photojournalism
DESCRIPTION
Reynolds High School Journalism Institute.TRANSCRIPT
My name is David
Photojournalism
What is it?
What is it?
Using photos to tell a story.
What is it?
Honesty Empathy Objectivity Relevance Timeliness Narrative
What is it?
Honesty Empathy Objectivity Relevance Timeliness Narrative
…Moments
Decisive moment
“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”
■ Henri Cartier-Bresson
(bit.ly/Q04hjm)
Fleeting
Look at light and admire its beauty. Close your eyes, and then look again: what you saw is no longer there; and what you will see later is not yet.
■ Leonardo da Vinci
What makes a good picture?
What makes a good picture?
What makes a good picture?
Technical quality
What makes a good picture?
Technical quality
■ Is it sharp?
■Is it exposed?
■ Is your sensor clean?
What makes a good picture?
Aesthetic value
What makes a good picture?
Aesthetic value ■ Rule of thirds.
■Ooh, that’s a pretty sunset.
■ How’s the
background?
What makes a good picture?
Storytelling ability
What makes a good picture?
Storytelling ability
■ Moments,
moments,
moments.
■ Historic context.
■ Emotional impact.
What makes a good picture?
Technical quality
Aesthetic value
Storytelling ability
Snap Shots
"You've got to push yourself harder. You've got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You've got to take the tools you have and probe deeper.”
■ Bill Allard, National Geographic
(bit.ly/gIlJ45)
Terms
Aperture
The adjustable opening in a camera lens used to control the amount of light reaching the “film.” The size of this hole is called the f-stop. The smaller the f-stop, the shallower the depth of field.
Aperture
Aperture
Aperture
Shutter Speed
The length of time during which the camera shutter remains open. Speeds are expressed in seconds or fractions of a second (e.g. 2, 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, 1/8000). Each speed increment halves the amount of light. Along with aperture, it determines the amount of light that reaches the film or sensor.
Shutter Speed
A fast shutter speed freezes the action. This image was captured at 1/5000, F4.
Shutter Speed
A slow shutter speed blurs the action creating a sense of movement. This image was captured at 1/13, F6.3.
Film Speed (ISO)
Film speed is the measure of a photographic film’s sensitivity to light. It is designated by a system developed by the International Organization for Standardization which uses the initials “ISO” before the film-speed number (e.g. ISO 400). High ISO, fast film (e.g. ISO 1600) is more grainy and sensitive to light than slow, low ISO film (e.g. ISO 200).
Film Speed (ISO)
Both of these images were shot at 1600 ISO in dimly lit conditions.
White Balance
White balance refers to the color temperature of the light source and the relative warmth or coolness of white light. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin. A tungsten lamp (3000 K) is cooler/bluer than direct sunlight (5500 K).
White Balance
Pointers
Get closer
Know your light source
Clean backgrounds
Action…
…reaction…
…emotion
Get high
Get low
Details
Go easy on gimmicks
Keep horizons horizontal
Sense of place
Shoot verticals
Turn around
Be patient
“You have to milk the cow a lot and get lots of milk to make a little piece of cheese.”
■ Henri Cartier-Bresson
Shooting a good headshot
Shooting a good headshot Look for open shade or window light. Avoid shadows on the face/direct sun light. If lit from behind, use a dark background. Separate the subject from the background. Use a long lens, shallow depth of field. If you don’t know the intended usage,
don’t crop too tight.
Prepping files for publication
File size, cropping
For print: 10” @ 300 DPI
For web: pixels, not inches; 72 DPI
File size, cropping
You can’t make a small photo, big.
=
Captions
IPTC Data (Photoshop => File => File info)
Who, what, where, when. AP style.
If there’s a group of people, use: “left to right…” “from left…” “John Smith, left…” Choose one and be consistent.
ColorYou can make minimal toning adjustments with levels or curves. I use levels.
RGB = webCMYK = print
(Photoshop => Image => Adjustments => Levels)
Laws, ethics and links
Legal stuff Anyone in a public place can take pictures of
anything they want. If you are on public property, you can take
pictures of private property. People can be photographed if they are in public. Equipment cannot be confiscated without a
court order. No one can make you delete images. More: bit.ly/o3OdI3
Resources Big Picture (boston.com/bigpicture) LENS Blog (lens.blogs.nytimes.com) Photojournalism Links (bit.ly/O2oeDF) A Photo A Day (aphotoaday.org) Ken Rockwell Recommends (bit.ly/O4ilUV) SportsShooter (sportsshooter.com) Photoshelter Blog (blog.photoshelter.com) NPPA (nppa.org)
David Calvert, Visual [email protected](775) 848-3510
calvertphotography.com blog.calvertphotography.com twitter.com/calvertphoto facebook.com/calvertphotography