29 jan 2009 jour 5030 profiles & multimedia storytelling

JOUR 5030 - Visual JournalismClass Notes

January 29, 2009

Three Fundamentals:◦The ‘Holy Trinity’ of Photography

Composition Focus Exposure

Don’t get bogged down by the technology is an enabler

Remember: You’re a journalist – Don’t get caught up in the moment

Learn how to use your camera◦ Find the manual

Shoot, shoot, shoot: It’s digital!◦ Change settings◦ Experiment

Become hypersensitive to all your surroundings

Use natural light whenever possible Get up close Don’t be shy!!!

http://www.j-learning.org/present_it/page/how_to_take_pictures_for_online_use/

When you look through the lens, what do you see?

Keep it simple◦ Ask yourself: ‘Is there too much in this frame?’◦ Single ideas, simple images are often the best

Remember, we’re talking about VISUAL communication.◦ Just like verbal communication, if you talk too much,

sometimes people don’t listen or the words become white noise

What are you trying to say? What is your point?

Here’s what you should do:◦ If you can move around objects, do so.◦ If you can’t, figure out a way to focus on a single object◦ Narrow down your ideas

With portraits:◦ Make sure what you see through the viewfinder is

focused on the subject Frame your shots

◦ Look at all elements in the picture◦ Tendency is to just focus on the subject◦ Scan the rest of the frame the image, and see what’s

relevant

Photographs are two-dimensional. To make images more real and alive we try to

give the illusion of depth. Helpful hints: avoid shooting people up against

a wall, pull them away from the wall, have them stand with a room or field behind them.

Light the subject or have them be the brightest object.

Or, if you're shooting a building, shoot it at an angle (from the corner) and have some branches be in the shot - close, yet out of focus (to add an element of foreground depth).

http://photoinf.com/General/ITRC_UMT/Composition_Basics_-_How_to_Get_Good_Pictures/Composition_Basics.htm

Foreground - the part of the photo that is closest to the camera - the branches in front of a park scene.Background - the part of the photo that is farthest from the camera - the mountains behind a park scene.


Portion of the photograph that is in clear sharp focus.

How much of the picture is crisp?

To get lots of the photo in focus have lots of light and have the subject farther away from the camera.

You may want to have a shallow depth of field (only the subjects eyes in focus, for example) then you would decrease the light and move the subject closer to the camera.

Can you guess which part is the Depth of Field?


Aperture:◦ Also known as “F-stop”: the higher the aperture

(e.g. F22) is used, the picure will contain a large depth of field. That means the images in the foreground, middle

ground and background will appear sharp Focal length:

◦ The long the focal length (50mm on a 35mm camera) the smaller the depth of field will be.

Distance from the subject◦ Close up photos = Narrow depth of field

LargeDOF

Wide AngleLens

Large Distance to Subject

Big F-Stop

DOF SmallDOF

Long Lens

Small F-Stop

Small DistanceTo Subject

Low Light

BrightLight

ShortShutterSpeed Long

ShutterSpeed

Variety adds to your photograph. The subject should be the lightest area of

the screen because our eyes are drawn to light.

The background behind them should be darker.

Placing the sun behind you will assist you in getting good lighting.


The amount of light entering the camera Proper light makes your best pictures A picture looks its best with proper light and

exposure. Automatic exposure will adjust the amount

of light entering your camera. Try manually controlling the lights and

exposure to see how you can improve your photos.


You want to avoid “surprises” in the background

Learn to see what the camera sees

Fill the frame Tells a better story Focuses the eye on

what YOU want the viewer to think is what’s important

Visual Weight◦ Consider all elements of the photo

Color, texture, brightness: What’s grabbing the viewer’s attention?

Yellow flower against the dark background is better than a yellow background

Be aware of the lighting Extremely bright/dark backgrounds

Be conscious of how images may be cut off

Positioning of main focal point of image Balancing image, light, background, colors,

textures

http://photoinf.com/General/ITRC_UMT/Composition_Basics_-_How_to_Get_Good_Pictures/Rule_of_Thirds.htm

Don’t shoot pictures from the same height◦ Shoot low, get high◦ Get close: Shoot from different angles

Reflections

Lines

Shadows

Great Portraits: http://greatphotojournalism.com/Portraits-2.

html Listen carefully Observe

◦ Capture details: Gestures, figures of speech, clothing

Write so that you appeal to all five senses:◦ Bring the character to life

Recreate the scene◦ Show people as they are◦ Show how they interact with others

Do your readers know why you’ve written this profile?

Have I revealed anything about the subject no one else knows?

Do I capture my person in a real-life setting? Professional setting? Family? Recreational?

Have I balanced the mundane with the spicy? Juicy?

Have I revealed the turning points in a person’s life?

Do I have enough quotes from the person and from other interviews to make this story compelling?

Have I done enough research on this person to ask the right questions?

What’s the most obvious question I FORGOT to ask?

Types of Interviewsa) News: talking to an expert for a specific storyb) Personality: seeking to reveal the character and

personality of an individualc) Symposium: talking to people participating in a

seminar, forum or workshop

Getting people to talk◦ Finding common ground◦ What’s a good icebreaker?

Be conscious of the environment/the setting◦ Where you interview someone, sets the tone

of the interviewFinding the right person to interview

◦ The right person: everything flows; the wrong person, you’re searching for questions

Maintaining control- Stay alert – avoid the rambler- Don’t be afraid to have them slow down

Types of questions◦ Close-ended v. Open-ended◦ Keep them simple!

What makes a good question?◦ ‘how’ and ‘why’◦ The more specific, the better◦ Ask yourself: ‘Is this question appropriate for

the source to whom you’re talking?’◦ Watch your tone

BAD: ‘You’re known as being a real loud mouth’ GOOD: ‘Your critics say you are really loud all the

time’.

What makes a good question?◦ ‘how’ and ‘why’◦ The more specific, the better◦ Ask yourself: ‘Is this question appropriate for

the source to whom you’re talking?’◦ Watch your tone

BAD: ‘You’re known as being a real loud mouth’ GOOD: ‘Your critics say you are really loud all

the time’.

What’s a bad question?◦ Two-part questions◦ ‘What ifs’ / hypothetical◦ Apologetic, “I’m sorry I have to ask you this,

but how old are you.”

Set up a flow of questions- From broad to specifics, from business to personal

Taking Notes◦ Create your own shorthand◦ Consider spelling words without the vowels

The actual quote “The man in the car looked like he was never going to stop.”

Without vowels: ‘th mn n th cr lkd lk ws nvr gng to stp.

◦ Immediately following the interview. Stop. Sit down. Review your notes. Fill in the blanks

of incomplete words. Place asterisks next to really good quotes and/or information you intend to use in the story.

29 jan 2009 jour 5030 profiles & multimedia storytelling

Art & Photos

park scene

tone bad

good question

light entering

youre talking

whats

subject

question