Day 1 – The idea or the assignment
Clicking on the above image will take you to a site where you can download a PowerPoint presentation of this lesson.
PHOTOJOURNALISM DEFINED
Photographs that are made and published in a timely manner to convey news and information that informs the public
Reporting with a camera
Emphasis on “journalism”
Records real people in real situations without any manipulation
WHERE DO YOU GET IDEAS?
Read the newspaper
Watch television news
Read magazines
Keep up with activities/issues in your community
Talk to your neighbors
Keep your eyes open
Localize national stories
HOW DO YOU MAKE COMPELLING PHOTOS?
Research your subject
The more information available, the better the potential for compelling photography
Put a human face on an abstract issue
Show the issue, not the meeting/news conference describing the issue
Show the “human condition” – capture people’s emotions
Idea logs – takes notes of ideas you want to follow up with when you have time
Photojournalists, know your strengths and your weaknesses, not all are created alike
Shoot now, edit later – you can’t go back
HOW TO AVOID A BAD ASSIGNMENT
Know as much about the subject and the story as you possibly can
Make your own arrangements – call the subject and find out
Idea logs – takes notes of ideas you want to follow up with when you have time
Photojournalists, know your strengths and your weaknesses, not all are created alike
Shoot now, edit later – you can’t go back
WASHINGTON POST’S HIERARCHY OF PICTURES
Informational – Informational pictures report the facts without the flavor
Graphically appealing – Photojournalists will try to use graphic techniques to make a visually boring situation better
Emotional – The photo captures the subject’s emotion, laughing, crying etc. Will that photo evoke an emotion from the reader as well?
Intimate – These are the most private. These photos make readers feel as if they close to the situation or in tune with the subject. For just a moment this kind of picture transforms the reader into a participant
These four categories are just a starting point. Photos that combine two or more of these qualities gains strength.
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