Transcript Module 1 & 2 Lecture notes Intro to photojournalism

Dr Joseph Obe
Dr Joe
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Introduction to
Photojournalism
Course Overview
This course kick- starts the career of those who
want to venture into photojournalism. This course
is intended for potential editors, designers, and
other communicators who need to appreciate
photographs in order to use them intelligently in
their work. The class also should interest students
who want to improve their "visual literacy" while
learning some of the history and principles of
photojournalism.
It
will not
include
the
comprehensive task of taking picture but it will
prepare you to start using camera as a
professional journalist. However, you will be
required to carry out simple photo shooting
exercise around the campus.
What you• will learn
At the end of this course, students should
be able to:
•produce images that tell stories for
newspapers, magazines, books and the
Internet.
•appreciate the content, aesthetic beauty
and usefulness of photographs in relation
to news making.
•Write and produce intelligent captions for
their photos.
•Identify a “good” photo and the elements
that make a good photo
Class Philosophy
1.I will take lots of pictures
2.I will always plan my
pictures
3.I will get close to my
pictures
4.I will shoot in the best light
possible
5.I will be creative.
What you• will learn
At the end of this course, students should
be able to:
•produce images that tell stories for
newspapers, magazines, books and the
Internet.
•appreciate the content, aesthetic beauty
and usefulness of photographs in relation
to news making.
•Write and produce intelligent captions for
their photos.
•Identify a “good” photo and the elements
that make a good photo.
Module 1
Fundamentals of Photojournalism
The development of photography in the 1830s
was one of the most profound changes that has
affected the way we view the world. Photography
brings to life people, places, events and other
things that we would otherwise have trouble
understanding. It has given us a common set of
images
with
environment
experience.
which
that
we
to
do
understand
not
the
personally
•Photography is an important part of
journalism. It, along with the words that we use,
is a vital part of telling the story we have to tell.
•Photography gives the audience for journalism
another dimension of information that they
cannot get with words.
•It often gives life and form to the words that
journalists use.
• It helps to entertain the audience as well as to
deep their understanding of the information in a
story.
•Photography is a way of impressing a story
onto the brain of a reader.
Outstanding Photo
Journalists
One of the first great
photojournalists was Matthew
Brady, a New York portrait
photographer who traveled to
many of the battlefields of the
American Civil War in the 1860s
to record what had happened
there. Brady’s images brought
home to people who had stayed
behind the starkness and
horrors of way and helped
change the way that people
thought about war itself.
Outstanding Photo
Journalists
Students to research
about local
Photojournalists like
Peter Obe of the Nigeria
Daily Times
Portfolio Assignment 1: PR
Find an object that projects the
image of the university. It could be
its logo, website, branding, gate
etc. Take a picture of the object
and find out everything you can
about the item. Why do you
consider it as a public relations
tool for the University?
Submission Deadline: 23rd April 2013
@11am. 5 marks
Difference between
photojournalism and
photography
1.
2.
3.
Photography focuses on the
aesthetic beauty of an image
while photojournalism focuses
on how the news angle of an
image.
Photojournalist is concerned
about the compositional focus,
or emphasis of a picture while
photography is concerned with
clarity, colour and quality of a
picture.
Photo journalists must integrate
photography into their thinking
about every story they cover.
But that isn't the business of a
What a photojournalists
must look out for in Pictures
1.
2.
3.
4.
Drama: Pix that will hold
viewer’s attention.
Action: Pix that depicts
movement, keeping viewers
in suspense of what
happened before and after
the pix was taken.
Expression: The photo that
captures expression tells a
good story.
Unusualness: capture the
unique or bizarre moments
of people’s lives
Ethics and legal issues in
photojournalism
1.
Take the pictures first and decide whether it will
be published or not later.
2.
It is a crime to manipulate the pix. Take pix as it
appears. Do not move or photoshop pix for
publication as people believe pix don’t lie.
Code of ethics of the National Press
Photographers Association.
1. Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation
of subjects.
2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo
opportunities.
3. Be complete and provide context when photographing
or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and
groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's
own biases in the work.
4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special
consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to
victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of
grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable
need to see.
5. While photographing subjects do not intentionally
contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
Code of ethics of the National Press
Photographers Association (Contd)
6. Editing should maintain the integrity of the
photographic images' content and context. Do not
manipulate images or add or alter sound in any
way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent
subjects.
7. Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them
materially for information or participation.
8. Do not accept gifts, favours, or compensation
from those who might seek to influence coverage.
9. Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of
Portfolio Assignment 2: News Events
Choose a newsworthy event to cover: a speech, a
press conference, a meeting, a protest, a concert,
bad weather, an accident, etc. Shoot at least ten
pictures, trying to emphasize unusual angles, getting
in close, interesting lighting, etc. Photos must contain
people. Fifteen to twenty pictures.
5 marks
Submission deadline: Tuesday 30th April, 2013
@11am
The 3s of Photojournalism
The 3s of photojournalism
distinguishes you from just being
a photographer and being a
professional photojournalist.
They are:
•the three kinds of photos
• the rule of thirds
the three kinds of
photos
Long range/establishing
shots. These are pictures
taken in a scene in its
entirety. They give the
viewer a good idea of
the environment of the
subject of the
photograph, but they do
not offer much
information about the
subject itself.
the three kinds
of photos
Midrange: These shots
bring the photographer
closer to the subject and
give more specific
information about the
subject. But they still
show the subject within
a setting so that the
viewer has some idea
about the environment
in which the subject if
Good midrange photography
requires the photographer to
move, to change positions, and
to shoot from a variety of
angles. One of the marks of the
rank beginner is that all of the
photos are taken from the same
spot and the same angle. Good
photojournalists move around
their subjects and try to find
interesting angles and
perspectives from which to
shoot. They don’t mind getting
on their knees or lying on their
backs or getting on top of
tables, chairs or ladders to take
interesting and informative
pictures.
Close-up: The best and
most interesting
pictures generally are
close-up shots. These
pictures bring the
viewers face to face
with the subject and
allow them to get detail
information about the
subject. Good close-up
pictures cut out all of
the environmental
information about the
subject.
Close-up photography is
what proves the worth of
the photojournalist for the
viewer.
Photojournalists
get near a subject when
viewers cannot or are
unwilling to go that close.
These shots give viewers
something
of
value,
something they would not
get otherwise. Getting
good
close-up
shots
requires both skill and
courage.
The Rule of thirds
This is a way in which
photographers think about
the composition of their
photographs so that they
are more interesting and
informative. The rule of
thirds helps direct the eye
of the viewer in a natural
way toward the important
parts of the photo. The
concept and the application
of the rule of thirds are both
fairly simple
What a photojournalists
must look out for in Pictures
1.
2.
3.
4.
Drama: Pix that will hold
viewer’s attention.
Action: Pix that depicts
movement, keeping viewers
in suspense of what
happened before and after
the pix was taken.
Expression: The photo that
captures expression tells a
good story.
Unusualness: capture the
unique or bizarre moments
of people’s lives
Assignment 3
Architecture and history. Shoot
pictures of buildings with unique
architecture,
or
of
historical
significance.
In
your
written
description, give information about
the architecture’s origin and its
community impact, or give a brief
historical account (about two
paragraphs) of the building. Make
sure you quote architectural experts
and historians.
Caption Writing
According to the American Press Institute, photo
captions should accomplish four things:
Explain the action: Tell where and when.
Name the principles: Don’t leave out anyone who’s in
the picture. If their not important, crop them out.
Tell why you’re running the photo: Go beyond the
obvious. Try to pull the reader into the story.
Note important detail: Explain all mysterious objects
or circumstances. Allow for a longer photo caption if it
will help the reader understand the story.
General Tips in Caption Writing
Use conversational language. Make it easy to read.
Avoid cliches.
Use present tense when describing action
(Runs, running instead of ran or will run).
Active voice reads stronger (Max is riding the bike”
instead of The bike is being ran by Max).
Take out needless adjectives and and adverbs (Ran
fast, strong, skillfully, is running, or looks on).
Don’t repeat information that appears in the headline
or body.
Remember to name the source of the photo and the
date it was taken.
Triple check the correct spelling of names.
Examples of Good & Bad Captions
Example of Bad Photo Caption: Young Ms. Riding
Hood walking briskly to her grandmother’s cottage
during a dreary fall morning.
["Yes, I can see that, but how young is she? Why is
she walking briskly? Where is her grandmother's
cottage? It doesn't look all that dreary to me."]
Example of Good Photo Caption: Red Riding Hood,
age 9, carries a basket of flowers in Fable Forest to
attend to her sick grandmother in Yorkshire
Examples of Good & Bad Captions
Example: (bad) OUCH! Oxford High School bicyclist
crashes.
Example: (good) DOWN AND OUT. Senior cycling
team captain Bob Everitt takes it on the chin after
cutting the final corner too close in a duel with
Mosby High’s Steve Sherrill at the season’s first
race. After a trip to the hospital and 10 stitches, Bob
went on to win five races for the year and led the
team to an overall second place finish in the region
Examples of Good & Bad Captions
Example: (bad) HE’S OUT. Chuck jumps
and throws toward first.
Example: (good) UP AND OVER.
Shortstop Chuck Davidson avoids Dan
Gladden’s rolling slide and makes the
throw to first to complete the ninth
inning double play which sealed
Oakland’s 3-2 win over Birkdale Twins in
the subdistrict playoffs.