The Visual Toolbox: 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographs

Lesson 46. Think Cinematically

If you’re looking to tell fuller stories than one frame alone can tell, then a series of photographs that work together is the next logical step. Of course, these days the lines are blurring between still photographs, mixed media, and video, but I know something about making the former and very little about the latter, so this lesson will focus on still photographs in sequence. Still, I ask you to think cinematically, because the way we approach a photo essay is very similar to the way a cinematographer tells a story. Specifically, in this context, I encourage you to think in terms of a consistent style, an intentional sequence, and the use of establishing, wide, and detail photographs to give both information and ...