A photographic essay or photo-essay for short is a form of visual storytelling, a way to present a narrative through a series of images. A photo essay delivers a story using a series of photographs and brings the viewer along a narrative journey.^[1]

Examples of photo essays include:

• A web page or portion of a web site.
• A single montage or collage of photographic images, with text or other additions, intended to be viewed both as a whole and as individual photographs. Such a work may also fall in the category of mixed media.
• An art show which is staged at a particular time and location. Some such shows may also fall into other categories.
• In fashion publishing especially, a photo-editorial – an editorial-style article dominated by or entirely consisting of a series of thematic photographs.

Photographers known for their photo-essays include:

• W. Eugene Smith^[2]
• Ansel Adams^[3]
  • Adams's Born Free and Equal (1944) documented Japanese Americans held at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II.
• Gordon Parks' A Harlem Family are acclaimed for showing a glimpse into the lives of the sick and impoverished.
• James Nachtwey^[4]
• William Klein^[5]
• Peter Funch's much-reposted photo series,^[6] for which Funch photographed the same street corner for nine years.
• Henry Grossman — known for his photographs of celebrities such as John F. Kennedy and the Beatles, Grossman published numerous photo-essays of Broadway for Life magazine.^[7]

Many photo-essays moved from printed press to the web.^[8]