Last week I walked away contemplating all the effort it can take for a journalist to get “that on shot.” You know, that shot which is published or grabs the audience’s attention. Whether it’s the shot that’s perfect to go along with a story in a local newspaper or an award-winning, career- defining photograph. What does it take to clearly capture a moment or show a viewer the details of an event? What kind of mindset should journalists have in order to be ready to “get the story or photo?” I took away three main points about successful photojournalism from last week and organized these thoughts under the news, time and angle elements.
1. The News Element
The Kobre reading for last week discussed how important it is for journalists to be informed about events and prepared to cover news when it happens. I remember reading about how photographers can either be assigned to cover a story along with a reporter or sometimes just happen to be in the right place at the right time to get a photo. Kobre discussed a number of ways journalist remain abreast breaking news such as monitoring scanner radios for emergencies; frequenting all-news radio, television, and Web sites; developing a solid group of reliable contacts in an area or community; contacting public relations offices and representatives; and looking in trade magazines and specialized Web sites.
This part of the reading opened my mind a lot. I realized how professional journalists have a different state of mind than a journalism student who only wants to do enough to get a decent grade. From the reading and our discussion in class, I learned a lot about the journalistic duty, responisibility, work ethic and dedication one needs to “get the shot.” I think Mindy summed it up best when she said “When something real that’s happening is news, there’s only one chance to cover it.”
2. The Time Element
I learned that journalists have to cultivate their anticipation and timing to capture a moment. From the reading I learned about how each photographer tends to develop his or her own shooting style. For example Kobre referred to Earnst Haas, who would start shooting before the action and follow through to the peak of the action before tapering off; Henri Cartier Bresson, who looked for the “decisive moment” where perfect shutter timing met a balanced composition of the objects in a photo; and Robert Capa, who was know for his war coverage and believed that it was “the essence of the picture, not it’s form, which was important.”
Also from Henry Wessel’s 8-Minute Documentary about Photography, I learned about the importance of knowing when to press the shutter. From this I gained a greater respect for the art of photojournalism and was enlightended about the patience it takes to take captivating photos. The time element was also emphasised in Kobre’s discussion of the four approaches to taking candids, in which the photographer must observe and catch the subject “as unaware as possible to record real emotions.” The four approaches are :
1. Out in the Open- taking the picture when the subject is busy and has forgotten about the photographer
2. Big Game Hunter-studying subject from a distance like a prey and using a camera with a telephoto lens as rifle to get the photo
3.Click and Run-walking by subject, shooting quickly with a wide-angle lens and moving on
4.Introduce Yourself- if subject sees you and stops the action
As we discussed in class, photojournalists really have a lot to think about, and a lot of this thinking must be done before the event or action takes place. And if a journalist has the luxury of arranging a time to shoot a subject, he or she should still consider where they should meet and whether or not they want a portrait or to catch the subject engaged in work or an activity.
3. The Angle Element
The last thing I took away from last week’s class is the benefits of considering what makes a photo interesting. Just from critiquing the photos we took for our in-class photo assignment, I saw that the most interesting pictures were taken at an appropriate angle. Kobre discussed how high or low angles could bring a new perspective to a picture. I think this is because every day we see things from our eye level. So when a photographer takes a different elevation, we are automatically drawn in. The reading also talked about how a good overall picture lets readers get oriented to an entire scene where an event took place. Then, a medium shot can tell a story by showing a subject’s action and their relationship to their surroundings. While a close-up photo can be dramatic because it should emphasize one element. I think keeping this in mind was kind of difficult during the first photo assignment for class. I was used to taking the medium shot for all my pictures. Taking a variety of shots is benefitial for covering many events including sports. As a reader, I like to see a picture which shows how many people attended a game or a close up showing the emotion in an athlete’s face during competition. With out a variety of shots, it is almost impossible to fully cover an event.
