Photo Essay
A sequence of photographs arranged to develop an argument or narrative that no single image could carry.
Measured in
count
In depth
The essay is a form with its own grammar: an establishing frame, portraits, details, a moment of tension and a closing image, paced so the reader is carried through. Editing is the craft — the strongest individual picture is often cut because it does not advance the sequence.
Examples in practice
A twelve-picture essay on a night shift opens with the empty street and closes with the walk home at dawn.