https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/07/world/asia/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-drugs-killings.html>Neighbors said Michael Araja, 29, was killed by two men riding by on a motorbike, like so many of the other victims.Being fairly young at about 17 when this article came out, this photo essay was really the first one I ever read and it massively impacted me. I'd seen plenty of photos and videos of people dying, but this was really one of the first times I saw it through the eyes of a professional photographer. Seeing the photos and the stories the held, really took my interest in photography from just Nat Geo type landscapes and nature shots, and propelled it towards photojournalists capturing stories in their photos like lightning in a bottle.
You might not like the photos or agree with the article, but this is one of my favorites, soley because it opened my eyes up to what I wanted to photograph and why.
As a brief aside, does anyone here have tips on shooting for, or writing a photo essay? Or really any other photojournalist related tips and info?
Over the summer I'm going to be interviewing, and shooting photos of, homeless and transients in my city, since we currently have a lot of them. I'm really excited about the project, especially as I used to work at homeless shelters a lot; I met so many people there that had so many amazing stories, but no one who'd listen to them. Any advice on this undertaking would be greatly appreciated, and I'm open to anything and everything you might have to offer.
Oh and one last thing, if you guys know of any good textbooks/books on photography that would help me out on this or just in general, that'd be huge. I've gotten a good bit of experience shooting, but I'd say I'm still a novice at best.
