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photo essay

American

noun

a group of photographs, usually with supplementary text, that conveys a unified story and is published as a book or as a feature in a magazine or newspaper.

Other Word Forms

photo essayist

noun

Etymology

Origin of photo essay

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was my first-ever photo essay, and it introduced me to a bunch of fun chefs in a matter of weeks.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2025

In this photo essay, Naima Green accompanies the artist on her morning spiritual to Kenneth Hahn Park and back to the studio.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2023

The Times published a photo essay that captures watchers’ collective sense of awe:

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023

This is what winter in the Pacific Northwest looks like on the day with the shortest period of daylight: a photo essay by The Seattle Times’ staff photographers.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2023

The English teacher said we had to turn in a term paper or a photo essay on somebody we admired.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023