A Definition: There are a number of things that are considered stories. For the purpose this post, we will use this definition: a set of photographs that tells a narrative, working together to present a single topic.
1. Same as a simple sentence. A good photo story has a beginning, middle, and end — all on one single thought. Like a simple sentence, it should have the equivalent of a noun, verb, pronoun, etc. You can’t have all verbs, etc. You should be able to describe the story you want to shoot in one simple sentence. There are other things that look like picture stories.
2. A more complex story with a narrative. This story can be broken down conceptually into smaller, simple stories. For example, a larger story might be many individual stories that create a photo essay. A photo essay is a collection of images centered around a theme. Its storyline may be less obvious and combine fine art with storytelling. Stories often tell the story of a person, while essays often tell the story about an issue. Consider this observation about the difference between stories and essays:
The picture essay is more likely to argue than to narrate. It intellectualizes. It analyzes even when it presents both sides of an issue. It’s more likely to be about something than someone. The picture story’s visual continuity is not a characteristic of the picture essay. Unrelated in time and unconnected in story development, essay pictures do not lean on one another. Each picture is selected to make a large point; each can stand alone. If pictures in the story are comparable to sentences, the essay more closely resembles a paragraph. (from Gerald Hurley and Angus McDougal)