I managed to get a copy of The Photographer's Story by Michael Freeman very fortuitously about two weeks before I was due to take my photographs for TAOP Assignment Five - illustration and narrative (thanks to the author advertising its existence on Facebook!!).
Freeman explains the basic principles of a narrative - 3+1 and also describes different types of narrative. The 3+1 means opener, body and closer and the 1 refers to the keyshot - the shot with the highest impact. Essentially, a photo essay is like any other, it has to have a beginning, middle and end, and the beginning has to be sufficiently interesting to encourage the reader to continue. The keyshot, being the most dramatic, might often be the one used as the cover picture, if relevant to the article.
Freeman describes the various types of narrative, from photojournalism types including travel, location, activities, projects and food. In addition, he explains how the rhythm of a narrative is important.
The examples Freeman provides of narratives he has created are extremely useful, and I imagine I'll need to revisit this book throughout my OCA courses.
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