Write the introduction for your photo essay and the captions for the individual images.
The introduction for your photo essay takes the same form and content as the introductions for your blog posts. Your intro paragraph should get the reader interested and contain the thesis. The thesis should be bolded our underlined in the same manner as you would a regular post. Your introduction and thesis should be around 124–150 words.
Captioning images is a different kind of task. The goal is to use the images to show or illustrate part of your essay. To that end, the caption should provide some context for the image as well as point out to the reader something that the reader might miss on casual viewing. For example, in image #6 in the sample photo essay, I might begin by noting that President Lincoln paid a visited Gen. McClelland’s encampment a visit in October shortly after the Battle of Antietam. I might also point out that the American flag is used as a kind of table covering—a use of the flag that might strike the contemporary viewer as strange. Similarly, I might indicate that the Confederate flag, the Stars and Bars, appears to have been tossed on the ground. Finally, I might say something about the fact that the Gen. McClelland’s bed is also in the picture. All of this suggests that the photo illustrated a “working” military encampment; there was no effort to “dress up” for President Lincoln’s visit. Captions should be around 100 words. You can find a sample caption and citation at Antietam: Stalemate: A Sample Photo Essay.
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