Photo & VideoBasic Skills for Documenting Events and Constructing

Narratives

Common Considerations for Photo and Video Before Shooting

Have a clear idea of your assignment. Have a developed plan. For video, create a shot list (wide, medium, close-up). Use a storyboard if it helps.

Take the right equipment: camera, lenses, tripod, etc. Be sure your camera battery is charged. Take extra batteries or charger

if necessary. Have enough space on your memory card. Take extra memory if

necessary.

Know your rights and responsibilities. But have a backup plan in case your rights are violated by those who are neither moved by law nor ethics.

Take notes. Document enough information to write effective captions.

Photography

The Essentials

The quality of a photo depends on these essential elements: Subject: The inherent qualities of what you shoot

and how you compose it Moment: The timing of your shot Light: Exposure, shadows, etc.

Subject

Ask yourself these questions: Is the subject of the photo relevant to the story? Is the subject interesting? Have I composed the shot well?

Use “hotspots” on your camera’s composition grid to guide your shots.

Strategies: Look in all directions, including up and down, to find interesting subjects. Patterns are interesting to the eye. Consider foreground/background. Depth of field is interesting to the eye. Color can be used to draw attention to a shot or convey meaning. Focus on people (unless the assignment is on something else). Get up close. Get faces. Zoom with your feet.

Moment

Ask yourself these questions: What the most interesting or relevant times for taking shots of the

subject? How do I set up in advance for the shot? Are there special considerations such as fast movement by the

subject?

Strategies: You have to get over shyness. Take photos of people at events from

close range rather than a great distance. Don’t take staged photos; get people acting naturally. The latter is

more interesting. Look for action and reaction shots. Captured moments that convey interesting narratives. Practice! Simulate situations beforehand.

Light

Ask yourself these questions: What camera settings should I use under the available

lighting conditions? Is there a way I can use light to my advantage?

Strategies To reduce blur, use higher shutter speed and lower

aperture. It’s better to take slightly dark pictures than blurry

pictures if you’re forced into a choice. It’s also better to take slightly dark pictures than pictures

that are overexposed. In the editing process, you can increase the exposure to add light.

Diversify Presentation Types

Single shot

Gallery

Photo Illustration

Soundslides

Videography

Video Capture

USE A TRIPOD

Check audio levels.

Check white balance.

Compose the shot well. Similar considerations as still shots No poles sticking out of people’s heads Give appropriate frame spacing for things like displaying lower thirds

(person’s name, title, etc.).

Have sufficient space before and after the clip.

Get enough b-roll.

But don’t get so much footage that it overwhelms you in the editing process.

Editing

Often, it’s easiest to start with the audio narrative.

Add video footage in step with the audio.

Create effective transitions.

Superimpose graphics.

Music can be obtained for free or at little cost from royalty free sites. Audiojungle Incompetech

Other Considerations

As with other platforms, the power of the narrative is key. Start with a strong lead. The viewer will give your

video about 10 seconds before deciding to keep watching or move on to something else.

Be creative with editing. Shinya Kimura

Resources

The Knight Digital Media Center is one of the most comprehensive resources multimedia journalists. You can go to it for tutorials and presentations on a wide array of essential skills and issues in journalism as it continues to rapidly evolve in the digital age.

You can learn a lot by following multimedia experts like Richard Koci Hernandez.

Get inspired! Explore videos on Vimeo.