Matt Brandon on great photo essays

Matt Brandon over at The Digital Trekker writes up some good tips on creating remarkable photo essays.

His post is crammed with links to some well made and inspiring photo essays on a variety of topics (including Marcus Bleasdale’s haunting Rape of a nation essay about war in the Republic of Congo).

But there’s also some useful nuggets of advice for anyone considering, or actually making, the transition from still photography to multimedia. Things like:

• ensure every image you include is strong enough to stand on its own
• a good essay has a plot with an arc, like a movie or a book
• know your story and stick to it
• be aware of the audio happening around you as you shoot

I’m particularly interested in the audio side of things, and the practicalities of making good audio recordings while simultaneously taking good photos. It’s quite a juggling act, and something I hope to explore in future posts.