Arragement assignment

Photo Arrangement /Essay/Documentary/ Story assignment

For this one you'll turn in: 5-7 photos printed 5x7 color or b&w
Due: Finals Week

Your task is to tell a story through photos. Much of the time, photojournalists have to try to capture the story in just one image. For this one, you can tell the story with the best seven photos to bring as many angles you can (literally and figuratively) to the reader.

Find someone with a story. Maybe you know someone with an unusual (and photogenic) job. Maybe it's someone who faces an everyday struggle. Maybe it's someone who is trying to make a difference. Think human interest. Conflict. Complication. Inspirational. Struggle. Unusualness. Humor.

Coordinate a shooting schedule once you find someone. Maybe you will follow them around for a day. Maybe you'll stop by over the period of a week or a couple weeks. It depends on the timeline of your subject story.

You don't have to follow a single subject, either. Your story could be a certain issue or problem that affects different people. Keep an eye out for stories about trends in the paper, maybe you shoot one person as an example of a trend.

Do whatever research you can to plan how much equipment you'll need with you (a flash? telephoto lens? tripod?)

Remember to include descriptive captions for each image. Feel free to break the typical 2-sentence length. Type up and print out each caption and include it with each photo.

Each photo should be of a different "event" or "moment." For example, you wouldn't include a photo and then another one taken a few seconds later from a slightly different angle. Pick the best one to represent that moment. Think of each photograph as a different chapter of a book.

You'll want to mix close-ups, medium shots and wide shots.

Arrange the shots in the sequence that makes the most sense. It's not always chronologically how they were shot.

If it's between the less perfect shot that better tells the story or a nice shot with less story, pick the one that best tells the story.

Use a title for your photo story.


And remember to edit and crop all images as needed.