News Photography for NonPhotographers

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News Photography for Non-Photographers
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Photography or journalism?

• What is the difference between
• A photographer, and
• A photojournalist?

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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 yesterdays news
• Useful - Readers can use the information in the
  photo
• Unique and compelling

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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
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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
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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 Thursdays New
  Vision!

Does the police chiefs picture advance the story
about arrests after the riots? (Sunday Vision)
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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!

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Tips It takes time

• Good pictures rarely just happen

The photojournalist who took this picture waited
hours for just the right moment
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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?

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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 peoples backs, unless
  thats the story
• Capture the essence of the task
• Take more pictures than you need
• Use a simple, clean background
• Use a sequence of photos

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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 farmers hands

What story does this picture tell?
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Lines-only photos

• Produce great visuals to reflect community, but
  dont need a written story
• Entire story is contained within the picture
• Can use on a page with stories that dont lend
  themselves to photos
• Are VERY compelling to the (lazy!) reader

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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
• Whats wrong with staged photos?
• Doesnt 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

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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

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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

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Thats all!