

So think about your story carefully. In general, I recommend you approach it from the angle you’re most passionate about (consider the previous tip!), but you’re always free to explore different perspectives.

4. Convey emotion

Not all photo essays must convey emotion. But the most powerful ones do.

After all, think of the stories that you know and love. Your favorite books, movies, and TV shows. Do they touch you on an emotional level?

Don’t get me wrong: Every photo essay shouldn’t cover a sappy, heartstring-tugging tale. You can always focus on conveying other emotions: anger, joy, fear, hurt, excitement.

(Of course, if your story is sappy and heartstring-tugging, that’s fine, too – just don’t force it!)

How do you convey emotions, though? There’s no one set way, but you can include photos of meaningful scenes – human interactions generally work well here! – or you can simply show emotion on the faces of your photographic subjects . Really, the best way to communicate emotions through your photos is to feel the emotions yourself; they’ll bleed over into your work for a unique result.

5. Plan your shots

Once you’ve done the research and determined the angle and emotions you’d like to convey, I recommend you sit down, take out a pen and paper, and plan your photo essay .

Should you extensively visualize each photo? Should you walk through the venue, imagining possible compositions ?

Honestly, that’s up to you, and it’ll depend on how you like to work. I do recommend that beginners start out by creating a “shot list” for the essay. Here, you should describe the main subject, the narrative purpose of the image, plus any lighting or composition notes. Once you become more experienced, you can be looser in your planning, though I still recommend you at least think about the different shots you want to capture.

You can start by planning 10 shots. Each one should emphasize a different concept or emotion, but make sure to keep a consistent thread running through every composition; after all, the end goal is to create a powerful series of images that tell a story.

One final tip:

While you should stick to your plan pretty closely, at least at first, don’t ignore the potential for spontaneity. If you see a possible shot, take it! You can later evaluate whether it’s a worthwhile addition to your essay.

Photo essay tips: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about what photo essays are, and – hopefully! – how to create a beautiful essay of your own.

Just remember: storytelling takes practice, but you don’t have to be an incredible writer to pull off a powerful photo essay. All you need is a bit of photographic technique, some creativity, and a lot of heart.

Once you start to tell stories with your photos, your portfolio will never be the same!

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for doing photo essays? Do you have any essays you’re proud of? Share them in the comments below!

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

is a visionary artist and philanthropist in Portland Oregon. Her work includes wedding photography www.BrideInspired.com and leadership with www.RevMediaBlog.com .

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Place — Descriptive Essay On My Favourite Place

Descriptive Essay on My Favourite Place

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What is your favorite picture you’ve taken?

It’s time for another edition of our monthly series “Ask a Click Pro” here on the CM photography blog in which we give our Click Pros one question and they dish. Their answers alone are always inspiring and this week we asked them…

What is your favorite image that you’ve ever taken and what is it that you love so dearly about that image?

Kate Parker , Georgia I have this image in a huge frame in our entryway. I love it that much.  I love the clouds, I love remembering that we got McDonald’s take out after this hike, I love that they are all doing their own things in the shot, not looking, not really caring that I am down below. But mostly, I love my three girls all together, my 6 year old, my 3 year old and my 13 year old golden (my first baby).

Tami Wilson , Colorado This image I took of my son last fall is my favorite image to date. He is 7 years old and at the time he said he wanted to be a jet pilot when he grew up. When I look at this picture it reminds me of his dreams, his energy and adorable outgoing personality.

Erin Bell, Connecticut My favorite image changes a lot- but if I had to choose an overall image over the last few years that represents my artistry, life’s happiness, and childhood (everything I love in an image), I think I would choose this:

Juli Evans , Texas I just love this image of my 3 year old daughter! I love the soft colors, her messy little pony tail, her soft velvety skin, and, most of all, the quiet, serious expression on her face. She can be such a silly little girl, but she has this gentle, intuitive side to her that I just love. And, I love her little “angel kiss” between her eyes. I just don’t want to forget any of it…

Stacie Turner, Connecticut This remains the best image I’ve taken. I love that it plays with the conventions of child portraiture by taking a little girl in a tutu and making it something uncomfortable and troubling. She’s fierce and determined and looms over us rather than being a sweet thing looking up at us. I’ve had this image accepted to a number of juried shows and Ellen Burnstine called it “iconic”. I took it using a holga 120N with Kodak tri-x 320 during the golden hour at Westmoor Park.

Carol Swaitkewich, Winnipeg This is a picture that I took in 2008 of my youngest Ivy.  I had been shooting for clients for a year and was feeling the need to break out of what I was doing everyday, of what I considered my style.  This shoot was totally for me.  I brought along a few outfits, some hats, a chair and we played. She danced, sang and chatted my ear off. She was-and still is- a bundle of energy that rarely stops talking. What I love so much about this image was, besides the eyelashes, light, warmth and bokeh (which I adore) but the moment of quiet I captured amidst the non stop talk that was my 4 year old.  I love how it brings me back to that day and how much fun we had.  I have a hard time printing my images as I don’t have much wall space in our home and my favorite image changes so frequently but this one is printed to 24×36 and hanging in my stairwell so I can see it everyday.

Christina McGuire , Michigan I could probably come up with a new fave every couple months but this is a recent one. I have become more diligent in my shooting over the last few months, paying closer attention to light, composition etc. This, on the other hand, was not a planned shot, and it was the first time I’d ever played around with a speedlight (I had no idea what I was doing!) but I love love love the moment and emotion captured between my husband and daughter. “Rules” aside, every once in awhile there is still some lucky shot that reminds me why I first fell in love with photography. When I took Sarah’s Comp & Creativity workshop, she asked us to come up with 3 words we’d like others to use when describing our work. Mine are genuine, heartfelt, and timeless. I’d like to think this photo embodies all three.

Jessica Holden , California I took this one when Emily was barely a year old, so it was a VERY long time ago. We were playing at the beach with her cousin and my sister (the babies were born just 13 days apart!), and Emily JUST discovered that salt water is, well, SALTY. She’d expected the water splashing onto her face would taste like regular water, and so it completely surprised her and made her giggle hysterically! I just adore her grin and her little scrunched face and the dimples in her baby hand, and her barely-there wispy hair… I wish this time in her life could have lasted for just a little bit longer!

Ilona Hastings, Florida My favorite picture is one of my clients. It shows mom with her two adorable daughters playing on the grass in the park.The image shows them having fun together. The laugh is real. The picture represents true connection between them. It was captured between some family posing shots. Hope you will like it as much as I do.

Tracy Bradbury, England Mine is this one of my daughter, taken during 301 C&C. It was the first time I had attempted low light photography and it made me realise not only how much I loved it but also opened a whole new world for me to explore further.

Ann Westerman, Texas This is a recent image I took of my oldest son and I LOVE it. I love to photograph his gorgeous eyelashes because I just think they are beautiful and this is the first image I have ever taken where his freckles are also really highlighted. I also love his freckles but often in images they don’t really show and in this image they are really showcased also. I exposed for the left side of his face and the under exposure of the right side of his face really bought out the freckles. I was playing with side window light when I took this image trying to creatively use light.

Shalonda , Texas I took this shot of the cheeks girls last April. It was a month into our “everyday” photography project, which makes it a favorite in itself because I realized while I was burned out with photography getting honest everyday images of OUR lives was the heart of why I ever picked up a camera in the first place. I had spent so much time capturing moments for total strangers and totally taking my own moments for granted UNTIL THIS VERY MOMENT! I love this shot for so many reasons, one kid had pink eye, one had a broken tiara, it was Tuesday, which is grocery day, so they were allowed to dress themselves and we were in the toilet paper aisle for goodness sakes (natural reflector). But it will always be one of my faves because, it’s real life, it’s really MY life and now I wont ever forget it.

Deb Schwedhelm , Florida This is a tough question. I have lots of images that I love from over the years, that I’m connected to for some reason or another, but I would have to say that this one is my current favorite and will most likely always rank up there as one of my all-time favorites. A simple moment of a child having fun on the beach — a moment of light, childhood, joy, peace, freedom and serendipity.

Lora Swinson , Oklahoma This is so hard! So I’ll pick my favorite from last night’s session with my 2 boys. I needed badly to take them out and get updated photos and this field by my husband’s office was beautiful! I love this image because it shows my 5 year old, Cooper, perfectly. His cape (which I made for him when he was 2), his puppy — Ruffie — who he has been attached to for a few years, and the movement of his cape in the wind…it just screams childhood to me and I want him to stay this little forever. I know he won’t, so this will be up on the wall to remind me.

Megan Axelsson , Kansas This was difficult. It was actually a toss up between two from this day. I loved them both but this one is it for me. The look of serenity on my oldest’s face. Her security in knowing she can lean on her sister. Those two are in sync every step of the way, even their arms are making the same fluid movement. There may be 3 years between them but they’re cut form the same cloth. Same souls. This reminds me why I do what I do. When they’re old they will have these to look back upon. Their children will be able to see their parents as the great lovely little ladies they are.

Monica Wilkinson, Washington I think it is always so hard to choose a favorite. My interests and favorites change all of the time. I do however, always go back to this shot of my daughter and our neighbor. It just reminds me how pure and innocent girls are at that young age. This was taken in my garage one summer day. They had been playing outside and I asked them to come in for a quick shot! Summer is always a great time for them as they love to play from morning to dark.

Andrea Joki, Finland This image, to me, has always greatly represented who I am as a photographer – in particular my style and especially my art. I’m not looking for a cheery reality; rather, I am drawn to a surreal tableaux seeped in facets of peacefulness, pensiveness, and calm. The stories I want to tell are always about what wasn’t said or done rather than the fait accompli.

Lila Armock, Michigan I was photographing a client with her new baby boy, and he was just inconsolable almost the entire time. The only time he wasn’t crying was when he was all wrapped up close to his mama. I put her down on the floor, in the corner, and she spoke softly to him, and he was calm. It was such a serene moment.

Jodi Arego, Texas I took this image of my youngest on a morning that I remember being acutely aware of how quickly she was transitioning from a toddler to a little girl. We all know how quickly the days go from one to another, and because she’s my “baby”, I am extra, extra sensitive about taking notice of the tiniest of details before she moves on to another phase. Her chubby hands, the way she grasps her dollie, and the rings in her pig tails… I want to remember it all. She will always be my baby and this image takes me straight back to that tender time.

Ariana Falerni , New York Picking your favorite one of everything is a Libra’s worst nightmare! But this was a fun assignment because it allowed me to go back through some older files I hadn’t looked at in a while. Certainly not the best technical image, but this one struck me for the pure expression of love between my husband and my son. I know that there will never be a doubt in my son’s mind that he is loved to the ends of the earth and back when he looks at this someday!

Krista Campbell, Arkansas This is my favorite image that I have taken. It was captured on September 11th of this past year. I was feeling very melancholy and so sad for those who lost their lives on that fateful day- and my heart was hurting for those families who were left behind. I took my daughter out just as the sun was setting to capture her running in a field holding our American flag. I wanted to capture something that symbolized hope for the future and also honor those who had fallen that day with a sweet remembrance.

Melissa Koehler, California I love this one of my son Aiden because it shows his personality. “Go get ’em” Plus I love the scenery as well. I will always love this photo of him and treasure it forever.

Melissa Gibson, Georgia This one is my favorite because this was the first session with my girls where I decided to shoot what I love. Since that day, I’ve put everyone else aside. I stepped out and said, “I shoot for myself. I shoot what I love. I shoot what I see and feel.” I also stopped taking clients and saying that out loud was so freeing for me. I see this image and it reminds me of that. Also, I adore the way my Caroline is holding her “Baby”. How she, just like me, is growing and changing; yet, still trying to hold on to what she loves best. I think of how she grabs hold of me and says, “I am trying not to grow, Mommy, but I just can’t stop.” And then kisses me gently on the cheek. That is the way I felt for so long. I didn’t WANT to grow and I tried not to. I wanted to stay the same and shoot the same. Shoot for everyone else. Shoot what they loved so that they would love me. Looking at this image reminds me that growing and changing is good. That shooting what I adore is amazing and uplifting and perfectly free.

Sarah Wilkerson , Colorado I think I have to go with this one. It’s called “Holding On,” and it was made in a moment early in my husband’s deployment when I was feeling really vulnerable and overwhelmed with emotion – I shot this because I didn’t want to talk about it but needed to acknowledge it. We hold on to each other and on to hope, and that’s what is going to get us through the year – it’s a lot of wishing and waiting. The image encapsulates the various reasons that I shoot – to document life, to engage in both introspection and expression, and simply to create art. It’s very personal to me, but there’s an anonymity about the image that is meant to capture the love, loneliness, anxiety, and expectation of the military wife universally. This is not my best image, but it might be the most honest image I’ve ever taken, and – at least right now – it is my favorite:

Candace Wilson , Tennessee While this is merely a snapshot, my favorite photograph right now is this of my two babies. My son doesn’t have the greatest social skills since he is autistic but looking at this photo and seeing him be so close to his sister means the world to me. So I call this “Always Together”, because this is how they are all the time… even while they are fighting over toys!

Kristin Ingalls, Washington This in an older image, but I find that having some time pass after I take the image helps me to appreciate it more instead of picking apart all of it’s faults. I’ve grown a lot in my photography since this one was taken, but this still is one of my favorites because it is all three of my kids completely absorbed in childhood. This is how I want to remember them when they are grown.

Lisa Harrison, Vermont I have so many images that I cherish! I keep going back to this one of my daughter though. Something about innocence and maturity all rolled into one here. I just love her eyes and her braids.

Stacey Haslem , California It makes me smile! This is my youngest, only girl and my middle son. He watches over her like any big brother and she adores him. This image appeals to me because I was caught up in a moment. I didn’t wash the dirt off the door, fix my daughter’s hair, or get the lines perfectly straight. What I did was pick up the camera and capture their love. It speaks to me as both a mother and photographer.

Sarah Cornish, Colorado Oh this is tough!! I have to say this would be my favorite. It is just the people I hold closest in my heart being completely themselves. Wes is going to rescue our two year old from the rock, he is the protector and a bit over protective but I love that about him and my other three children were all playing sweetly together which is I admit rare because as siblings do they fight… a lot but they love each other fiercely and that really shines in this image!

Megan Moore , Massachusetts This was really hard, and in the end, I think I kind of copped out.  I do love this image – so much – but I don’t know that it’s my all-time favorite. That’s impossible for me to know, my tastes change so much.  This was taken almost 2 years ago, of my now 3 year old daughter Lila. What I love most about this image is the juxtaposition of little 1 year old Lila looking outside a large picture window at the huge trees (symbolically, looking out on the world, I suppose). I love the texture of the shingles, the smooth blur of the trees, and the centered and symmetrical composition. And I also love how Lila’s looking up towards the treetops & sky – I’ve always wondered what was going on in her mind.

April Nienhuis , Oklahoma I’m very thankful to have three children who love having their picture taken so when I sit one of them down to test something out it’s inevitable that they all end up in front of the camera.  That’s exactly what happened on this day.  I had no intention of getting a portrait of all of them together but I am so happy that I did.  It’s perfectly imperfect with Zoey running to sit on my lap and see the pictures, Layla with her long messy hair hanging in her face, and Finn being silly.  I have a million pictures of the three of them goofing off in front of the camera together but I think this one is my favorite.

Elle Walker, Australia Even though there are things about this image that I would change if I could shoot it again, it will always remain one of my favourites. This was one of the first ‘real’ moments I captured, and helped me to fall in love with more lifestyle/documentary photography. Every time I look at it, I am reminded of my boys sweet nature, and my little girls trust in her big brother.

Megan Cieloha , California This image is almost a year old, but it represents the beginning of my fervent love of light. I was putting my 3 year old down for a nap while visiting my parent’s home. As I was getting ready to kiss him goodnight I noticed the light peeking out from underneath the curtain right above his head. I rushed out of the room to grab my camera, telling him “stay there, don’t move” over my shoulder. He cooperated so perfectly with my request to pretend to sleep… every time I look at this image I feel that thrill of “seeing” the light and then capturing the image I had envisioned.

Anne Wick, France This is a photo of my son that I took yesterday, and it is my current favorite. Since last summer I only get to see him every 6 weeks, and this separation has been, and still is, very difficult for me. This photo is very comforting for me because he looks happy and confident. And that is all I want for him. This photo made me understand that being away from me is helping him spread his wings. He is growing. He is changing. And I am very proud of the young man he is becoming. “{…}Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.{…} -Khalil Gibran

Christie Nelson, Australia This is a photo of my little girl in the car — a part of my 365 project. Why does it mean a lot to me? Well, I have tried so hard through my 365 project to capture our everyday experiences in creative and interesting ways. This photo is so ‘everyday’ – it’s just her in the car, looking happy, with a big ol’ bruise smack on the middle of her forehead, haha. I’m sure this ‘normality’ is what I am going to want to remember when she’s grown up. But I also challenged myself to make this image different than a typical car photo – so I climbed up onto the hood of the car and shot it through the sunroof. Silly, I know – the neighbors must have thought I was insane – but I was proud of myself. I ended up with something unique and a composition I was pleased with too. I think back to this image a lot as I’m shooting to try and push my creativity and inspiration.

Jennifer Dell, Texas This is a photo of my daughter when we took our first trip to the beach for this year. We went last year for a short trip and she’s been asking to back ever since. She talked about all the fun she was going to have that weekend on the drive down. When we finally arrived we made a quick stop at the beach before going on to the beach house to let the kids run around after being cooped up in the car on the ride down. She was so happy and in totally in her element dancing and running in the waves and chasing seagulls. It was such a gorgeous evening with the sunset and the beach was pretty much empty so we had it to ourselves. I love her joyful expression and how her foot is just about to connect with her reflection. It also represents what I love about photography the most, being able to stop a moment in it’s tracks.

Carrie Anne Miranda , California I just took this photo the other day, but the fact that is pulls SO much emotion from me makes it an immediate favorite. My biggest baby just turned six, and it’s so bittersweet. She is a very bright girl, she’s beautiful and she is very active in cheer/tumbling. I imagine all of these big things for her in future and I am excited for that, but I also want her to stay innocent and small. I see all of those feelings in this picture and it’s almost overwhelming for me. I love it though. It’s exactly why photography means so much more to me than just a job or a hobby. It’s my way of preserving the moments I just can’t give away to time.

Lisa Tichane , France This is my siggy picture on CM, and still my favorite image of my boys.  It represents a lot of who they are and how I want to remember them: carefree and full of energy. But it also represents who I am as a photographer, and what I thrive to capture.  One more reason why I love this image is that it was taken during a meet-up with another CM Pro, Anne Scherrer. So this picture reminds me of the fantastic friendships I was able to make thanks to this amazing community.

Leah Cook , Texas I’m not quite sure why, but I keep going back to this one of Tyler. I’m such a lover of the outdoors, sunshine, backlight, and sparkly bokeh…but this year I’ve pushed myself to take indoor pictures of my family with interesting light (many thanks to CM!).  This speaks to me because of his sweet baby stage and the way he is highlighted in the frame. Ty was supposed to be napping, but it never happened. I remember going into his room and sharing time with him while his big brother slept. I just watched him play and climb…he was perfectly happy and showing off for me. It’s a memory I love…and one that makes me giggle and cry at the same time.

Rachael Ruffin, Missouri Oh, this was hard.  I can’t pick a client image because my fave changes so much so I picked one of my kids because I have always loved this picture, even over a year later.  I love this image because it shows something my kids love to do in day to day life. play and be silly!

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Recent Posts by Click Community Blog

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15 thoughts on “What is your favorite picture you’ve taken?”

Wow! These are all amazing. Quite inspiring. Krista Campbell's image gave me the chills!

Thank you so much Tavia. <3 I love looking at all of these images!!!

So many beautiful images and such wonderful stories to go along with each of them. Thank you all for sharing!

Wow, what an amazing and inspiring collection!!!

Such beautiful photos! I love seeing the different points of view. Thank you all for sharing!

I have so many favorites if my own children it was impossible to choose! This image was taken during a family photo shoot for a client – it was so much fun. Great family, beautiful surrounding & of course the horse. They wanted the family horse in thr photo & when I said "smile" the horse DID! This photo makes me happy!

What a cool shot!

Amazing post – these images are so inspiring and it was so lovely to spend time, looking over them and reading the background about them. Thank you for putting this together + sharing these amazing images!

Loved looking at all of these. l have so many favourites in this collection.

So many of these pictures (and words) brought tears into my eyes. These are just all so beautiful, taken by so many beautiful women <3

These are just incredibly beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

what a great collection of images here… so real & brilliant

Thank you so much for opening up you photography hearts to us! I really loved that these were all beautiful moments for you!

Tourism is one of the main pillars of the economy of Mauritius. The bulk of visitors come from South Africa, Germany, France, Australia and UK. Hotels in Mauritius are plenty, and they range from 5-star luxury to those with just basic amenities.

All of them are so cute. Much inspiration!

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My Favorite Food Essay

500 words essay on my favorite food.

In order to perform well in life, our body needs energy. We get this energy from the food we eat. Without food, there will be no life. In today’s world, there are so many dishes available worldwide. Food comes in a wide variety all around the world. Dosa, Paneer, Naan, Chapati, Biryani, and more Indian delicacies are available. We are also offered western cuisines such as noodles, pasta, burgers, fries, pizzas and more dominating the food industry. In my favourite food essay, I will tell you about the food I like eating the most.

My Favorite Food

As the world is advancing day by day, it is becoming easier to get access to many kinds of food at our doorstep. Every day, we all want to consume great and delicious cuisine. There are many different varieties of food accessible all throughout the world. We all like different foods, however, my personal favourite is burgers. I have eaten many cuisines but my favourite food is definitely a burger. I cannot resist myself when it comes to burgers.

Burgers are one of the most convenient and easiest foods to eat on the fly when we’re in a hurry. We can have a burger at any time of day, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or supper, and maybe some fries and a Coke to go with it. Many restaurants are well-known for making their speciality burgers in a particular style. Preparation changes from one establishment to the next. But what exactly makes a burger taste so good? They will taste vary depending on where you go, but they are all built the same. It is made up of a bun, a ground meat patty, and various toppings like cheese, onion slices, lettuce, and other sauces.

They are so soft yet crunchy, fresh and juicy that I love eating them. Even though there are many kinds of burgers, my favourite one is a chicken burger. The chicken patty gives the burger a juicy taste and it tingles my taste buds every time I eat it. I can already smell and taste it in my mouth as soon as I walked inside McDonald’s or any other restaurant that serves chicken burgers. As soon as I take a huge mouthful of it, I forget about any problems or troubles that are going on in the outer world and concentrate my entire concentration just on my chicken burger.

I love eating a burger which is filled with cheese and vegetables . The more vegetables you add, the better it tastes. My personal favourite is lettuce. It gives the burger the right amount of freshness and crunchiness.

I always eat my burger with ketchup. Most importantly, the thing I love about eating burgers is that I get to eat French fries along with them. They work as a great side to the dish and also make my stomach full.

Even though I liked eating a burger from a famous fast food joint, nothing beats the chicken burger my mother makes at home. She prepares everything from scratch, even the burger. Thus, it is extremely fresh and healthy too.

I know and feel that burgers have the great flavour and taste that would make anyone’s stomach pleased after a long day of work. I can tell by the reactions on people’s faces when they order their preferred burger variant. Overall, I don’t believe any other fast food will taste as good as a chicken burger. It’s just difficult to think that something will triumph in the future. As a result, I consider my favourite dish to be the best ever created.

A Great Variety

Perhaps the great thing about burgers is the great variety they offer. It has options for all people, who prefer vegetarian, non-vegetarian and even vegans. Thus, you can select the patty of your burger and dive right in.

There are a large number of burger joints being started in every corner of the city, each serving a variety of their own specialised and self-curated recipes. Burgers that are health-friendly and a go-to with a diet are also being introduced by these newly upcoming burger places. There are a lot many burger cafes that give their customers the choice to create their own burgers by providing them with a choice between patties, fillings, veggies, sauces as well as the number of burger layers they want.

Even though my personal favourite is a chicken burger, I also enjoy eating cheeseburgers and vegetable burgers. For me, all burgers taste delicious. Whenever we go out to eat with friends , I always order a burger.

My friends who do not eat non-vegetarian also eat burgers thanks to the great variety it offers. When we order food at home, we make sure to offer all kinds of burgers from cheeseburgers to chicken burgers, so that we get a taste of everything in our meal. Thus, I love burgers and their great variety makes it better.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of My Favorite Food Essay

Even though my favourite food is a burger, I enjoy other foods as well like Pizza and Pasta. However, I feel when it comes to eating daily, nothing beats homemade food. The food we eat daily is what helps us gain energy. We cannot eat our favourite food daily as it will become boring then, but our staple food is something we enjoy eating on an everyday basis.

FAQ of My Favorite Food Essay

Question 1: Why do we need food?

Answer 1: We need food because it provides nutrients, energy for activity, growth. Similarly, all functions of the body like breathing, digesting food, and keeping warm are made possible because of food. It also helps in keeping our immune system healthy.

Question 2: Should you eat your favourite food all the time?

Answer 2: No, never. Favourite foods are meant to be enjoyed when there is any special occasion, or when you are tired of your regular homemade food. Eating too much of your favourite food will make your taste buds adjust to it and eventually, it will not remain our favourite. Excess of anything is bad and the same goes for our favourite food. Thus, we must eat it occasionally so that it remains our favourite.

Question 3: Is fast food healthy? Should we not consume fast food at all?

Answer 3: Fast food is often high in calories, sodium, and harmful fat, with one meal frequently providing enough for a whole day. It is also deficient in nutrients and nearly devoid of fruit, vegetables, and fibre. That doesn’t mean you should completely avoid fast food. It is feasible to eat fast food without jeopardising your healthy diet. Take advantage of the nutritious side dishes available at many fast-food places. Look for meals that include lean proteins, vegetables, and fibre, and avoid anything that is supersized.

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Film Photo Essays

Shooting in the streets with an iso 50 film [ilford pan f plus 50].

Images shot on Ilford Pan F Plus 50 in the Lomo LC-A Shooting fluid scenes with moving subjects in changeable lighting conditions – i.e. out in the streets – with an ISO 50 film is not recommended. Don’t get me wrong with that wording. I’m not recommending that you don’t do it. … Read more

Getting Some Sea Air in Weston-super-Mare [Kodak Ultramax 400]

Images shot on Kodak Ultramax 400 in the Lomo LC-A Another blog post, another film photography essay here on My Favourite Lens, and it’s another stroll around a British seaside town. I’ve published a few of these already, which you can find under this tag here, and I have more … Read more

Shooting Black and White Film at the London Barbican [Fomapan Action 400]

Images shot on Fomapan Action 400 in the Rollei 35 Ooh, the London Barbican. Nobody’s ever shot some rolls of film around there, have they? Yes, I know. There’s nothing new under the sun, though. If I’m in San Francisco I’m not going to not take some photographs of that bridge they … Read more

Walking Around Wollaton Park With the Lomo LC-A [Lomography Color Negative 400]

Images shot on Lomography Color Negative 400 in the Lomo LC-A In a previous blog post on this site, I talked about the first roll of film I put through my original Soviet Lomo LC-A. It was some Ilford HP5 Plus that I shot around the streets of Nottingham. When … Read more

A Black and White Ramble in Mansfield [Ilford FP4 Plus 125]

Images shot on Ilford FP4 Plus 125 in the Lomo LC-A The sun was out and I wanted to shoot some film. I didn’t really care what film, or with which camera, or even where to shoot it. All I knew was I didn’t want to waste the good light … Read more

A Few on Film From the Nottingham Christmas Market [AgfaPhoto APX 400]

Images shot on AgfaPhoto APX 400 in the Rollei 35 We’ve got a few things to cover in this blog post, which is based around some shots from the Nottingham Christmas market and is being written as a stream of consciousness rather than being anything with much pre-planning behind it. The APX … Read more

Returning to Mansfield With the Pentax Auto 110 [Lomography Orca 100]

Images shot on Lomography Orca 100 in the Pentax Auto 110 When I lived in Shanghai, one of the biggest cities on the planet, I was never short of new and interesting places to go and shoot some photographs at. I don’t just mean the famous spots either, like Jing’an … Read more

Do Your Photography and Let the World Argue and Discuss Itself to Death [Oriental Seagull 400]

Images shot on Oriental Seagull 400 in the Lomo LC-A This post is going to feature a bunch of shots from Scarborough beach, shot on Oriental Seagull 400 film in the Lomo LC-A. Which is apt, considering the subjects in that image above. But it isn’t going to be about … Read more

Colour Nottingham Street Photography With the Lomo LC-A [Fujicolor C200]

Images shot on Fujicolor C200 in the Lomo LC-A The first roll of film I ever put through the wonderful Lomo LC-A was some Ilford HP5 Plus which, as you may well know, is a black and white one. I used it to shoot some street shots around Nottingham, which was good … Read more

Monochrome Fun In Great Yarmouth With the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim [Ilford HP5 Plus 400]

Images shot on Ilford HP5 Plus 400 in the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim The Reto Ultra Wide & Slim is not a technically advanced camera, to say the least. But it is a very fun one to shoot. The first film I put through mine was some Kentmere Pan 100, which I … Read more

Shooting Birnbeck Pier on Monochrome Film [Ilford XP2 Super 400]

Images shot on Ilford XP2 Super 400 in the Lomo LC-A Since returning to the UK from my time living in Shanghai, I’ve found myself attracted more to the British seaside towns than I have the inland cities when it comes to going somewhere to shoot some film and write blog posts … Read more

Monochrome Nottingham Street Photography With the Lomo LC-A [Ilford HP5 Plus 400]

Images shot on Ilford HP5 Plus 400 in the Lomo LC-A When I lived in Shanghai, wandering around with my Yashica Electro and shooting in the streets was my number one creative pastime. For some reason though, when I came back to England I didn’t feel so keen to walk … Read more

Finishing a Roll of Film in the Streets of Mansfield [Kentmere Pan 100]

Images shot on Kentmere Pan 100 in Pentax MX with SMC Pentax-M 50mm f2 If you’ve already read my Kentmere Pan 100 film review and are particularly eagle-eyed, you may recognise that scaffolding in the shot above. If not, maybe just have a quick look now. Now that we’ve got that out … Read more

Shooting Some Colour Film in the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim [Kodak Gold 200]

Images shot on Kodak Gold 200 in the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim Before I write a review of any camera on this website, I like to put at least one roll of colour and one roll of black and white film through it. Just to see how both turn … Read more

Putting My First Roll Through the Pentax MX at Holme Pierrepont [Kentmere Pan 100]

Images shot on Kentmere Pan 100 in Pentax MX with SMC Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 Although SLRs like the Pentax K1000 and Canon AE-1 are often touted as good for beginners, I’d been shooting film for quite a while before I got myself a single lens reflex camera. For years, I didn’t really … Read more

Shooting the Sprocket Rocket in Great Yarmouth [Lomography Color Negative 400]

Images shot on Lomography Color Negative 400 in Lomography Sprocket Rocket Love them or hate them, or just feel a general indifference and get on with your life like a normal person, there’s no doubt that Lomography come up with some pretty special cameras. Not the kind that are going … Read more

Testing the Pentax Auto 110 in Sunny Mansfield [Lomography Color Tiger 200]

Images shot on Lomography Color Tiger 200 in Pentax Auto 110 Let’s not beat around the bush here. 110 format film doesn’t have the best reputation for image quality. The negatives are only about half the size of 35mm ones, typically meaning less detail and sharpness and all those good … Read more

Let Me Tell You About Mansfield – The First Roll From the Pentax K1000 [Street Candy ATM 400]

Images shot on Street Candy ATM 400 in Pentax K1000 with SMC Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 A bottle shop on one side of the road and a betting shop on the other. It’d be easy to take a bunch of photos like this, intersperse them with ones of closed down places, say … Read more

A Short Walk Along the Beach at Colwyn Bay [Kodak Ultramax 400]

Images shot on Kodak Ultramax 400 in Lomography LC-Wide I took a trip to North Wales to spend time with an old friend I’d met years ago. Quite a few years ago now actually, back when we were young men. It was quite a few miles away too, in a cafe way … Read more

Testing the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim at Southwell Minster [Kentmere Pan 100]

Images shot on Kentmere Pan 100 in Reto Ultra Wide & Slim In January of 2022, it was announced a new camera was about to hit the market. Kind of, anyway. Because while the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim is indeed a freshly made plastic box that you put film in, it’s … Read more

Some Football Film Photography from Field Mill [Kodak Portra 800]

Images shot on Kodak Portra 800 in Lomography LC-Wide In August of 2021, Mansfield Town played Bristol Rovers in a match in the 4th tier of the English Football League. It took place at Field Mill – Mansfield’s stadium – and saw the hosts win 2-1 through a very, very late penalty. … Read more

Shooting Roche Abbey on Monochrome Film [Ilford Delta 100]

Images shot on Ilford Delta 100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN Roche Abbey is one of many ruined medieval abbeys scattered around the lands of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Formerly thriving centres of work, prayer and study, they were consigned to their current states of dilapidation during Henry VIII’s 1536 – 1541 … Read more

Llanfairpwll…gogogoch – A Short Post on the World’s Longest Train Station Name [Kodak Ultramax 400]

Images shot on Kodak Ultramax 400 in Lomography LC-Wide Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, then. I suppose if you’re going to base a little photo essay on a single train station, the one with the longest name in the world is as good a choice as any. Not that I make a habit of visiting train … Read more

A Quick Roll Around Mablethorpe [Street Candy ATM 400]

Images shot on Street Candy ATM 400 in Lomography LC-Wide I remember when I was a kid, one of my favourite days out was the annual Saturday trip we’d take to Mablethorpe, out on the east coast of England. It’d be a family thing, going with my brother and our … Read more

Some Soft Swan Shots From Clumber Park [Lomography Orca 100]

Images shot on Lomography Orca 100 in Lomography Diana Baby 110 After shooting a roll of Lomography Color Tiger 200 in an old hand-me-down Kodak Ektra camera at a temple in Shanghai, I must have got a bit of a taste for the much-maligned 110 format. I say this because, … Read more

A Bad Start and the First Shots I Got From the Lomo LC-Wide [Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400]

Images shot on Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400 in Lomography LC-Wide One weekend evening when I was sitting in front of my computer and had drunk a few light ales, I decided it’d be a good idea to buy a Lomography LC-Wide camera. I think I’d gotten a little bored of … Read more

The Last Poppies of Blidworth Meadows [Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400]

Images shot on Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400 in Lomography LC-Wide When I was living in Shanghai, going out with my camera and finding something to shoot was easy. It wasn’t necessary to have anything particular in mind. You could just wander around and come back with a perfectly publishable set … Read more

Shooting 110 Film at Shanghai’s Jade Buddha Temple [Lomography Color Tiger 200]

Images shot on Lomography Color Tiger 200 in Kodak Ektra 250 Looking at all the film photo essays I’ve written up to now, as well as the film reviews too, it’s clear that 35mm has been my main format of choice so far. There was a quick dabble with 120 … Read more

Photograph What You Can, While You Can [Fujicolor Industrial 400]

Images shot on Fujicolor Industrial 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN Nothing ever lasts forever, as Echo and The Bunnymen sang back in 1997. Which is an unbelievable 24 years ago as I write this. It’s a timeless sentiment though, as Fuji continue to demonstrate with every film stock they discontinue. Like … Read more

A Little Taste of London Underground Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]

Images shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN One of the previous film photo essays I published here on My Favourite Lens was called Nothing New Under the Sun. It talked about how a lot of photographs taken on CineStill 800T share common subjects. That post probably … Read more

Some City of London Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]

Images shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I’ve been lucky enough to have had a few short breaks in London in recent years. Just two or three days at a time, and usually because I’m in town anyway having just arrived from Shanghai or before flying … Read more

Multi-Project Shooting With a Lesser-Known Kodak Film [Kodak Pro Image 100]

Images shot on Kodak Pro Image 100 in Canon Sure Shot AF-7 When my time living in Shanghai was coming to an end, I thought it would be a good idea to get a couple of city-wide photography projects done while I still had the chance. One of these ended … Read more

The Double Shanghai Film Photography Project [Shanghai GP3 100]

Images shot on Shanghai GP3 100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I’m not going to do the actual maths here, but I’d say over 99% of my Shanghai film photography while I lived there was done on 35mm. The only exceptions were some 120 I put through a borrowed Holga, a … Read more

The Sequel to the First Roll in the Yashica Electro 35 GSN [Fujicolor Industrial 100]

Images shot on Fujicolor Industrial 100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I try to mix things up with the film photo essays I write on here. Some, like this one from Yangshuo, are travelogues. Others, like this one about shooting in low light, are more about the film and the process of … Read more

Finite and Infinite Games and Your Photography Creation [Rollei Retro 400S]

Images shot on Rollei Retro 400S in Canon Sure Shot AF-7 In 1986, a man named James P. Carse released his book Finite and Infinite Games. It’s generally seen as a polarising work, with a fair number of scathing reviews to go alongside its glowing ones. It clearly made a big impression on … Read more

Spreading the Word About One of My Favourite Underrated Films [Rollei Retro 400S]

Images shot on Rollei Retro 400S in Canon Sure Shot AF-7 If you shoot film, you probably have a few that are your favourites. And if any of those are the better-known ones like Portra 400 or HP5 Plus, they’ll probably be a lot of other people’s favourites too. But what about the … Read more

Sunny Street Shooting With a Cheap ISO 100 Colour Film [Kodak Pro Image 100]

Images shot on Kodak Pro Image 100 in Canon Sure Shot AF-7 The first time I shot some ISO 100 Kodak film in the streets of Shanghai, it was the professional grade and comparatively pricey Ektar loaded in my Yashica Electro rangefinder. The results, some of which you can see … Read more

Shooting Street Style With a Fine Slide Film [Kodak Ektachrome E100]

Images shot on Kodak Ektachrome E100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN When Kodak announced in 2017 that their previously discontinued Ektachrome was coming back, many an experienced head in the film photography world rejoiced. For me though, as a not very experienced head, it was a time to learn. To learn what … Read more

Shooting a High ISO Colour Film in Low Light [Fujicolor Natura 1600]

Images shot on Fujicolor Natura 1600 in Nikon FM3a If you’re looking for a high ISO colour film that’s still in production these days, you’re sadly not going to find anything as fast as this Natura 1600. When Fujifilm killed it off, it was the last of the ISO 1600 colour films … Read more

Shooting Street With One of the World’s Most Expensive 35mm Films [Fujicolor Natura 1600]

Images shot on Fujicolor Natura 1600 in Nikon FM3a One thing I’ve learnt while shooting all these films is that their cost doesn’t necessarily translate to how good they were in my opinion. In its own way, I was just as fond of the cheap Fujicolor C200 as I was the … Read more

Shooting Street With Kodak’s Iconic Budget Film [Kodak Gold 200]

Images shot on Kodak Gold 200 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN We’re roughly 20% of the way through the 21st century as I write this – in 2020 – and we’re still lucky enough to be getting new films coming onto the market. In relatively recent times, CineStill started modifying … Read more

Shooting Street With Ilford’s Professional Film [Ilford Delta 400]

Images shot on Ilford Delta 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN One thing I’ve hardly ever wondered about until now is what it actually means when some product or other has the word professional plastered across it and how much difference it makes to the average consumer. I guess higher grade engine … Read more

Trying a New Film in My Old Neighbourhood [Ilford XP2 Super 400]

Images shot on Ilford XP2 Super 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN A lot of the film photography I’ve published on this site was shot in and around the Qibao area of Shanghai. Like the shots on this post, for example. The reason for that is pretty simple. It’s because that’s … Read more

Finally Visiting Shanghai’s Jing’an Temple [Kodak Portra 400]

Images shot on Kodak Portra 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN There’s something about living in a place that makes you get lazy about seeing all of what it has to offer. Just think about all the things your hometown has to offer and then think how many of them you’ve … Read more

The Fear of Success and Judgement of Your Photography [Ilford HP5 Plus 400]

I wrote a post before about whether success was – or could be – scarier than failure. I genuinely believed it was. And then I heard a statement that instantly turned that opinion on its head. It killed my belief in it.

Having a perceived fear of success could be holding you back, and it’s going to be harder to get over it if that’s not even what the real problem is.

Come read to learn what I now believe a ‘fear of success’ actually is and see whether this can help you if it’s holding you back creatively. What have you got to lose?

Shooting Street With Kodak’s Most Popular Film [Kodak Portra 400]

Images shot on Kodak Portra 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN It took me a while but I finally did it. After shooting such household names as Oriental Seagull and Fujicolor Industrial, I managed to get hold of that obscure film known as Kodak Portra 400 and give it whirl in … Read more

Photographers – Show As Much of Your Work As You Can [Fujicolor C200]

Images shot on Fujicolor C200 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN If you’re a photographer, there’s an argument that says you should show as much of your work as you can. You might not agree with it. I’m not saying it’s right for everyone. But I do think it could help you to … Read more

A Spot of UrbEx in Shanghai [Kodak ColorPlus 200]

Images shot on Kodak ColorPlus 200 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I guess it’s funny what different people do and don’t feel comfortable doing. For me, as most of my photography on this site shows, I was okay walking around Shanghai taking photographs of strangers. UrbEx in Shanghai, though. Urban exploration. Going … Read more

My First Expired Film Fail [Kodak Dental Photographic Slide Film]

Images shot on Kodak Dental Photographic Slide Film in Yashica Electro 35 GSN One thing I’ve been lucky with so far while shooting film is a very low number of times a roll has gone catastrophically wrong. Massively underexposing some Shanghai GP3 100 in a borrowed Holga springs to mind but apart … Read more

Why You Should Vary What You Shoot [Kodak Ektar 100]

Images shot on Kodak Ektar 100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN Shooting inanimate objects isn’t something I’ve done much of since I started with my vintage lens and film photography. I just always found shots with people in them more interesting. Perhaps this was influenced by my location, as spending most of … Read more

Finally Shooting Ilford’s Most Iconic Film [Ilford HP5 Plus 400]

Images shot on Ilford HP5 Plus 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I still remember my process for choosing which films to shoot back when I first got into this whole analogue photography thing. It was a complex equation that involved price, what boxes I liked the look of, and … Read more

Shooting Street With Kodak’s Most Vivid Film [Kodak Ektar 100]

Images shot on Kodak Ektar 100 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN As much as I enjoy shooting film, seeing the results, and writing about it on here, there’s a side to this blogging thing that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before. And that is learning all about the different films I … Read more

The Development of Yangshuo – China’s Most Beautiful Tourist Trap [Fujicolor C200]

Images shot on Fujicolor C200 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN Before I lived in Shanghai, a place I’ve shot more photographs of and written about more than any other on this website, I lived in a small town in southern China called Yangshuo. As you can see from this picture of Yangshuo … Read more

Shooting More Ilford Pan 400 in Shanghai

Images shot on Ilford Pan 400 in an Olympus Supertrip One of the first film photo essays I published on this site showed what I got from a roll of Ilford Pan 400 that I shot around Shanghai. If you’ve not seen it, you can go take a look here. I … Read more

Shanghai in an Instant – a Fujifilm Instax Project

If you’ve seen any of the film photo essays I usually publish here, you’ve probably noticed from that first image that this one is going to be a little different. I’d wanted to do some sort of instant photography project since I bought my better half a Fujifilm Instax Mini … Read more

The Shopfronts and Subway Series [CineStill 800T]

Images shot on CineStill 800T in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I talk a lot on here about the importance of creating and making things. About getting out there and shooting as much as we can. About how doing it is always better than not doing it, whatever the results you come back … Read more

Lessons Learnt from the Littlest Holga [Shanghai GP3 100 + Lomography 100]

Images shot on Shanghai GP3 100 and Lomography Color Negative 100 in Holga Glo 120N Back in the winter of 2017, the man known as @Givemeabiscuit on Twitter and (I guess) Sandeep to his family sent his Holga Glo 120N off on a trip around the world. The idea is that … Read more

Nothing New Under the Sun [CineStill 800T]

Images shot on CineStill 800T in Yashica Electro 35 GSN I’ve never really thought about this before, but it seems one way you could categorise film stocks is by whether they have an inherent influence on what gets shot on them or not. There are plenty of general purpose ones that … Read more

Showing You the Stragglers [Oriental Seagull 100]

Images shot on Oriental Seagull 100 in the Yashica Electro 35 GSN If there’s one thing I like doing when I shoot a roll of film, it’s squeezing as many photographs out of it as I can. It’s not unusual to get multiple essays on here from the 36 exposures. When I … Read more

Shots from the Shanghai Marriage Market [Oriental Seagull 100]

Images shot on Oriental Seagull 100 in the Yashica Electro 35 GSN The Shanghai marriage market is something I’d heard mentioned a few times during my time in the city but, for some reason, I’d never had any real interest in knowing when or where it was. That apathy continued … Read more

Shooting Film at Jinshan – Shanghai’s Best Beach? [Fujicolor C200]

Images shot on Fujicolor C200 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN When people look at a list of things to do in China’s largest city, the beach never features very highly. Trust me, I do some research before writing these things and ‘best beach in Shanghai’ doesn’t get typed into Google … Read more

Nanchan Temple Revisited [Kodak Ultramax 400]

Images shot on Kodak Ultramax 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN Quite a while ago, before I got into film photography and was still shooting with vintage lenses on a digital body, I did a photo essay from Wuxi’s Nanchan temple. It was shot in monochrome with the lovely old … Read more

Water Colour Pictures in Wuxi, China [Fujicolor Industrial 400]

Images shot on Fujicolor Industrial 400 in Yashica Electro 35 GSN If you’re into painting scenery and landscapes, I imagine the canals and bridges around Wuxi’s Nanchang Street would be a prime spot to get some done. I really can only imagine this because I’m pretty terrible at painting of any … Read more

A Shot in the Park [Kentmere 400]

Kentmere 400 isn’t my favourite film in the world, but I could only learn that for myself and know it for sure by shooting some. Part of the roll was shot in a park – hence the title.

Come see how it turned out and why I’m very happy I tried Kentmere 400, even though I generally prefer the results I’ve gotten from other films so far.

Catching Colour in Wuxi, China [Kodak Ultramax 400]

Catching colour on Kodak Ultramax 400 in a Yashica Electro in sunny Wuxi, China? That’s what I did. Come have a look how the shots turned out here.

Two Simple Black and White Film Photography Tips [JCH Street Pan 400]

Wherever you are with your photography, there will always be people who can learn something from you. There will also always be people who can teach you something new.

The two simple tips in this article might not be new to you, especially if you’re further along than me. But they can be useful if you’re just starting out and want to make your monochrome work better.

Whichever camp you’re in, there’s also some shots taken with the lovely JCH Street Pan 400 to look at here. So come and do that, if nothing else.

Parks and Recreation [Kodak Gold 200]

For a city so built up, you’re never short of a park to spend some time at in Shanghai, and these parks are never short of people using them for recreation.

That makes them decent places to shoot some film photography, as I did and then wrote about here in this little blog post. Their recreation became a subject for mine.

Kodak Gold 200’s bright colours make it a good film for sunny days like this, as these shots from the Yashica Electro 35 give a glimpse of. Come see.

Two Fishing Villages in Shitang, Wenling [JCH Street Pan 400]

You’re never short of places to visit in a country as big as China, as towns like Shitang are constantly proving. To me, anyway.

Most people have probably never heard of the place but I can tell you it’s near the city of Wenling, which is also a place most people have probably never heard of.

Regardless, I went there and shot some JCH Street Pan 400 in a couple of the fishing villages. Come see how that turned out.

Jing’an Sculpture Park, Shanghai [Oriental Seagull 100]

Jing’an Sculpture Park offers nice respite from the city outside its boundaries and good artwork to check out once inside them. It’s artwork that’s constantly changing too as new pieces regularly replace existing ones.

I loaded the Yashica Electro 35 with some Oriental Seagull 100 and went to make some photographs of the sculptures there when I was, along with some shots of the people who were too.

This is the write-up of those shots, and it features a sculpture that’s actually kinda famous in certain circles. European sculpture circles, I think. Come see what that is and everything more in this piece on the Jing’an Sculpture Park.

Small City Street Photography [Kentmere 400]

Sometimes you have to get away from the sprawling metropolis and head for the small city. Especially when it’s Chinese New Year and you have people to visit.

While you’re there you may as well get in some street photography. That’s what I did, and on Kentmere 400 film no less. A stock I hadn’t shot before now.

Want to see how it turned out? Because you can. Come see the small city street photography, the thoughts surrounding it, and one simple way some of the shots could have been better IMO.

Rushin’ Around the Cotswolds [Silberra Pan 200]

The Cotwolds aren’t the kind of place you’d typically rush around, and I wouldn’t recommend you do so. Not when you have all that scenery to stop and take in.

It’s scenery that deserves your best photography, which is something I didn’t give it. For me it was more of a testing ground for a roll of Silberra Pan 200 – a Russian film I got as a crowdfunding campaign reward.

That explains the daft pun in the title, but it doesn’t tell you how the shots came out. To know that, you’re going to have to click inside and come see for yourself.

Say Hello and Wave Goodbye [Agfa Vista Plus 200]

Sometimes you sit down with a bunch of photographs to share and no idea of what to write about to go with them. It’s not often I do that, but this piece is one of those occasions.

That title comes from a Soft Cell song. It was later covered by David Gray. It also covers a few themes detailed in this post. The passage of time is one. As is a discontinued film. Also a new way to even write stuff for this website.

Come see what we’re saying hello and waving goodbye to, why, and whether these are good or bad things. Hint: I think they’re mainly good.

Longhua Martyrs’ Memorial Park, Shanghai [Agfa Vista Plus 200]

Longhua Martyrs’ Memorial Park offers a few things the rest of Shanghai doesn’t. Soviet-style communist sculptures and peace and quiet being the main ones.

It makes for a decent trip out of the city centre – especially when you consider Longhua temple is right next door too. Take your camera and perhaps even a picnic.

These are some shots I got from Longhua on Agfa Vista Plus 200 in the Yashica Electro 35. Come take a look and come learn more about the place before you visit.

Edinburgh Street Photography on Russian Film [Silberra Pan 200]

After about a decade away, I returned to one of my very favourite cities in the UK. So of course I had to take the Yashica Electro 35 GSN and a roll of film with me.

That film was Silberra Pan 400 – a Russian stock that ran a Kickstarter campaign in 2017. This roll was one of the rewards I got for backing that.

The last time I went to Scotland’s capital, I wasn’t really into photography that much. So it was nice to go there and come back with some shots of some landmarks and, of course, some Edinburgh street photography.

Fishing for Eyes in the Good Light [Kodak ColorPlus 200]

Not the clearest article title there, is it? But it does describe what you’re about to read pretty well if you give it a chance. And that is a 3-step process for shooting the kind of images I like to shoot.

It’s not a hard thing to get your head around and you don’t need to do street photography for it to help you. It can be useful whatever you shoot.

Want to know what the process is? Then come take a read as we go through it from its logical beginning to end, and all illustrated with a bunch of street photographs shot on film using it.

The First Roll from the Yashica Electro 35 GSN [Fujicolor Industrial 100]

Rangefinder film cameras aren’t always the easiest to get to grips with when you’ve never used one before. As you can see from the title, I’d never used one before I shot this roll in my Yashica Electro.

If you’re wondering how it went, you’re not too far away from what I was thinking while shooting. I had no idea how it was going either.

The short version is it finished better than it began, which is understandable as you get used to a camera. The long version is inside. Come read it.

Chasing Light in Qibao Old Town [Fujicolor Industrial 100]

Sitting out to the west of the city centre but still absolutely in Shanghai, Qibao old town makes a lovely day away from the shiny skyscrapers of China’s biggest metropolis.

If you’re going to go there, try to pick a day with fewer people. So neither a weekend nor a national holiday. Try also to pick a sunny day. Then you can take advantage of the light and get better photographs.

Trust me. I shot parts of Qibao – on Fujicolor Industrial 100 film – on both bright and overcast days. Come see the difference good light makes to your photography here.

A Few from the m50 Art District, Shanghai [Fujicolor Industrial 100]

m50, at Moganshan Road in Shanghai, is one of the city’s most iconic art districts. It’s also one of the only places in town you’ll find genuine street art.

I went there with the old Olympus Supertrip and a roll of Fuijfilm Industrial 100 to get a few shots, which you can see in this short essay.

Come take a look, find out how the m50 art district came about, and how you can get there if you’re in Shanghai and want to check it out too.

Shooting for the First Shitty Camera Challenge [Rollei Retro 400S]

The Shitty Camera Challenge was pretty much as the name suggested. That was… to shoot with a shitty camera. You could use any film you wanted and then were to post the results to Twitter.

There was a suitably bad first prize, which I don’t know who won right now but I hope it wasn’t me, and lots of fun to be had on the #shittycamerachallenge hashtag.

For me, it was an excuse to get out again with the Canon Sure Shot AF-7 and try some Rollei Retro 400S for the first time. This is how it went. Come take a look.

A Failed Photography Trip to Nanxun Water Town [Fujicolor Industrial 100]

Nanxun water town sits not too far from Shanghai, which makes it a good getaway from the city. It’s also a pretty photogenic place, if that’s what you’re into.

And if you are, you won’t want to make the same mistake I did which led to coming back with just four photographs – shot on Fujicolor Industrial 100 – to show for it.

Come read what happened, see how to avoid the same happening to you and why, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t really a failed trip at all.

The Beach and the Beer – a Qingdao Film Photography Essay [Ilford Pan 400]

Qingdao is synonymous in China for its beer, but there’s more to the place than drinking. Having said that, the Tsingtao brewery and beer street *is* a must visit if you’re in town.

So too are the beaches.

So with a single roll of Ilford Pan 400 to work with, I focused this photography essay on those two things – the beach and the beer. Come see how it turned out.

Shooting Ilford Pan 400 in Shanghai

More film photography, right here. And this time we’re shooting monochrome.

Ilford Pan 400 is a film available in Asia. It’s not expensive, but does that make it worth buying if you’re in the area? Or even getting some shipped if you’re not?

To find out, I shot some Shanghai street photography with it. Here, in this very article, you can come see how it turned out. Come one, come all. Come on. Come in.

Yuhuan – a Film Photography Essay [Ilford Pan 400]

Yuhuan is a small, industrial city on China’s east coast. I don’t think many people go there for the sightseeing.

I went there for a Chinese New Year and took my charity shop film camera and two rolls of Ilford Pan 400. I wanted to tell a story. I wanted to present Yuhuan as I saw it.

This film photography essay is the result of that. Come take a look.

Testing the Olympus Supertrip in Shanghai [Kodak ColorPlus 200]

Another new old camera, bought cheap in an English charity shop, and a roll of the only film they had in Tesco. Taken to Shanghai and tested out in the winter sun.

The images I got are presented in this article. There aren’t that many of them but what is here is worth seeing. I wouldn’t have shared them otherwise.

So come take a look and see how a camera that cost less than the roll of Kodak ColorPlus inside it fared on its first outing (I presume) in China.

Testing the Canon Sure Shot AF-7 @ Airport Square, Chongqing [Kodak ColorPlus 200]

We need to be honest here. Chongqing’s Airport Square is in no way a place you should ever visit. Chongqing the city certainly is. But spend your time seeing the good stuff in the city centre.

That said, Airport Square was good to me. It provided a nice little location to test out my new old camera – the Canon Sure Shot AF-7. The question is, how did the shots turn out?

The answer is in this post. So maybe you should come on in and find out. Please. Thanks.

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