Compare Storires
Writing assignment- Compare photojournalism stories
Write 1-2 pages of your observations on the Washington Post picture story about a NOVA student. Use these guidelines and your own experience of being a NOVA student to evaluate how effectively Xiaomei Chen tells this story.
1. Compare her picture story to the classic Life magazine story about the Spanish village by W. Eugene Smith.
• How is this photographer's approach different from W. Eugene Smith's?
• How is it similar?
2. Read Steps 2-4 in the Guide to Photojournalism by National Geographic.
• Did Xiaomei Chen follow these guidelines? Be specific about your observations.
• What other aspects of a NOVA student's life could she have covered?
• Overall, how well did she use photography to tell Onelio Mencho-Aguilar's story? State clear reasons for your opinion.
Remember to evaluate the images, not the writing. Although, you could consider how the pictures and the text relate. Remember that you could refer to time, frame and vantage point to help you describe the choices that this photographer made.