The Photographic Essay: The Power of Visual Storytelling

Catalog description

Photographs are endowed with a unique power to immerse us in other people's stories, engage us emotionally, inform us, raise public awareness, and serve as a catalyst for action. But what exactly is it about some photos—for instance, Nik Ut's Napalm Girl, Stuart Franklin's Tank Man, or Alberto Korda's portrait of Che Guevara—that makes them uniquely alluring and memorable? What can we learn from the iconic images of our times that can help us to construct compelling photo essays? What can the masters of photography teach us about making images that captivate us and inspire us to action? By analyzing examples of effective storytelling, students will learn to better understand the building blocks of a strong visual essay. The course will help students to discover their visual voice and develop their own visual language. They will also reflect on the ethical implications of their workflow. It will be taught through classroom discussions, photo critiques, field trips, editing sessions, and photo workshops. Students will be assessed on the completion of five short photography assignments and three photo essays. At the end of the course, they will present a portfolio of their coursework.