News Photography for Non-Photographers
Photography or journalism?
What is the difference between:
A photographer, and
A photojournalist?
What makes a good news photo?
Improves understanding – adds to story Helps readers know their community Tells a story without words Gives context Timely – not yesterday’s news Useful - Readers can use the
information in the photo Unique and compelling
Tips Close-ups vs.
landscapes
There is emotion in this photo above, and it gives context to the story.
At left, if you snapped the whole troop, the story would be different
Action, action, action Get people doing
something Show the essence
of their action and emotion
Photo above about a bridge that flooded illustrates the point by showing action
Inaction, inaction, inaction Mug shots are
boring! Unless they show
emotion, tell a story Sometimes they
ARE the story; e.g., candidate shots
Can be overdone -- 41 mug shots in Thursday’s New Vision!
Does the police chief’s picture advance the story about arrests after the riots? (Sunday Vision)
Check-passing photos …… or in this case, chick-
passing!- Does the photo give
any information?- Does it illustrate the
main point of the story?
- Remember the reader!- If the chicks had
escaped, that would be a great picture!
Tips: It takes time
Good pictures rarely just happen
The photojournalist who took this picture waited hours for just the right moment …
How could this have been better?The article was about why kids want to
be leaders. The boy at left is Head Prefect at his school. He talked about why he campaigned and why he likes being a leader
•Does the picture help me understand the subject of the article: leadership?
•Does it add to the article?
•Does it tell a story by itself?
•Does it tell me more about the boy than what he looks like?
More tips
Take your camera everywhere you go Shoot from the hip, literally Be spontaneous Put the subject in the front Make the subject comfortable Never take pictures of people’s backs, unless
that’s the story Capture the essence of the task Take more pictures than you need Use a simple, clean background Use a sequence of photos
News shots that tell a story
Ask yourself what the story is really about
For example:•Football fan when a goal is scored•Storks and kids on garbage pile•Wrinkles on an old farmer’s hands
What story does this picture tell?
Lines-only photos Produce great visuals to reflect
community, but don’t need a written story
Entire story is contained within the picture
Can use on a page with stories that don’t lend themselves to photos
Are VERY compelling to the (lazy!) reader
Issues: To snap or not to snap Those gory images – how much is too much
Dignity and respect in death Does it offer insight, context, perspective? Or just
drama? Describe what the reader is seeing in the caption
What’s wrong with staged photos? Doesn’t tell a story Panders to interests
Ask why you are taking this photo Is it for the reader or the subject?
Boring, a waste of space Space is valuable
Taking a picture to show you were there
Issues: Dealing with the subjects
Objections: who has the right to object In public places Asking permission Politicians, public figures
Weighing news value vs embarrassment Is it fair? Context Your friend asks you to – or not to When the subject asks for money
Issues: Accuracy - again
Captions are important Writing a good caption
Tells what the viewer is seeing Can add information to the image and
story Get the details and names right
That’s all!