in essay can i put pictures

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

How and When to Use Images in an Essay

• 3-minute read
• 15th December 2018

Pages of text alone can look quite boring. And while you might think that ‘boring’ is normal for an essay, it doesn’t have to be. Using images and charts in an essay can make your document more visually interesting. It can even help you earn better grades if done right!

Here, then, is our guide on how to use images in an academic essay .

How to Use Images in an Essay

Usually, you will only need to add an image in academic writing if it serves a specific purpose (e.g. illustrating your argument). Even then, you need to make sure images are presently correctly. As such, try asking yourself the following questions whenever you add an image in an essay:

• Does it add anything useful? Any image or chart you include in your work should help you make your argument or explain a point more clearly. For instance, if you are analysing a film, you may need to include a still from a scene to illustrate a point you are making.
• Is the image clearly labelled? All images in your essay should come with clear captions (e.g. ‘Figure 1’ plus a title or description). Without these, your reader may not know how images relate to the surrounding text.
• Have you mentioned the image in the text? Make sure to directly reference the image in the text of your essay. If you have included an image to illustrate a point, for instance, you would include something along the lines of ‘An example of this can be seen in Figure 1’.

The key, then, is that images in an essay are not just decoration. Rather, they should fit with and add to the arguments you make in the text.

Citing Images and Illustrations

If you have created all the images and charts you want to use in your essay, then all you need to do is label them clearly (as described above). But if you want to use an image found somewhere else in your work, you will need to cite your source as well, just as you would when quoting someone.

The exact format for this will depend on the referencing system you’re using. However, with author–date referencing, it usually involves giving the source author’s name and a year of publication:

In the caption above, for example, we have cited the paper containing the image and the page it is on. We would then need to add the paper to the reference list at the end of the document:

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

Gramblička, S., Kohar, R., & Stopka, M. (2017). Dynamic analysis of mechanical conveyor drive system. Procedia Engineering , 192, 259–264. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.045

You can also cite an image directly if it not part of a larger publication or document. If we wanted to cite an image found online in APA referencing , for example, we would use the following format:

Surname, Initial(s). (Role). (Year).  Title or description of image  [Image format]. Retrieved from URL.

In practice, then, we could cite a photograph as follows:

Booth, S. (Photographer). (2014). Passengers [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevebooth/35470947736/in/pool-best100only/

Make sure to check your style guide for which referencing system to use.

Need to Write An Excellent Essay?

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Get help from a language expert. Try our proofreading services for free.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

How to Ace Slack Messaging for Contractors and Freelancers

Effective professional communication is an important skill for contractors and freelancers navigating remote work environments....

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

• Customer Reviews
• Extended Essays
• IB Internal Assessment
• Theory of Knowledge
• Literature Review
• Dissertations
• Essay Writing
• Research Writing
• Assignment Help
• Capstone Projects
• College Application
• Online Class

When to Use an Image in an Essay: What You Need to Know

by  Antony W

September 13, 2022

There’s a 98% chance that the essays you’ve written so far are pages of text alone. While plain text can make the work look dull, academic writing hardly ever requires you to use images, charts, and graphs in the essay. 

While that doesn’t mean you can’t include visuals in your assignment, it’s important to learn when to use an image in an essay.

You can add an image in your essay only if it serves a specific purpose such as illustrating an argument for more clarity. If you’re going to include an image in your essay, make sure you present it correctly and at the same time follow the standard citation rules.

In this guide, we’ll talk more about images in an essay, including why they’re important, when exactly to add one in your work, and the right way cite them.

In the end, you should be able to make a solid judgment as far as the inclusion of images in your work is concerned.

Key Takeaways 

• The types of images you can use in an essay are pictures, graphs, and charts.
• It’s acceptable to add an image in an essay to illustrate an argument for more clarity.
• Images can be useful when explaining a process, showing an example, or in the instance when you want to grab your reader’s attention.
• Be advised that you must follow the accepted citation rules when including an image in the essay.

What Type of Images Can You Include in An Essay?

Just because you can include an image in an essay doesn’t mean any image you include in the assignment will be a good fit.

Remember, the role of an image is to give your essay a better structure and make your writing readable and easy to understand.

Instructors don’t impose limits on the types of images a student can include in an essay.

For example, a student working on an IB Physics Internal Assessment can use charts, drawings, photos, and infographic to explain concepts that would be otherwise difficult to explain in words.

However, there are rule you must observe.

1. Pictures 

Pictures introduce breaks between blocks of words in an essay while adding meaning to the overall context of the assignment.

By themselves, pictures are worth a thousand words, which is another way to state that they’re descriptive enough to communicate a solid message.

While you can use any picture in your essay, provided it’s relevant for your topic, the image you choose to include must have meet the following requirements:

• The image should be clear when viewed in web document and in print
• You must have the legal right to use the image in your essay – otherwise you’d have to create your own
• The image you choose should be relevant to the topic of your essay

The next thing you need to understand before including an image in an essay is placement .

In other words, where should you insert the picture?

• End of the essay: Include the image in the reference section of your essay and then include a reference to the image in the body text of your essay.
• In the body of the essay: Have the image inserted on a separate page within the body section of your essay. Don’t forget to mention the picture in the text so that your readers are aware that you’ve intentionally included it in your work.
• Within body text: You can use in-text citations to include an image in your essay, but it’s best to avoid this option because it tends to alter the formatting of the paper.

The picture you include in your essay must have a source name, unique description, and a number to make it easy for your reader to find and reference the image if they want to.

Also, you should attribute the photo if you don’t own it so that you don’t violate the copyright ownership of the material. 

2. Graphs and Charts 

Graphs and charts are the best type of media to include in an essay.

Unlike standard pictures, graphs and charts can easily explain complex concepts in visuals than lengthy words would do. These types of images are useful because they can help you to:

• Illustrate size, meaning, or a degree of influence
• Compare two or more objects 
• Provide an illustration of some statistics that are relevant to your study

The best thing about using graphs and charts in an essay is that you can explain complex concepts and make them easily understood.

So whether you want to show a comparison or believe that graphs and charts can communicate ideas better than words, you can add some visualization to your work to make your essay appear more appealing and easier to read.

You can use ready-made graphs and charts in your work provided you cite them properly.

Or you can use a software solution such as Microsoft PowerPoint to create your own.

Whether you download your media from the web or create them on your own, it’s important that you add appropriate naming and comments to enhance information clarity.  

Get Essay Writing Help 

If you haven’t started your essay because you have many other assignments to complete, you can  hire our essay writers   to help you get the work done fast.

We help with topic selection, research, custom writing, editing and proofreading at an affordable price.

When to Use an Image in an Essay

The following are instance of when it would make sense to use an image in an essay:

1. When Explaining a Process

Some processes are difficult to explain because they are complex.

If you don't think words can adequately convey meaning or the message you wish to communicate, it would be best to use an image to simplify your explanations and bring out meaning.

2. If You Want to Show an Example

Any claim you make in your article or research paper must include proofs and specific examples.

To reinforce your argument, you might provide a graphic or chart as an easy-to-understand illustration.

Let’s say you want to talk about the effects of various medications on bacteria.

In such a case, it would make more sense to use a before-and-after photographs or graphs to illustrate your point.

3. Images Are Useful for Grabbing Reader’s Attention

You can use graphic pictures to draw the attention of your readers. When writing on works of art and cultures, it would make a lot of sense to include images in your piece of writing.

Final Thoughts

To be abundantly clear, images aren’t a requirement in essay writing.

So you should only include them if they serve unique and academically acceptable purpose.

You don’t want to add an aesthetic appeal to your essay when really there’s no need for you to do so in the first place. 

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

• USC Libraries
• Research Guides

Using Images and Non-Textual Materials in Presentations, Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

• Documenting and Citing Images
• Finding Images - Select Sources

Documenting and Citing Images/Photographs and Their Sources

Please note that this is advice on best practices and considerations in documenting and citing images and non-print materials. It does not represent legal advice on obtaining permissions.

Generally, images copied from other sources should not be used without permissions in publications or for commercial purposes. Many American academic institutions require graduate students to archive their finished and approved theses/dissertations in institutional electronic repositories and/or institutional libraries and repositories, and/or to post them on Proquest's theses database. Unpublished theses and dissertations are a form of scholarly dissemination. Someone else's images, like someone else's ideas, words or music, should be used with critical commentary, and need to be identified and cited. If a thesis/dissertation is revised for publication,  waivers or permissions from the copyright holder(s) of the images and non-textual materials must be obtained. Best practices also apply to materials found on the internet and on social media, and, properly speaking, require identification, citation, and clearance of permissions, as relevant.

Use the following elements when identifying and citing an image, depending on the information you have available . It is your responsibility to do due diligence and document as much as possible about the image you are using:

• Artist's/creator's name, if relevant;
• Title of the work/image, if known, or description;
• Ownership information (such as a person, estate, museum, library collection) and source of image;
• Material, if known, particularly for art works;
• Dimensions of the work, if known.

The Chicago Manual of Style online can be searched for norms on appropriate ways to caption illustrations, capitalize titles of visual works, or cite print materials that contain images.

Including images/photographs in a bibliography:

Best practice is to not include images within a bibliography of works cited. It is common, instead, to create a separate list of images (or figures) and their source, such as photographer (even if it's you) or collection. It may be useful to also include location, e.g., museum, geographic reference, address, etc.

Examples of Documenting Images

The image below is scanned from a published book. It can be used in a critical context within a presentation, classroom session, or  paper/thesis, as follows:

[ Figure 1. This photograph from 1990 shows the Monument against Fascism designed by Jochen Gerz and Esther Shalev-Gerz, Hamburg, 1986-1993. Image from James Young, ed.,  Art of Memory: Holocaust Memorials in History (New York: Prestel, 1994), 70]

If you need to use this image in a published work, you will have to seek permission. For example, the book from which this image was scanned should have a section on photo credits which would help you identify the person/archive holding this image.

The image below was found through Google Images and downloaded from the internet. It can be used in a critical context within a presentation,  classroom session, or paper/thesis, as follows:

[Figure 2. This image shows the interior of Bibliotheca Alexandrina designed by the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta in 2001. Image downloaded from https://mgkhs.com/gallery/alexandria in March 2016.]

If you want to use this image in a published work, you will have to do your best to track down its source to request permission to use. The web site or social media site where you found the image may not be an appropriate source, since it is common for people to repost images without attribution. Just because "everyone does it" does not mean that you should be using such materials without attribution or documentation. In this specific example, you may need to write to the photographer or to the architecture firm. If you have done due diligence and were unable to find the source, or have not received a response, you may be able to use an image found on the internet with appropriate documentation in a publication.

The image below was downloaded from a digitized historic collection of photographs held by an institutional archive. It can be used in a critical context within a presentation,  classroom session, or paper/thesis, as follows:

[Figure 3. In the 1920s the urban landscape of Los Angeles started to change, as various developers began building multi-family apartment houses in sections previously zoned for single family dwellings. Seen in this photograph by Dick Whittington is the Warrington apartment building, which was completed in 1928, surrounded by older single family structures. Downloaded from the USC Digital Library in February 2016]

I f you plan to use this photograph in a publication, seek permission from the library/institution from whose digital archive you downloaded the image. Contact information is usually found in the record for the image.

The image below was taken by the author. It can be used in a critical context within a presentation, classroom session , paper/thesis, or a publication* as follows:

[Figure 4. Genex Tower, also known as West City Gate, is a residential tower located in New Belgrade. This example of late 20th century brutalist-style architecture was designed in 1977 by Mihajlo Mitrović. Photographed by the author in 2013.]

*Please note, if you re-photographed someone else's photograph or a work of art, or if you re-photographed a published image, you may not be able to publish your photograph without first seeking permission or credit for its content.  If you have done due diligence and were unable to find the source or have not received a response, you may be able to use your image with appropriate documentation.

• << Previous: Fair Use
• Next: Finding Images - Select Sources >>
• Last Updated: Jan 19, 2023 3:12 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/fair_use

Academic Writing Guides for Students

How To Use Pictures in Your Academic Writing

Pictures can add a lot to academic writing because they support the arguments made in the text. They offer readers another way to consider and process information and often create a vivid impression of concepts related to the work. Pictures can also help you convey important ideas or data in an efficient way so that your essay isn’t too long and drawn out! Because pictures vary widely in their meaning and purpose, it’s worth plotting them through different stages in your paper: what do you want to show? why does it matter? how is it connected to your argument?

The best place for an image is within sentences or paragraphs where you’re discussing relevant concepts. For example, let’s say I wanted to talk about “the interplay between observation and affect” (an abstract, vague concept). If I use a picture of someone observing something – like the moon or stars – then my reader can see that I’m talking about “observation.” A picture of someone holding their hand to their head (a common pose when feeling overwhelmed) could convey the idea of “affect.”

Pictures can also illustrate relationships between concepts. Let’s say we want to argue that we should shift our perspective on the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature: rather than treating this relationship as one where we exploit and consume natural resources (which has negative impacts for humans and non-humans), we might consider it more as a type of friendship. In this case, pictures of friends laughing together would be useful because we can see that “friendship” is a type of relationship. This specific example does not work because the concept of “friendship” is too broad and it is unclear how this type of relationship relates to nature or humans’ understanding of it.

The main drawback when using pictures in academic writing is determining when it is appropriate for your reader to make these visual comparisons themselves. If you’ve written a paragraph where you’re showing a variety of concepts, then readers may get confused if you use a picture with only one aspect within the text. For instance, I have not included any pictures of stars or moons in this post – if I were to add one at the end, my argument would lose focus and become muddled. In short: if you’re using a picture, you need to be reasonably sure your reader will see it in the same way as you do.

Pictures can also contribute to the design of your essay by creating consistency and establishing connections between your argument and other elements. For example, if I had included images within every paragraph, any readers could expect that they would always find some type of visual support for my paper’s claims; this expectation might make them more open to exploring new ideas towards the end. The overall look of the text ( the font choices , image size/placement etc.) can help set out your position within academia. This is why it is important to consider how pictures are positioned (and where they appear) throughout an entire assignment rather than just at the end.

Best of luck with your future writing!

Post navigation

Previous post.

How do I put figures (images, photos, bar graphs, charts) into my paper in APA style?

• Figures are any type of graphical illustration other than a table.
• They are used to illustrate a point and deepen readers' understanding.

Usage Guidelines:

• Figures must add to the reader’s understanding of the content of the paper; they should not be added just to provide visual interest.  For more information, see section 7.22 of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.).
• Figures must be used ethically. Copyright laws must be followed; simply citing a source does not make its use copyright compliant. A good rule of thumb: Use figures from ClipArt, Creative Commons, or the library’s rights-cleared image database, Image Quest.

References and Citations:

• You must provide complete citations for figures and tables in your paper and in your reference list. 

References with NoodleTools:

• If the figure came from an image database, such as Image Quest, choose Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph from NoodleTools’s citation type drop-down menu.
• If the figure came from within a source like a book, an article, or a web site, choose a citation type that matches the source.

Citations Guidelines:

• Appears above the figure, bolded
• The number will reflect if it is the first (1), second (2), third (3), etc. figure in the paper.
• Figure Title
• The title appears one double-spaced line below the figure number in italics title face.
• The note appears below the figure and describes what the figure is about and how it relates to the content of the paper. 
• If the image was taken from a source and is not clipart, the note should include a copyright attribution statement.
• If the figure was taken from source material, a reference for the figures should be included in the reference list.

EXAMPLE FIGURE

• Figure numbers are used in the text (a "call out") to refer to and explain the presence of the figures.

For more information, see:

• APA Guide > References > Images & Audiovisual Media
• APA Academic Writer > Learn > Sample Figures
• Research and Library
• Last Updated May 10, 2021
• Views 352036
• Answered By Kerry Louvier

FAQ Actions

• Share on Facebook

Hello! We're here to help! Please log in to ask your question.

Need an answer now? Search our FAQs !

How can I find my course textbook?

You can expect a prompt response, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM Central Time (by the next business day on weekends and holidays).

Questions may be answered by a Librarian, Learning Services Coordinator, Instructor, or Tutor. 

Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• Citing sources

How to Cite an Image | Photographs, Figures, Diagrams

Published on March 25, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 28, 2022.

To cite an image, you need an in-text citation and a corresponding reference entry. The reference entry should list:

• The creator of the image
• The year it was published
• The title of the image
• The format of the image (e.g., “photograph”)
• Its location or container (e.g. a website , book , or museum)

The format varies depending on where you accessed the image and which citation style you’re using: APA , MLA , or Chicago .

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Citing an image in apa style, citing an image in mla style, citing an image in chicago style, frequently asked questions about citations.

In an APA Style reference entry for an image found on a website , write the image title in italics, followed by a description of its format in square brackets. Include the name of the site and the URL. The APA in-text citation just includes the photographer’s name and the year.

The information included after the title and format varies for images from other containers (e.g. books , articles ).

When you include the image itself in your text, you’ll also have to format it as a figure and include appropriate copyright/permissions information .

Images viewed in person

For an artwork viewed at a museum, gallery, or other physical archive, include information about the institution and location. If there’s a page on the institution’s website for the specific work, its URL can also be included.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

In an MLA Works Cited entry for an image found online , the title of the image appears in quotation marks, the name of the site in italics. Include the full publication date if available, not just the year.

The MLA in-text citation normally just consists of the author’s last name.

The information included after the title and format differs for images contained within other source types, such as books and articles .

If you include the image itself as a figure, make sure to format it correctly .

A citation for an image viewed in a museum (or other physical archive, e.g. a gallery) includes the name and location of the institution instead of website information.

In Chicago style , images may just be referred to in the text without need for a citation or bibliography entry.

If you have to include a full Chicago style image citation , however, list the title in italics, add relevant information about the image format, and add a URL at the end of the bibliography entry for images consulted online.

Chicago also offers an alternative author-date citation style . Examples of image citations in this style can be found here .

For an image viewed in a museum, gallery, or other physical archive, you can again just refer to it in the text without a formal citation. If a citation is required, list the institution and the city it is located in at the end of the bibliography entry.

The main elements included in image citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name of the image’s creator, the image title, the year (or more precise date) of publication, and details of the container in which the image was found (e.g. a museum, book , website ).

In APA and Chicago style, it’s standard to also include a description of the image’s format (e.g. “Photograph” or “Oil on canvas”). This sort of information may be included in MLA too, but is not mandatory.

Untitled sources (e.g. some images ) are usually cited using a short descriptive text in place of the title. In APA Style , this description appears in brackets: [Chair of stained oak]. In MLA and Chicago styles, no brackets are used: Chair of stained oak.

For social media posts, which are usually untitled, quote the initial words of the post in place of the title: the first 160 characters in Chicago , or the first 20 words in APA . E.g. Biden, J. [@JoeBiden]. “The American Rescue Plan means a $7,000 check for a single mom of four. It means more support to safely.”

MLA recommends quoting the full post for something short like a tweet, and just describing the post if it’s longer.

In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.

If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:

• In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference.
• In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead.

If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

• APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
• Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
• Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, June 28). How to Cite an Image | Photographs, Figures, Diagrams. Scribbr. Retrieved September 23, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-an-image/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to cite a youtube video | mla, apa & chicago, how to cite a website | mla, apa & chicago examples, how to cite a book | apa, mla, & chicago examples, scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!

• Subject guides
• Citing and referencing
• Images / Figures

Citing and referencing: Images / Figures

• In-text citations
• Reference list
• Books and book chapters
• Journals/Periodicals
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Government and other reports
• Legal sources
• Websites and social media
• Audio, music and visual media
• Conferences
• Dictionaries/Encyclopedias/Guides
• Theses/Dissertations
• University course materials
• Company and Industry reports
• Patents and Standards
• Tables and Figures
• Abbreviations used in referencing
• Medicine and Health sources
• Foreign language sources
• Music scores
• Journals and periodicals
• Government sources
• News sources
• Web and social media
• Games and apps
• Ancient and sacred sources
• Primary sources
• Audiovisual media and music scores
• Images and captions
• University lectures, theses and dissertations
• Interviews and personal communication
• Archival material
• Reference list guidelines
• Journal articles
• Government and industry publications
• Websites, newspaper and social media
• Conference papers, theses and university material
• Video and audio
• Images, graphs, tables, data sets
• Personal communications
• In-text Citations
• Journals / Periodicals
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Interviews and lectures
• Music Scores / Recordings
• Film / Video Recording
• Television / Radio Broadcast
• Online Communication / Social Media
• Live Performances
• Government and Organisation Publications
• Medicine & health sources
• Government/organisational/technical reports
• Images, graphs, tables, figures & data sets
• Websites newspaper & magazine articles, socia media
• Conferences, theses & university materials
• Personal communication & confidential unpublished material
• Video, audio & other media
• Generative AI
• Indigenous knowledges

Turabian Contents

• Introduction to Turabian Style
• Websites / Blogs
• Audiovisual
• Exhibitions
• Magazines / Newspapers
• Citing a source within a source
• University course materials / Theses / Exegeses

Rules for images

1. If you include any images in your document, also include a figure caption. See the "Positioning images in your document" box for more information.

2. If you refer to any visual material, i.e. art, design or architecture, you have seen in person and you are not including an image of it in your document, provide a detailed in-text citation or footnote. See the "Art, design and architecture you have seen in person" box for more information. 

3. If you have sourced an image from the web or a publication:

a) Notes Bibliography style: you need to include the publication information or web address in the footnote. See the "Images from the web" or "Images from books or other published sources" for more information. 

b) Author Date style: you need to include a brief in-text citation AND a full bibliography entry. See the "Images from the web" or "Images from books or other published sources" for more information. 

Positioning images in your document

• Author-Date (Parenthetical citations)

Positioning images in your document 

Figures are any images that you include in your document, i.e. illustrations, diagrams, graphs, photographs, images of artworks and etc. Whenever you include a figure in your document, you also provide a caption. Captions give concise descriptions, explanations, legends, or identify elements—depending on the type of figure. Position a caption below each figure.

Begin each caption with a figure number. And in your text, refer to the particular figure as you introduce it, spell out the word 'figure' if its in your sentence, or abbreviate to 'fig.' if it's written in parenthesis i.e. "in figure 1 you can see..." or (see fig. 1).

You may be the author of a figure in your document or you may have sourced it from elsewhere. If figures aren’t your work, captions can provide reference information, i.e. authors, titles and sources. Some assessments may require you to include a courtesy line acknowledging the name of the source organisation, archive or database, followed by an access date and the web address. 

Example:  In his painting The Banquet of Cleopatra (see fig. 1), Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo portrays a famous contest where Cleopatra wins a wager with Mark Antony by dissolving a pearl earring in a glass of vinegar and drinking it.  Tiepolo stage this scene amid columns of the composite order (see fig. 2), which visually underline links to ancient Rome (see fig. 3). 

Figure 1. Giambattista Tiepolo,  The Banquet of Cleopatra , 1743-44, oil on canvas, 250 x 357 cm. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria, accessed 12 March, 2020, https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/4409/.

Figure 2. The composite order, showing a , the entablature and b , the column capital. Courtesy of OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay, accessed 12 March, 2020, https://pixabay.com/vectors/column-capital-composite-antiquity-148231/.

Figure 3. The Arch of Septimius Severus, 203 ce., Roman Forum, Rome. Courtesy of Artstor, accessed 12 March, 2020, https://library-artstor-org.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au.

Example:  In his painting  The Banquet of Cleopatra  (see fig. 1), Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo portrays a famous contest where Cleopatra wins a wager with Mark Antony by dissolving a pearl earring in a glass of vinegar and drinking it. Tiepolo stage this scene amid columns of the composite order (see fig. 2), which visually underline links to ancient Rome (see fig. 3). 

Figure 2. The composite order, showing  a , the entablature and  b , the column capital. Courtesy of OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay, accessed 12 March, 2020, https://pixabay.com/vectors/column-capital-composite-antiquity-148231/.

Figure 3. The Arch of Septimius Severus, 203 ce., Roman Forum, Rome. Courtesy of Artstor, accessed 12 March, 2020, https://library-artstor-org.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au.

Art, design and architecture you have seen in person

If you are referring to art, design or architecture and you are not including the image in your document, you only need to provide a detailed footnote.

Include the following information:

• artist or designer
• title of the work
• year of creation of work
• type of materials (optional)
• dimensions of the work (optional)
• location of item, e.g. name of the institution that houses the work, or city the building is in

Footnote     1. Giambattista Tiepolo, The Banquet of Cleopatra , 1743-44, oil on canvas, 250.3 x 357.0 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

If you are referring to the actual artwork and you are not including the image in your document, you only need to provide a detailed in text citation. 

• location of item, e.g. name institution that houses the work,  or city the building is in

Parenthetical (In Text)     (Georgia O'Keeffe, The Cliff Chimneys , 1938, Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin )

Images from the web

• Author-Date (Parenthetical citations)

If you found the image online you will need to include in your footnote:

• title of work
• access date

1. Giambattista Tiepolo, The Banquet of Cleopatra , 1743-44, oil on canvas, 250.3 x 357.0 cm, accessed 24 May, 2012, http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/work/4409 .

2. Max Dupain, The Sunbaker , 1937, gelatin silver photograph, 38.0 x 43.1 cm, accessed 24 May, 2012 , http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/work/7621 .

If you found the image online you need to include a brief parenthetical (in text) citation and a bibliography entry that includes:

​ Examples:

Parenthetical (In Text)

(Tiepolo 1743-44)

(Dupain 1937)

Bibliography

Tiepolo,  Giambattista. 1743-44.  The Banquet of Cleopatra. Oil on canvas. A ccessed 24 May, 2012.   http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/work/4409 .

Dupain, Max. 1937. The Sunbaker . Photograph. A ccessed 24 May, 2012.  http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/work/7621 .

Images from books or other published sources

If you found the image in a book or other published source you will need to include in the footnote:

• date of creation of work
• author of book
• title of book
• place of publication
• date of publication
• figure or plate number of the reproduction (optional)

1. Giambattista Tiepolo, The Banquet of Cleopatra , 1743-44, in Ted Gott and Laurie Benson, Painting and Sculpture before 1800 in the International Collections of the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 2003), 102.

2. Max Dupain, "The Sunbaker", 1937, in Isobel Crombie, Body Culture: Max Dupain, Photography and Australian Culture 1919-1939 (Images Publishing Group in association with National Gallery of Victoria, 2004), 150, 17.1.

If you found the image in a book or other published source you will need to include an in text citation as well as a bibliography entry that includes:

(Georgia O'Keeffe, The Cliff Chimneys , 1938, in Lynes, Poling-Kempes, and Turner 2004, 25)

Lynes, Barbara Buhler, Lesley Poling-Kempes, and Frederick W. Turner. 2004. Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A sense of place . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• College University and Postgraduate
• Academic Writing

How to Make a Photo Essay

Last Updated: September 27, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Heather Gallagher . Heather Gallagher is a Photojournalist & Photographer based in Austin, Texas. She runs her own photography studio named "Heather Gallagher Photography" which was voted Austin's Best Family Photographer and top 3 Birth Photographers in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Heather specializes in family Photojournalism and has over 15 years of experience documenting individuals, families, and businesses all over the world. Her clients include Delta Airlines, Oracle, Texas Monthly, and her work has been featured in The Washington Post and The Austin American Statesman. She is a member of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP). There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 291,635 times.

Photo essays are an increasingly popular medium for journalists, bloggers, and advertisers alike. Whether you’re trying to show the emotional impact of a current news story or share your hobby with friends and family, images can capture your topic in a personal, emotional, and interesting way. Creating a photo essay can be as easy as choosing a topic, getting your images, and organizing the essay.

Things You Should Know

• Reflect long and hard on your topic, considering your audience, current events, and whether to go for a thematic or narrative approach.
• Create an outline, including your focus image, establishing shot, clincher, and other image details.
• When you finally take your photos, remember to take more photos than you think you need and don't be afraid to let the project change as you create it.

Finding Your Topic

• Offer a photo essay of your place of business as a training tool.
• Use a photo essay about your business as a sales or social tool by publishing it on your website or social media page.
• Create a how to photo essay to help others learn about your hobby, so they can take it up as well. [4] X Research source

• Thematic subjects are big ideas including things like local gun laws, at-risk youth, or welcoming home soldiers.
• Narrative essays can include a day in the life, how to tutorials, or progression series that show changes over time such as tracking a building project.
• If you have been given a commission or specific publication to work with, you may need to choose a topic that will fit a thematic or narrative approach as outlined by the publication. Make sure you are aware of any publication guidelines in advance.

Organizing Your Shoot

• Consider how difficult it will be to get permission to photograph your subjects. If you already have relationships established, it will be easier. If not, allow for extra time to get permission and/or waivers.
• Schools, daycares, and other places with kids typically have more regulations on who can be photographed and for what purposes. You’ll usually need to get parental approval, in addition to permission from those in charge. [7] X Research source

• Consider doing interviews with people involved prior to the shoot. Ask things like, “What’s the most interesting thing you do during this event?” or “How long have you been involved with this organization?”
• These interviews are also a great opportunity to ask for permission and get waivers.
• If you’re going to visit a job site, charitable event, or other large group activity, ask the person or persons in charge to explain what you’re doing to everyone before you arrive. [8] X Research source

Capturing Your Images

• Many new photographers stay away from high ISO shots because they allow more light through producing a “busy” image. However, these images are often easier to edit later as there’s more information to work with. [11] X Research source
• If it’s very bright in your location or you’ve set up artificial lighting, a low ISO is likely adequate, For darker areas, you’ll likely need to use a higher ISO.
• If you need one second to capture an image with a base ISO of 100, you’ll need one eighth of a second to capture with an ISO of 800. [13] X Research source

• Even snapping candid shots, which you may need to capture quickly, take a few moments to think about how objects are placed to make the most impact.
• Always think about how the main subject’s surroundings play into the overall image, and try to create different levels and points of interest.
• You can change composition as part of the editing process in some cases, so if you can’t line up the shot just right, don’t let it deter you from capturing the image you want. [14] X Research source

Organizing the Essay

• If you’re doing a day in the life photo essay about a frustrated person working in an office, an image of that person struggling to open the front door against the wind might be an apt focus shot.
• If your essay is about the process of building a home, your focus image may be something like a contractor and architect looking at blue prints with the framed up home in the background.
• If your essay is about a family reunion, the focus image may be a funny shot of the whole family making faces, pretending to be fighting, or a serious photo of the family posed together. Capture whatever seems natural for the family. [18] X Research source

• Regardless of essay type, you’ll need a focus image to grab attention.
• Use an overall shot to give context to your essay. Where is it, when is it happening, who’s involved, what’s going on, and why should someone be interested? The five “W’s” of journalism are a great way to determine what your overall shot should capture.
• Find your final image. This should be something provocative that asks your viewer to think about the topic.
• Between the focus and overall shot and ending image, include a series of images that move the viewer from the lead-in shots to its result. Use images that build in intensity or draw the viewers further into the essay.

• If the images aren’t telling the story, ask your friends to look at your other photos and ask, “I wanted this image to make this point. You got a different idea. Would any of these images make this point to you more clearly?”
• If the others like the images you’ve chosen, you may still want to ask them to look at your other photos and tell you if they think any of the images you didn’t include should be added in. They may see something you missed. [20] X Research source

• If you're commissioned to add photos to an essay, you should make sure images reflect the written word, but also add emotion and context the writing could not capture. For example, an essay on poverty may include an image of a child and parent living on the street could capture more emotional context.
• Captions should only include information the viewer could not derive from the photo itself. For instance, you can include a date, the subject’s name, or a statistic relevant to your subject in the caption.
• If you choose not to have any text or just a title and some introductory and/or closing words, make sure you convey all necessary information succinctly. [21] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• Be creative with your topics. However, something as simple as "things I like" will suffice so long as you stay creative. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure you're familiar with your camera. It will make the photo composition a lot easier. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't get discouraged. It may take several tries to get the desired results in your photos. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://digital-photography-school.com/5-photo-essay-tips/
• ↑ Heather Gallagher. Professional Photojournalist & Photographer. Expert Interview. 8 April 2020.
• ↑ http://improvephotography.com/30816/10-ideas-creative-photo-essays/
• ↑ http://www.apogeephoto.com/how-to-create-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ https://petapixel.com/how-to-create-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ http://photo.journalism.cuny.edu/week-5/
• ↑ http://clickitupanotch.com/2010/12/creating-a-photo-essay/
• ↑ https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography
• ↑ https://wiredimpact.com/blog/how-to-make-a-photo-essay-nonprofit/
• ↑ http://digital-photography-school.com/5-tips-for-creating-a-photo-essay-with-a-purpose/
• ↑ https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/how-to-make-photo-essay-examples

About This Article

To make a photo essay, start by selecting a subject that is easy to capture and that inspires you, like a friend or a family pet. Then, decide if you want to present your photo essay as thematic, which shows specific examples of a big idea, or narrative, with a beginning, middle, and end. Next, create an outline of your essay to determine which photos you’ll need, like an establishing shot. Finally, take your photos, select which images you want to use in your essay, and organize them according to your theme before adding text to explain the essay. To learn how to capture the best images, keep scrolling! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Aug 3, 2016

Did this article help you?

Sep 24, 2023

Christopher Ulloa Abarua

Mar 16, 2018

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

Tables, Images, & Appendices in APA Style

In some of the assignments, you may find it practical to add a table or an image. In addition, you may need to include an appendix at the end of your writing. Both figures and appendices help to convey data to the reader in a more detailed or visual form. Use this guide to understand how to create and properly integrate tables, images, and appendices in your paper.

How to Create a Table in Microsoft Word

A table puts numerical or textual information into rows and columns. You may use tables if you need to give precise values for complex structured data. It is possible to create a table using Microsoft Word, where you may either insert table and enter the desired number of rows and columns, or draw table by dragging the pencil to make horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. In addition, a table may be copied from the original source. Each table should have:

• a number according to the order in which it is presented in the text
• a descriptive title so that a reader can immediately understand what information the table contains
• a complete citation, if you are presenting data produced by someone else.

How to Format a Table in APA Style

• Number the table. Example: Table 1
• Give a meaningful and understandable title in italics.

Factors contributing to nurses’ involvement in setting health policy

• Include a “ Note ” to give any additional information regarding the table or give a full citation.

Note : Reprinted from Shariff, N. (2014). Factors that act as facilitators and barriers to nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development. BMC Nursing, 13(20) . doi:10.1186/1472-6955-13-20

• Refer to the table by its label (for example, Table 1) rather than by its name.

“The factors contributing to greater involvement of nurses in the development of health policy and agenda setting can be seen in Table 1.”

Table 1 The factors contributing to nurses’ involvement in setting health policy

Note : Reprinted from Shariff, N. (2014). The factors that act as facilitators and barriers to nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development. BMC Nursing, 13(20) . doi:10.1186/1472-6955-13-20

When to Use and How to Incorporate Images

Use a graph or an image to present a specific object or a drawing within the body of your work. Figures should add to the reader’s understanding of the content of a paper. An image or a graph may be copied from the original source. All figures must be of good quality, informative, and fit on one page. An image should have a number, a title, and a full reference citation.

How to Format an Image in APA Style

• Label an image as Figure and give it a corresponding number. Example: Figure 1
• Give your image a meaningful title. Example: Figure 1: Current vehicle license plate in Georgia
• After writing a title, include a full reference citation to indicate the original source of the image
• Refer to an image by its label. Example: “Refer to Figure 1 to learn about the standard format for license plates in Georgia.”

What Is an Appendix in a Paper?

An appendix includes supplemental materials that are inappropriate for the body of the paper as they may distract a reader. For example, these may be questionnaires or surveys, raw statistical data, or interview transcripts. The information presented in an appendix is not required to understand the main argument of your work. Therefore, an appendix or appendices should be presented at the end of your work after a Works Cited or References page.

How to Create and Integrate an Appendix

• The appendix heading should begin on a separate page and be in upper case.
• If the work has one appendix, it should be labeled “APPENDIX.” If a paper has two or more appendices, they should be labeled “APPENDIX A,” “APPENDIX B,” and so on.
• Label appendices in the order in which they are presented in the text.
• Each appendix should be referred to by its name in the body of the paper.

“For additional information about the statistical data, see Appendix A.”

• An appendix may include citations, which should be included in the reference list.
• An appendix label should be centered at the top of a page.

To sum up, tables, images, and appendices may help you to provide a comprehensive representation of the data, as well as give readers additional information about the topic. This guide has discussed how to create and integrate each one of these features into your paper. In addition, it has explained how to properly format tables, figures, and appendices according to the rules of APA style.

Unfortunately, your browser is too old to work on this site.

For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript.

• Ask a Librarian

Locating and Using Images for Presentations and Coursework

• How to Cite Images
• Alt Text Image Descriptions
• AI & Images

Copyright, Public Domain, and Fair Use

• Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States from Cornell University Library
• Copyright Overview from Purdue University
• Fair Use Chart from the Visual Communication Guy
• ALA Fair Use Evaluator
• Creative Commons Licenses

Attribution

Attribution : the act of attributing something, giving credit (as of literature or art) to a particular author or artist. When you have given proper attribution, it means you have given the information necessary for people to know who the creator of the work is.

The majority of images you find are under copyright and cannot be used without permission from the creator. There are exceptions with Fair Use, but this Libguide is intended to help you locate images you can use with attribution.

***Please read about public domain . These images aren't under copyright, but it's still good practice to include attribution if the information is available.

Citation General Guidelines

Include as much of the information below when citing images in a paper and formal presentations. Apply the appropriate citation style (see below for APA, MLA examples).

• Image creator's name (artist, photographer, etc.)
• Title of the image
• Date the image (or work represented by the image) was created
• Date the image was posted online
• Date of access (the date you accessed the online image)
• Institution (gallery, museum) where the image is located/owned (if applicable)
• Website and/or Database name

Citing Images in MLA, APA, Chicago, and IEEE

• Directions for citing in MLA, APA, and Chicago MLA: Citing images in-text, incorporating images into the text of your paper, works cited APA 6th ed.: Citing images in-text and reference list Chicago 17th ed.: Citing images footnotes and endnotes and bibliography from Simon Fraser University
• How to Cite Images Using IEEE from the SAIT Reg Erhardt Library
• Image, Photograph, or Related Artwork (IEEE) from the Rochester Institute of Technology Library

Citing Images in Your PPT

Currently, citing images in PPT is a bit of the Wild West. If details aren't provided by an instructor, there are a number of ways to cite. What's most important is that if the image is not a free stock image, you give credit to the author for the work. Here are some options:

1. Some sites, such as Creative Commons and Wikimedia, include the citation information with the image. Use that citation when available. Copy the citation and add under the image. For example, an image of a lake from Creative Commons has this citation next to it:  "lake"  by  barnyz  is licensed under  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 .

2. Include a marker, such as Image 1. or Figure 1., and in the reference section, include full citation information with the corresponding number

3. Include a complete citation (whatever the required format, such as APA) below the image

4. Below the image, include the link to the online image location

5. Hyperlink the title of the image with the online image location

• << Previous: Images
• Next: Alt Text Image Descriptions >>
• Last Edited: Sep 18, 2024 4:10 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/images

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

How to use copyrighted images in an article?

I have developed an educational software in which I make use of some copyrighted images, for example from Disney, and am now writing an article about it.

How should I reference or cite that those images are copyrighted? Should I put it on a footnote or just blur the images inside the article?

I would not like to have problems of an article rejection because of that.

• 11 Tou should cite them as instructed by the copyright owners when you obtained their permission to reuse their images. You did ask them, didn't you? –  JeffE Commented Nov 23, 2014 at 4:05
• 4 @JeffE Permission to use the images in the software doesn't necessarily imply permission to use them in an article about the software. This is a question to ask a lawyer. –  David Richerby Commented Nov 23, 2014 at 12:05
• Are you asking for citation style or for answers from a copyright and legal aspect? –  enthu Commented Dec 23, 2014 at 15:56

2 Answers 2

The images are copyrighted. You are not allowed to put it in the article unless you obtain an explicit (and preferably written) permission by the copyright holder to use it there. If you obtained a permission to use it for research and you would like to consider it a permission to publish it in an article, you better consult a lawyer, but the odds are that you can't do that. As well, do not forget to check whether the journal's copyright transfer is not conflicting with the permission you obtain from the picture's copyright holder. You'll very likely need an exception from the Editor to be allowed to use the image.

To see that this is an issue, remember that the usage of the famous Lenna picture led to legal complaints raised by PlayBoy who is the copyright holder. They decided to cancel the complaints, but it was just their choice. (Source: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~chuck/lennapg/lenna.shtml )

I would cite images using footnotes using either the MLA or APA image citation guidelines. However, there are some extra citation requirements for disney images see the walt disney terms of use web page http://www.waltdisney.org/terms-use pay particular attention to the section on fair use.

• 1 Scientific publication is neither education nor non-commercial . Also, you transfer the copyright to the journal publisher, which may be a problem, and is certainly not implicitly treated by the ToU. –  yo' Commented Dec 23, 2014 at 11:24

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged writing copyright graphics ..

• Featured on Meta
• Preventing unauthorized automated access to the network
• User activation: Learnings and opportunities
• Join Stack Overflow’s CEO and me for the first Stack IRL Community Event in...

Hot Network Questions

• Is my TOTP key secure on a free hosting provider server with FTP and .htaccess restrictions?
• What is the criterion for oscillatory motion?
• Does history possess the epistemological tools to establish the occurrence of an anomaly in the past that defies current scientific models?
• Improving MILP formulation (profitability based network design)
• why `tcpdump -i any` can't capture unicast traffic in br0(linux bridge) but it works while `tcpdump -i br0` at the same time
• Krull dimension in non-algebraically closed fields
• Help with unidentified character denoting temperature, 19th century thermodynamics
• How can I make second argument path relative to the first on a command?
• Is it possible to know where the Sun is just by looking at the Moon?
• Book where the humans discover tachyon technology and use this against a race of liquid metal beings
• How to fix bottom of stainless steel pot that has been separated from its main body?
• What is the average result of rolling Xd6 twice and taking the higher of the two sums?
• What is a "derivative security"?
• Purpose of sleeve on sledge hammer handle
• Does this work for page turns in a busy violin part?
• Do mathematicians care about the validity ("truth") of the axioms?
• Why is my Lenovo ThinkPad running Ubuntu using the e1000e Ethernet driver?
• In-line function command different whether it is followed by a dot or not
• Estimating an upper bound of hyperbolicity constants in Gromov-hyperbolic groups
• Do we have volitional control over our level of skepticism?
• Why was Z moved to the end of the alphabet when Zeta was near the beginning?
• Why would an ocean world prevent the creation of ocean bases but allow ships?
• What is an "axiomatic definition"? Every definition is an axiomatic definition?
• How do I avoid getting depressed after receiving edits?

Student Sign In

How to Create a Photo Essay in 9 Steps (with Examples)

Photo Editing & Creativity , Tutorials

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we fully support or use ourselves.  Our full disclaimer

What is a photo essay?

• Photo essays vs photo stories
• How photo essays help you
• 9 Steps to create photo essays

How to share your photo essays

Read Time: 11 minutes

Gather up a handful of images that seem to go together, and voila! It’s a photo essay, right? Well… no. Though, this is a common misconception.

In reality, a photo essay is much more thoughtful and structured than that. When you take the time to craft one, you’re using skills from all facets of our craft – from composition to curation.

In this guide, you’ll learn what makes a photo essay an amazing project that stretches your skills. You’ll also learn exactly how to make one step by step.

• Photo essay vs photo story

A photo essay is a collection of images based around a theme, a topic, a creative approach, or an exploration of an idea. Photo essays balance visual variety with a cohesive style and concept.

What’s the difference between a photo essay and a photo story?

The terms photo essay and photo story are often used interchangeably. Even the dictionary definition of “photo essay” includes using images to convey either a theme or a story.

But in my experience, a photo essay and a photo story are two different things. As you delve into the field of visual storytelling, distinguishing between the two helps you to take a purposeful approach to what you’re making .

The differences ultimately lie in the distinctions between theme, topic and story.

Themes are big-picture concepts. Example: Wildness

Topics are more specific than themes, but still overarching. Example : Wild bears of Yellowstone National Park

Stories are specific instances or experiences that happen within, or provide an example for, a topic or theme. Example: A certain wild bear became habituated to tourists and was relocated to maintain its wildness

Unlike a theme or topic, a story has particular elements that make it a story. They include leading characters, a setting, a narrative arc, conflict, and (usually) resolution.

With that in mind, we can distingush between a photo essay and a photo story.

Themes and Topics vs Stories

A photo essay revolves around a topic, theme, idea, or concept. It visually explores a big-picture something .

This allows a good deal of artistic leeway where a photographer can express their vision, philosophies, opinions, or artistic expression as they create their images.

A photo story  is a portfolio of images that illustrate – you guessed it – a story.

Because of this, there are distinct types of images that a photo story uses that add to the understanding, insight, clarity and meaning to the story for viewers. While they can certainly be artistically crafted and visually stunning, photo stories document something happening, and rely on visual variety for capturing the full experience.

A photo essay doesn’t need to have the same level of structured variety that a photo story requires. It can have images that overlap or are similar, as they each explore various aspects of a theme.

Photo essays can be about any topic. If you live in a city, consider using your nature photography to make an essay about the wildlife that lives in your neighborhood . 

The role of text with photos

A photo story typically runs alongside text that narrates the story. We’re a visual species, and the images help us feel like we are there, experiencing what’s happening. So, the images add significant power to the text, but they’re often a partner to it.

This isn’t always the case, of course. Sometimes photo stories don’t need or use text. It’s like reading a graphic novel that doesn’t use text. Moving through the different images that build on each other ultimately unveils the narrative.

Photo essays don’t need to rely on text to illuminate the images’ theme or topic. The photographer may use captions (or even a text essay), or they may let the images speak for themselves.

Definitions are helpful guidelines (not strict rules)

Some people categorize photo essays as either narrative or thematic. That’s essentially just calling photo stories “narrative photo essays” and photo essays “thematic photo essays.”

But, a story is a defined thing, and any writer/editor will tell you themes and topics are not the same as stories. And we use the word “story” in our daily lives as it’s defined. So, it makes far more sense to name the difference between a photo essay and a photo story, and bask in the same clarity writers enjoy .

Photo stories illustrate a particular experience, event, narrative, something that happened or is happening.

Photo essays explore an idea, concept, topic, theme, creative approach, big-picture something .

Both photo essays and photo stories are immensely powerful visual tools. And yes, the differences between them can certainly be blurred, as is always the case with art.

Simply use this distinction as a general guideline, providing extra clarity around what you’re making and why you’re making it.

To dig into specific types of images used to create powerful photo stories, check out this training: 6 Must-Have Shots for a Photo Story. 

Meanwhile, let’s dig deeper into photo essays.

Capturing amazing wildlife photos requires not only passion and skill but also the right equipment.

This guide breaks down the best options so you can find the perfect camera for your specific needs , whether you're a beginner or pro.

Photo essays are a chance to try new styles or techniques that stretch your skills and creativity. This image was part of an essay exploring simplicity and shape, and helped me learn new skills in black and white post-processing.

How photo essays improve your photography

Creating photo essays is an amazing antidote if you’ve ever felt a lack of direction or purpose in your photography. Photo essays help build your photographic skills in at least 3 important ways.

1. You become more strategic in creating a body of work

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of photographing whatever pops up in front of you. And when you do, you end up with a collection of stand-alone shots.

These singles may work fine as a print, a quick Instagram post, or an addition to your gallery of shots on your website. But amassing a bunch of one-off shots limits your opportunities as a photographer for everything from exhibits to getting your work published.

Building photo essays pushes you to think strategically about what you photograph, why, and how. You’re working toward a particular deliverable – a cohesive visual essay – with the images you create.

This elevates your skills in crafting your photo essay, and in how you curate the rest of your work, from galleries on your website to selecting images to sell as prints .

2. You become more purposeful in your composition skills

Composition is so much more than just following the rule of thirds, golden spirals, or thinking about the angle of light in a shot.

Composition is also about thinking ahead in what you’re trying to accomplish with a photograph – from what you’re saying through it to its emotional impact on a viewer – and where it fits within a larger body of work.

Photo essays push you to think critically about each shot – from coming up with fresh compositions for familiar subjects, to devising surprising compositions to fit within a collection, to creating compositions that expand on what’s already in a photo essay.

You’re pushed beyond creating a single pleasing frame, which leads you to shoot more thoughtfully and proactively than ever.

(Here’s a podcast episode on switching from reactive shooting to proactive shooting .)

3. You develop strong editing and curation skills

Selecting which images stay, and which get left behind is one of the hardest jobs on a photographer’s to-do list. Mostly, it’s because of emotional attachment.

You might think it’s an amazing shot because you know the effort that went into capturing it. Or perhaps when you look at it, you get a twinge of the joy or exhilaration you felt the moment you captured it. There’s also the second-guessing that goes into which of two similar images is the best – which will people like more? So you’re tempted to just show both.

Ultimately, great photographers appear all the more skilled because they only show their best work. That in and of itself is a skill they’ve developed through years of ruthlessly editing their own work.

Because the most powerful photo essays only show a handful of extraordinary images, you’re bound to develop the very same critical skill (and look all the more talented because of it).

Photo essays are also a great stepping stone to creating photo stories. If you’re interested in moving beyond stand-alone shots and building stories, shooting photo essays will get your creative brain limbered up and ready for the adventure of photo stories.

A photo essay exploring the natural history of a favorite species is an exciting opportunity for an in-depth study. For me, that was a photo essay on emotive images of the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) as it hunts in streams. 

9 Simple steps to create your photo essays

1. clarify your theme.

Choose a theme, topic, or concept you want to explore. Spend some time getting crystal clear on what you want to focus on. It helps to write out a few sentences, or even a few paragraphs noting:

• What you want the essay to be about
• What kinds of images you want to create as part of it
• How you’ll photograph the images
• The style, techniques, or gear you might use to create your images
• What “success” looks like when you’re done with your photo essay

You don’t have to stick to what you write down, of course. It can change during the image creation process. But fleshing your idea out on paper goes a long way in clarifying your photo essay theme and how you’ll go about creating it.

2. Create your images

Grab your camera and head outside!

As you’re photographing your essay, allow yourself some freedom to experiment. Try unusual compositions or techniques that are new to you.

Stretch your style a little, or “try on” the style of other photographers you admire who have photographed similar subjects.

Photo essays are wonderful opportunities to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and grow as a photographer .

Remember that a photo essay is a visually cohesive collection of images that make sense together. So, while you might stretch yourself into new terrain as you shoot, try to keep that approach, style, or strategy consistent.

Don’t be afraid to create lots of images. It’s great to have lots to choose from in the editing process, which comes up next.

3. Pull together your wide edit

Once you’ve created your images, pull together all the images that might make the cut. This could be as many as 40-60 images. Include anything you want to consider for the final essay in the wide edit.

From here, start weeding out images that:

• are weaker in composition or subject matter
• stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the collection
• Are similar to other stronger images in the collection

It’s helpful to review the images at thumbnail size. You make more instinctive decisions and can more easily see the body of work as a whole. If an image is strong even at thumbnail size to stand out from similar frames while also partnering well with other images in the collection, that’s a good sign it’s strong enough for the essay.

4. Post-process your images for a cohesive look

Now it’s time to post-process the images. Use whatever editing software you’re comfortable with to polish your images.

Again, a photo essay has a cohesive visual look. If you use presets, filters, or other tools, use them across all the images.

5. Finalize your selection

It’s time to make the tough decisions. Select only the strongest for your photo essay from your group of images.

Each image should be strong enough to stand on its own and make sense as part of the whole group.

Many photo essays range from 8-12 images. But of course, it varies based on the essay. The number of images you have in your final photo essay is up to you.

Remember, less is more. A photo essay is most powerful when each image deserves to be included.

6. Put your images in a purposeful order

Create a visual flow with your images. Decide which image is first, and build from there. Use compositions, colors, and subject matter to decide which image goes next, then next, then next in the order.

Think of it like music: notes are arranged in a way that builds energy, or slows it down, surprise listeners with a new refrain, or drop into a familiar chorus. How the notes are ordered creates emotional arcs for listeners.

How you order your images is similar.

Think of the experience a viewer will have as they look at one image, then the next, and the next. Order your images so they create the experience you want your audience to have.

7. Get feedback

The best photographers make space for feedback, even when it’s tough to hear. Your work benefits from not just hearing feedback, but listening to it and applying what you learn from it.

Show your photo essay to people who have different sensibilities or tastes. Friends, family members, fellow photographers – anyone you trust to give you honest feedback.

Watch their reactions and hear what they say about what they’re seeing. Use their feedback to guide you in the next step.

8. Refine, revise, and finalize

Let your photo essay marinate for a little while. Take a day or two away from it. Then use your freshened eyes and the feedback you received from the previous step to refine your essay.

Swap out any selects you might want to change and reorder the images if needed.

9. Add captions

Even if you don’t plan on displaying captions with your images, captioning your images is a great practice to get into. It gives context, story, and important information to each image. And, more than likely, you will want to use these captions at some point when you share your photo essay, which we dive into later in this article.

Add captions to the image files using Lightroom, Bridge, or other software programs.

Create a document, such as a Google or Word doc, with captions for each image.

In your captions, share a bit about the story behind the image, or the creation process. Add whatever makes sense to share that provides a greater understanding of the image and its purpose.

Photo essays allow you to explore deliberate style choices, such as a focus on shapes, patterns, textures, and lines. Since each photo is part of a larger essay, it encourages you to be bold with choices you might not otherwise make. 

5 Examples of amazing nature photo essays

1. “how the water shapes us” from the nature conservancy.

This gorgeous essay, crafted with the work of multiple photographers, explores the people and places within the Mississippi River basin. Through the images, we gain a sense of how the water influences life from the headwater all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Notice how each photographer is tasked with the same theme, yet approaches it with their own distinct style and vision. It is a wonderful example of the sheer level of visual variety you can have while maintaining a consistent style or theme.

View it here

2. “A Cyclist on the English Landscape” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This photo essay is a series of self-portraits by travel photographer Roff Smith while “stuck” at home during the pandemic. As he peddled the roads making portraits, the project evolved into a “celebration of traveling at home”. It’s a great example of how visually consistent you can be inside a theme while making each image completely unique.

3. “Vermont, Dressed In Snow” from New York Times’ The World Through A Lens series

This essay by aerial photographer Caleb Kenna uses a very common photo essay theme: snow. Because all images are aerial photographs, there’s a consistency to them. Yet, the compositions are utterly unique from one another. It’s a great example of keeping viewers surprised as they move from one image to the next while still maintaining a clear focus on the theme.

4. “Starling-Studded Skies” from bioGraphic Magazine

This beautiful essay is by Kathryn Cooper, a physicist trained in bioinformatics, and a talented photographer. She used a 19th century photographic technique, chronophotography, to create images that give us a look at the art and science of starling murmurations. She states: “I’m interested in the transient moments when chaos briefly changes to order, and thousands of individual bodies appear to move as one.” This essay is a great example of deep exploration of a concept using a specific photographic technique.

View it here   (Note: must be viewed on desktop)

5. “These Scrappy Photos Capture the Action-Packed World Beneath a Bird Feeder” from Audubon Magazine

This photo essay from conservation photographer Carla Rhodes explores the wildlife that takes advantage of the bounty of food waiting under bird feeders . Using remote camera photography , Rhodes gives viewers a unique ground-level perspective and captures moments that make us feel like we’re in conversation with friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. This essay is a great example of how perspective, personality, and chance can all come into play as you explore both an idea and a technique.

25 Ideas for creative photo essays you can make

The possibilities for photo essays are truly endless – from the concepts you explore to the techniques you use and styles you apply.

Choose an idea, hone your unique perspective on it, then start applying the 9 simple steps from above. 

• The life of a plant or animal (your favorite species, a species living in your yard, etc)
• The many shapes of a single species (a tree species, a bird species, etc)
• How a place changes over time
• The various moods of a place
• A conservation issue you care about
• Math in nature
• Urban nature
• Seasonal changes
• Your yard as a space for nature
• Shifting climate and its impacts
• Human impacts on environments
• Elements: Water, wind, fire, earth
• Day in the life (of a person, a place, a stream, a tree…)
• Outdoor recreation (birding, kayaking, hiking, naturalist journaling…)
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Lunar cycles
• Sunlight and shadows
• Your local watershed
• Coexistence

As you zero in on a photo essay theme, consider two things: what most excites you about an idea, and what about it pushes you out of your comfort zone. The heady mix of joy and challenge will ensure you stick with it. 

Your photo essay is ready for the world! Decide how you’d like to make an impact with your work. You might use one or several of the options below.

1. Share it on your website

Create a gallery or a scrollytelling page on your website. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website where people can peruse your photo essay and the rest of the photography you have.

Putting it on your website and optimizing your images for SEO helps you build organic traffic and potentially be discovered by a broader audience, including photo editors.

2. Create a scrollytelling web page

If you enjoy the experience of immersive visual experiences, consider making one using your essay. And no, you don’t have to be a whiz at code to make it happen.

Shorthand helps you build web pages with scrollytelling techniques that make a big impression on viewers. Their free plan allows you to publish 3 essays or stories.

3. Create a Medium post

If you don’t have a website and want to keep things simple, a post on Medium is a great option.

Though it’s known for being a platform for bloggers, it’s also possible to add images to a post for a simple scroll.

And, because readers can discover and share posts, it’s a good place for your photos to get the attention of people who might not otherwise come across it.

4. Share it on Instagram

Instagram has changed a lot over the last couple of years, but it’s still a place for photographers to share their work thoughtfully.

There are at least 3 great ways to share your photo essay on the platform.

– Create a single post for each image. Add a caption. Publish one post per day until the full essay is on your feed. Share each post via Instagram Stories to bring more attention and interaction to your photo essay.

– Create a carousel post. You can add up 10 photos to a carousel post, so you may need to create two of them for your full photo essay. Or you might create a series of carousel posts using 3-4 images in each.

– Create a Reel featuring your images as a video.  The algorithm heavily favors reels, so turning your photo essay into a video experience can get it out to a larger audience.

I ran a “create a reel” challenge in my membership community. One member created a reel with her still images around a serious conservation issue. It gathered a ton of attention and landed her opportunities to share her message through YouTube and podcast interviews and publishing opportunities. Watch it here.

5. Exhibit it locally

Reach out to local galleries, cafes, pubs, or even the public library to see if they’re interested in hanging your photo essay for display. Many local businesses and organizations happily support the work of local artists.

6. Pitch your photo essay to publications

One of the best ways to reach an audience with your work is to get it published. Find publications that are a great fit for the theme and style of your photo essay, then pitch your essay for consideration. You gain a fantastic opportunity to share your work widely and can earn a paycheck at the same time.

Remember that if you want to get your photo essay published, you may want to hold back from sharing it publicly before you pitch it to publications.

5 Strategies to Find the Positive Angle In Every Conservation Photo Story

Photo Stories and Essays , Tutorials

  Training your brain to see the silver linings and solutions is essential in several ways, from engaging your audience to gaining the interest of editors.  If you've been watching the news pretty much at all over the past couple of months, you know there's...

How to Make Time for Photography (Even When Life Gets Busy)

Photography Business , Tutorials

  It's easy to let your creative time slip to the back burner... or slip off the stove entirely. This surprisingly powerful tool will help you both make time for your photography AND make great forward progress on your projects.  Contents Use timed focus...

How to Create Personal Narrative Photo Stories That Viewers LOVE

  Your personal perspective and experiences can be a powerful storytelling strategy. But there are ways to do it right (and wrong). Here are my top 3 tips for what to keep in mind when photographing a story that's your own personal narrative so that your story is...

6 Books That Forever Changed My Wildlife Conservation Photography

  From how you approach being in the field and scouting locations, to how you approach the stories you photograph and communicate conservation issues, these 6 books are the (unconventional) must-read list for every conservation photographer.  An...

PIN THIS FOR LATER

Jaymi Heimbuch

Next up….

How to train your brain to see solutions in photo stories so that you can engage your audience and gain the interest of editors.

This surprisingly powerful tool will help you both make time for your photography AND make great forward progress on your projects.

If you do these 3 things, you’ll have a share-worthy story your viewers feel connected to and inspired by.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO READ TODAY?

POPULAR SEARCHES:  Best Cameras   |    Location Guide   |  Best Lenses   |  Wildlife  

Privacy Overview

Limited Time Offer! Save up to 50% Off annual plans.* View Plans

Save up to 50% Now .* View Plans

Advice for an Unforgettable Photo Essay

Six steps for turning your images into a memorable photo essay, from curating your best work to crafting a title.

A man sits alone on a chair on the side of the road. We see him from above, surrounded by grey cobblestones neatly placed, a broken plastic chair, and some pylons scattered along the curb. A street cat wanders out of the frame and away from the man. He appears lonely, the only person inhabiting the place in which he seems so comfortably seated. As the eye wanders throughout the frame, however, the viewer discovers more: a vast city cast beyond the street and behind the man’s chair. This image closes Sarah Pannell’s photo essay Sehir , a quiet study of urban life.

Possibilities, discovery, and stories: these are some of the most effective elements of a photo essay. Collections of images can help produce a narrative, evoke emotion, and guide the viewer through one or more perspectives. A well-executed photo essay doesn’t rely on a title or any prior knowledge of its creator; it narrates on its own, moving viewers through sensations, lessons, and reactions.

Famous photo essays like Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith or Gordon Parks’ The Harlem Family are acclaimed for showing a glimpse into the lives of the sick and impoverished. Other well-made photo essays offer a new way to look at the everyday, such as Peter Funch’s much-reposted photo series 42nd and Vanderbilt , for which Funch photographed the same street corner for nine years. As shown by these photographers’ experiences with the medium, a collection of photos can enliven spaces and attitudes. Strong photo essays can give voice to marginalized individuals and shine a spotlight on previously overlooked experiences.

You don’t necessarily need to be a documentary photographer to create a powerful photo essay. Photo essays can showcase any topic, from nature photography to portraiture to wedding shots. We spoke to a few photographers to get their perspectives on what makes a good photo essay, and their tips for how any photographer can get started in this medium. Here are six steps to follow to create a photo essay that tells a memorable story.

Choose a specific topic or theme for your photo essay.

There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. Narrative photo essays focus on a story you’re telling the viewer, while thematic photo essays speak to a specific subject.

The most natural method for choosing a topic or theme for your photo essay is to go with what you know. Photograph what you experience. Whether that includes people, objects, or the things you think about throughout the day, accessibility is key here. Common topics or concepts to start with are emotions (depicting sadness or happiness) or experiences (everyday life, city living).

For photographer Sharon Pannen , planning a photo essay is as simple as “picking out a subject you find interesting or you want to make a statement about.”

From Paper & Stories , a photo series by Sharon Pannen for Schön! Magazine.

Consider your photo subjects.

The subjects of your photographs, whether human or not, will fill the space of your photos and influence the mood or idea you’re trying to depict. The subject can determine whether or not your photos are considered interesting. “I always try to find someone that catches my eye. I especially like to see how the light falls on their face and how a certain aesthetic might add to their persona,” says photographer Victoria Wojtan .

While subjects and their interest factor are, well, subjective, when considering your subjects, you should ask yourself about your audience. Do other people want to see this? Is my subject representative of the larger idea my photo essay is trying to convey? Your projects can involve people you know or people you’ve only just met.

“Most projects I work on involve shooting portraits of strangers, so there’s always a tension in approaching someone for a portrait,” says photographer Taylor Dorrell . For Wojtan, that tension can help build trust with a subject and actually leads to more natural images “If there’s tension it’s usually because the person’s new to being photographed by someone for something that’s outside of a candid moment or selfie, and they need guidance for posing. This gives me the opportunity to make them feel more comfortable and let them be themselves. I tend to have a certain idea in mind, but try to allow for organic moments to happen.”

Aim for a variety of images.

Depending on your theme, there are a few types of photos you’ll want to use to anchor your essay. One or two lead photos should slowly introduce the viewer to your topic. These initial photos will function in a similar way to the introductory paragraph in a written essay or news article.

From there, you should consider further developing your narrative by introducing elements like portraiture, close ups, detail shots, and a carefully selected final photo to leave the viewer with the feeling you set out to produce in your photos. Consider your opening and closing images to be the most important elements of your photo essay, and choose them accordingly. You want your first images to hook the viewer, and you also want your final images to leave a lasting impression and perhaps offer a conclusion to the narrative you’ve developed.

Including different types of photos, shot at different ranges, angles, and perspectives, can help engage your viewer and add more texture to your series.

Says photographer Taylor Dorrell: “After I have a group of images, I tend to think about color, composition, the order the images were taken, the subject material, and relevance to the concept.”

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay White Fences : “White Fences is an ongoing photo series that explores the theme of suburban youth in the United States, specifically in the midwest suburb New Albany, Ohio.”

Put your emotions aside.

Self-doubt can easily come into play when working with your own photography. The adage that we are our own worst critics is often true. It can be difficult to objectively select your strongest images when creating a photo essay. This is why putting together photo essays is such a useful practice for developing your curatorial skills.

“The most important part for me is getting outside opinions. I don’t do that enough, and have a bias in selecting images that might not be the most powerful images or the most effective sequence of images,” says Dorrell. Your own perception of a photograph can cloud your ability to judge whether or not it adds to your photo essay. This is especially true when your essay deals with personal subjects. For example, a photo essay about your family may be hard to evaluate, as your own feelings about family members will impact how you take and view the photos. This is where getting feedback from peers can be invaluable to producing a strong series.

Collecting feedback while putting your photo essay together can help you determine the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps within the collection of photos you’ve produced. Ask your friends to tell you their favorites, why they like them, and what they think you’re going for in the work you’ve created. Their opinions can be your guide, not just your own emotions.

Edit your photo selection.

Beyond post-production, the series of photos you select as your essay will determine whether you’ve executed your theme or narrative effectively. Can the photos stand alone, without written words, and tell the story you set out to? Do they make sense together, in a logical sequence? The perfect photo essay will give your audience a full picture of the narrative, theme, or essence you’re looking to capture.

A good method to use to cull your images down is to remove as many as half of your images straight away to see if your narrative is still as strong with fewer photos. Or, perhaps, deciding on a small number you’d like to aim for (maybe just five to ten images) and using this as a method to narrow down to the images that tell your story best.

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay Over the Rhine , featured in Vice.

Give your photo essay a title, and add a concise written statement.

Finally, you’ll want to create a title and written statement for your photo essay. This will help position your work and can enable the viewer to fully understand your intention, or at least guide their perspective.

A solid written statement and title will be relevant to your topic, detail your primary objective, and introduce your point of view. It’s an opportunity to clarify your intentions to the viewer and ensure they walk away with a clear interpretation of your work. Depending on your photo essay, you may want to include several paragraphs of text, but even just one or two sentences of background can be enough to expand the viewer’s understanding of your work.

Consider if you’d like to add the written statement at the beginning of your essay to introduce it, or at the end as a conclusion. Either one can be impactful, and it depends how you’d like people to experience your work.

For his photo essay White Fences, excerpted above, Taylor Dorrell wrote only one sentence of introduction. But for his series Over the Rhine, Dorell included a longer written statement to accompany the work, which is “an ongoing photo series that seeks to explore the Cincinnati neighborhood of the same name and its surroundings. The series was started in response to the shooting of Samuel DuBose, an unarmed black man, by officer Ray Tensing of the University of Cincinnati Police, which happened July 19th, 2015.” Dorell’s text goes on to offer more background on the project, setting up the viewer with all the information they need to understand the context of the photo essay.

Depending on the motivations behind your photo essay and what sort of subject it depicts, a longer text may be necessary—or just a few words might be enough.

Looking for a place to share your photo essays with the world? Take a look at our guide to creating a photography website for tips on showcasing your photos online.

Cover image by Taylor Dorrell, from his photo essay Hurricane Over Sugar .

A Guide to Improving Your Photography Skills

Elevate your photography with our free resource guide. Gain exclusive access to insider tips, tricks, and tools for perfecting your craft, building your online portfolio, and growing your business.

Get the best of Format Magazine delivered to your inbox.

Kickback Youths Photograph Canada Basketball Nationals: Spotlight on the Next Generation of Sports Photographers

Enter the Booooooom Illustration Awards: Supported by Format

Format Portfolio 2024 Prizewinner in Partnership with SAE’s Creative Media Institute

The Art Auction for Old Growth: Artists Impacting Environmental Change

Tips on Building Impactful Architectural Portfolios with Format

Winners Announced: Format Online Portfolio Giveaway in Partnership with BWP

How to Edit an Impactful Montage Reel for Your Portfolio That Highlights Your Skill

21 Essential Design Blogs to Spark Your Creativity in 2024

*Offer must be redeemed by September 30th , 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PST. 50% discount off the subscription price of a new annual Pro Plus plan can be applied at checkout with code PROPLUSANNUAL, 38% discount off the price of a new annual Pro plan can be applied with code PROANNUAL, and 20% discount off the price of a new Basic annual plan can be applied with code BASICANNUAL. The discount applies to the first year only. Cannot be combined with any other promotion.

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

When to Use an Image in an Essay

• 3-minute read
• 30th June 2019

Pages of text alone can look quite dull. And while ‘dull’ may seem normal enough for an essay , using images and charts can make a document more visually interesting. It can even help you boost your grades if done right! Here, then, is our guide on how to use an image in academic writing .

Usually, you will only need to add an image in academic writing if it serves a specific purpose (e.g. illustrating your argument). Even then, you need to make sure images are presently correctly. As such, try asking yourself the following questions whenever you add a picture or chart in an essay:

• Does it add anything useful? Any image or chart you include in your work should help you make your argument or explain a point more clearly. For instance, if you are analysing a film, you may need to include a still from a scene to illustrate a point you are making.
• Is the image clearly labelled? All images in your essay should come with clear captions (e.g. ‘Figure 1’ plus a title or description). Without these, your reader may not know how images relate to the surrounding text.
• Have you mentioned the image in the text? Make sure to reference any images you use in the text of your essay. If you have included an image to illustrate a point, for instance, you would include something along the lines of ‘An example of this can be seen in Figure 1’.

The key, then, is that images in an essay are not just decoration. Rather, they should fit with and add to the arguments you make in the text.

Citing Images and Illustrations

If you have created all the images you are using in your essay yourself, then all you need to do is label them clearly (as described above). But if you want to use an existing image you found somewhere else, you will need to cite your source as well, just as you would when quoting someone.

The format for this will depend on the referencing system you’re using. However, with author–date referencing, it usually involves giving the source author’s name and a year of publication. For example:

In the caption above, we have cited the page of the paper the image comes from using an APA-style citation. We would then need to add the full paper to the reference list at the end of the document:

Gramblička, S., Kohar, R., & Stopka, M. (2017). Dynamic analysis of mechanical conveyor drive system. Procedia Engineering , 192, 259–264. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.045

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

You can also cite an image directly if it not part of a larger publication or document. If we wanted to cite an image found online in APA referencing , for example, we would use the following format:

Surname, Initial(s). (Role). (Year).  Title or description of image  [Image format]. Retrieved from URL.

In practice, then, we could cite a photograph as follows:

Booth, S. (Photographer). (2014). Passengers [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevebooth/35470947736/in/pool-best100only/

Make sure to check your style guide if you are not sure which referencing system to use when citing images in your work. And don’t forget to have your finished document proofread before you submit it for marking.

Need to Write An Excellent Essay?

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Get help from a language expert. Try our proofreading services for free.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

How to Ace Slack Messaging for Contractors and Freelancers

Effective professional communication is an important skill for contractors and freelancers navigating remote work environments....

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

Adding a picture and signature to your common app essay

<p>Hey, DO you guys think it would be good (or bad) to add a picture of yourself with your common app essay (just a nice one with your face or something) with a signature underneath it to make it more personal to an admissions officer? With common app, I’m applying to Harvard, Rice, and University of Michigan-Ann Harbor.</p>

<p>To be honest, I think it would come off as a little cheesy or arrogant, rather than sincere and personal, but that’s just me.</p>

<p>I did picture. I don’t think a signature is necessary.</p>

<p>It’s not arrogant unless you’re very good looking lol.</p>

<p>Has anyone else tried it?</p>

<p>i put another related picture in one of my supplements and i got waitlisted there (i stood no chances of even a waitlist there otherwise), but to include one of urself in the commonapp, i dont know, it just seems fairly irrelevant… it does make it a little more personal, but it can go wrong just as easy. personally, i’d avoid it.</p>

<p>Seems narcissistic.</p>

<p>I find this thread really interesting that students see a photo as a possible negative. As a parent, I think a photo (just a plain school photo) makes a lot of sense, it makes your application more memorable to put a face to the information sent. </p>

<p>In terms of being an attempt to draw too much attention to yourself, isn’t that what adding additional resumes are intended to do? In the working world, people like to connect a face to the voice they hear on the phone or from a written source.</p>

<p>Not negative attention. This is like adding cutesy hobbies on your application. It’s a clear gimmick, which reflects negatively on you.</p>

<p>Then why would a school like Pomona, which is a pretty high level school, indicate that an applicant could include their photo if they wanted if they didn’t think it might add something. </p>

<p><a href=“ http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/application-forms/required-signatures.pdf[/url] ”> http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/application-forms/required-signatures.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt ;

<p>Read the part about their thinking that a picture indicates the applicant is more than a set of numbers but is actual human being.</p>

<p>This is probably one of those things that you have to answer for yourself. If this is something you want to do, then go for it!</p>