Posts by Tara Todras-Whitehill
ChatGPT is scaring visual storytellers. It shouldn’t… yet.
ChatGPT isn’t the first giant leap in technology that’s played boogeyman to visual storytellers and communications professionals. In fact, for all of those who think an AI bot is gunning for their job, check out this oh so frightening list by the Society of Professional Journalists. It includes tools that “inspire” blog posts (not this…
Read MoreDALL·E 2: A new frontier for visual storytelling
Have you heard of DALL·E 2 or Craiyon? Well if you haven’t, you will soon. DALL·E 2, an artificial intelligence (AI) model that generates wildly specific images from a simple text prompt, is making waves across the internet. Imagine any scene, even one as zany as “woman ascending an infinity staircase made out of cookies”…
Read MorePowerful photo essays: Tips for visual impact
Photo essays are a great way to tell a visually impactful story about your work. If you’re not sure where to begin or what to consider when crafting a photo essay, check out this Q&A where Tara shares her expertise on how to plan for and execute an effective photo essay. (Responses edited for length…
Read MoreA lesson from the Egyptian Revolution – you can never be too prepared
Mohamed Hossam Eldinm and Nasser Nuri, photographer colleagues in Egypt sent me some photos that they took of me in Tahrir during the Egyptian revolution in 2011. It’s rare that you get to see so many photos of yourself in action, and also unique because I remember this particular moment so clearly. That day, I…
Read MoreListen up: The Photo Ethics podcast
Yikes, Sézane! Famous fashion brand Sézane is facing potential legal action for manipulating an older, indigenous woman in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The production team reportedly dressed Guillermina Gutiérrez in the company’s clothes and asked her to dance in front of cameras. Gutiérrez also accuses the brand of not paying her. Video of the…
Read MoreScreenshots 2.0: A primer for an online photoshoot
A new frontier in socially distanced photography? When the photo editor at The New York Times gave me the option of carrying out an assignment remotely, I was naturally curious. The three people I was to feature were worried about having their location disclosed for security reasons. It might have been possible for me to…
Read MoreEthical NGO storytelling: Aligning values and visuals
Important, gut-wrenching situations exist all around the world, and we all want to shine a light on them – especially those of us whose job it is to shape the visual narratives presented in global media. But we can get so caught up in the cause that we forget the person. We can forget that…
Read More