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Photojournalism

MR

Melanie Rapp

Transcript

Effective communication impacts results.

Photojournalism

The basics

Digital Asset

Management

Basic facts of photojournalism

2. Individual photographs

  • Take a lot of photos - create the opportunity to choose later.

  • Consider the possible purposes of use (will you include text on the photo, will you need square shaped photos, etc.?).

  • Take photos of different subjects, even if you know that you will need one photo.

  • Keep in mind - one photo will represent the whole story.

1. Photo essay

  • A photo-essay (or photographic essay) is a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. (Wikipedia)

  • Don't try to tell the entire story with one photograph.

  • Include different subjects, different point of views

(from landscapes and large scenes, through smaller objects, cultural markers to people and portraits).

  • Find a subject that is "representative" of the story.

  • Get the mood of the story.

  • Order of photos: start strong, end strong, develop a story line.

Extensis Portfolio

Composition

Digital asset management

  • organise - folder structure
  • search - advanced search based on metadata
  • share - all users have access, different user rights

UNHCR - RRCE

  • Sharing files between the different country offices
  • PI officers can search the database and download photos individually
  • Better organisation of existing photos
  • Back-up of the database
  • accessible 24 hours a day and from any location

Extensis portfolio

Key elements of a good photo

Main steps of creating a photo story

composition

(visual sense)

use of technology

(know the camera)

1. a) Preparation - The subject

  • Get to know the topic, the people, the context.
  • Get familiar with the location.

1. b) Preparation - The camera

  • Prepare batteries, memory cards, lenses, flash.
  • Learn how to use the camera.

2. Photographing

  • Compose each photo - set the camera, consider framing.

3. Post- production

  • Make a selection of the best photos.
  • Retouching the photos.
  • Create the order of the photos.

Adobe Bridge

post-production

Post-production

Thank you for your attention!

Photojournalism Short Story Project

Photo Essay

Retouching the photos

Just a little correction can result in much better photos.

For this project you will complete what’s called a “Photo Essay”. However, your photo essay must be about some social, political, environmental, or personal issue.

Examples could include: eating disorders, bullying, underage drinking, man’s effect on nature, prejudices, adoption, peer pressure, etc.

Just make sure to choose something a) you have strong feelings about, and b) you can feasibly take photos concerning.

1. Crop

2. Lightness

2. Contrast

3. Colour/Tone

5. Sharpness

Need help with ideas?

Make a short photo story of 5 photos.

The photos should include:

  • The larger scenes and close-up photos
  • At least 2 photos should include people
  • 1 close portrait
  • Play with background/foreground
  • Use depth of field meaningfully
  • Catch emotions

Select 1 photo that best represents the subject.

Turn photos in to the blog and the server, along with peer review, self-reflection, and a thorough written essay about your subject (at least 300 words).

Here are some links with lists of issues:

http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html

http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0516/2005018778.html

http://www.globalissues.org/ (world issues)

Lightness and contrast

Image > Adjustment > Levels Ctrl + L

Image > Adjustment > Curves Ctrl + M

Get to know more

Sharpening the image

National Geographic photo guide

www.cambridgeincolour.com

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Magnum Photos - www.magnumphotos.com

Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp mask

Composition - What does it mean?

Foreground and Background

Point of view

The way of framing the image

- it determines what is perceived as the subject

  • Take wide, medium and tight shots. A series of photos
  • Portray the scope of the scene
  • Putting the subject into the foreground makes it more important (except when the foreground is blurred!).

  • Playing with the depth of field can highlight subjects in the background or in the foreground.

Technique

wide

Composing

1. Decide what to include on the photo.

2. Decide where and how to place the subject within the frame.

Elements of composition:

  • Point of view: wide angle or close-up; bird's eye view or worm's eye view.
  • Foreground, middleground, background.
  • Placing the subject: centered or "rule of thirds".
  • Symmetry
  • Angles
  • Leading lines
  • Light
  • Include people, catch emotions.

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough."

- Robert Capa

"The pictures are there, and you just take them."

- Robert Capa

“The more pictures you see, the better you are as a photographer."

- Robert Mapplethorpe

medium

close

photos taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

Centered composition vs. "rule of thirds"

  • Placing the subject to the left/right, bottom/top third can make the photo more interesting.

  • Emphasize the importance of the subject.

  • Center composed images can be very impressive, mainly when it is a portrait.

  • Imagine a grid wile composing.

Shutter speed

Exposure

Review - Basic Definitions

Exposure modes

Determined by ISO speed

  • Sensitivity of the camera's sensor
  • ISO 100 (less sensitive) to ISO 3200 (most sensitive)
  • Low ISO - lots of light, longer exposure, or larger aperture
  • Higher ISO - less light, shorter exposure, smaller aperture

photos taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

Determines the lightness or darkness of the photo

  • underexposure - too dark
  • overexposure - too light

Combination of shutter speed and aperture setting (f-number)

Exposure

  • aperture
  • shutter speed
  • ISO speed

Exposure modes

White balance

Depth of field

Focal length

In low light:

  • Set higher ISO (ISO 800 or more)
  • Set larger aperture (the largest possible/small number)
  • NOTE: High ISO speed will increase image noise

Aperture

Symmetry

Shutter speed

(www.cambridgeincolour.com)

  • Repeating elements can increase their importance.

  • Same element on the sides can give a nice frame.

Aperture

(www.cambridgeincolour.com)

Lines

photo taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

  • Gives the impression of movement.

  • Lines moving toward or away from the subject can lead the eyes of the viewer.

White balance

Color temperature

Angles

  • High or low angle view can raise more interests.

  • Low-angle view makes the impression that the subject is powerful.

  • High-angle view makes the impression that the subject is smaller, less powerful, harmless (children).

  • When photographing children lower your camera to their eye level.

Depth of field

photo taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

Focal length

People and Emotions

  • Talk to the people, get to know them! Get engaged, go closer!

  • Photos with people are more interesting, more impressive.

"distance from the lens to the film", when focused on a subject at infinity

determines:

- angle of view

- how much the subject will be magnified

wide angle lens: short focal length

tele/long-focus length: longer focal length

People and Emotions

Photojournalism

How to avoid showing people's faces.

  • You don't have to always include the entire body.

Basics:

1. Don't cut in the joints.

2. Mind the background (pole "growing out" of the head).

3. Remember to focus on the eyes.

cover faces with different subject

use backlight

©Magnum photos, Moises Saman

(photo: UNHCR RRCE)

Essential Question

Focal length

Collaboration Time!

photo taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

How can you communicate your idea visually?

take photos of other parts of the body

place people behind

transparent materials (use shadows)

photo taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

photos taken from UNCHR Flickr sire

©Magnum photos, Jerome Sessini

In your group, go to the following website, look through a bunch of pictures and select a story that interests you. Pick a picture or two.

Copy it and paste them into your Collaboration Google Doc and answer the questions below.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/

There are two aspects or sides to the photo that we want to address:

The context and the technique.

Below the photos you need to talk about the following:

1. The context of the photo (What’s it showing visually? What’s the story? Why is this important? What made you choose it?)

2. The technique of the photographer (What did they have to do to get this photo? What challenges did they have to compensate for? What special camera function(s) or techniques did they use? Look at their composition, etc.)

Enduring Understanding

Laura Hervai 2014