photojournalism. goal of photojournalism selecting story telling photographs that can convey the...
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Photojournalism
Goal of Photojournalism
• Selecting story telling photographs that can convey the fullest, most accurate sense of the situation photographed
Goal of Photojournalism
• Engage the heart and mind of a viewer with a compelling version of truth that results from bearing witness or a situation or event.
Age of the Visual Journalist
• Visually intense society raised on millions of pictures.
• Average of 5000 images a day in a variety of forms.
• Role of the photographer and writer are changing.
The Visual Journalist
• Combined role of writer, photographer, researcher, and graphics designer.
• Requires a new mindset and vision
• The “meaning business”
• Marriage of words, images, and designs to convey information
Ethical considerations
Five Ethical Concerns
• Victims of Violence
• Right to privacy
• Picture manipulations
• Stereotyping
• Mixing of advertising, public relations and journalism
Victims of Violence
• “If it bleeds it leads”• Human tragedies and
are often the fields of harvest for Pulitzer Prize winning journalists
• Are the images really needed for the story?
Right to Privacy
• US courts have continually maintained that privacy right differ between public and private persons.
• Is the reason to rob privacy a truthful, comprehensive and intelligent account?
Picture Manipulation
• Picture an subject manipulation are as old as photography.
• Digital imaging make it easier to accomplish and harder to detect.
• At stake is the reputation of the news service.
Stereotyping
• Long list.. .African Americans are criminals. Latino are gang members. Native Americans alcoholics...
• Results of images we have seen out of context.
Advertising, Public Relations and Journalism Blurring
• “Advertorials and info mercials”
• Advertising, public relations and journalism have been fused into advertorial.
Documentary Styles
Documentary Styles
• Spot and General News
• Human Interest and pictorial features
• Sports action and Features
• Picture stories
Spot News
General News
Human Interest
Pictorial
Sports Action
Sports Action
• “Celebration of victory and agony of defeat”
Sports Feature
Picture stories
Telling a visual story
Narrative thread
• Difference in visual story telling vs photo illustrated texts is the narrative thread or sequence that tells a story.
• Today to most readers, images are more powerful and capture more attention, than text.
Active vs.. Passive photographs
• Active• Show real people
engaged in real events in real time
• Example: James Natchway’s images of starving mothers and children in the Sudan.
• Passive• Show people in in
situations in which their essential purpose is to have their picture taken for the newspaper.
• Example: Rick Sammon’s travel images
Context of the Photograph
• Photographers and photo editors must strive to give an accurate image of an event or person rather than something taken out of context that makes a good image.
Time and Speed
• Printed news services and especially the web require almost instantaneous news from around the world.
• Photo editing decisions must now be done in minutes and seconds instead of hours and days
Photo editing
• Current decision making constraints require a strong background in news, ethical judgement and philosophical base.
Photo Captions
• Photos engage the eye, captions should engage the mind
• A way to go beyond what the viewer can already see
• It all starts with the photographer who was there and captures the moment
Tips for good captions
• Point out subtleties not apparent to the viewer
• Point out ambiguities and prevent viewer misunderstanding
• Use quotes that add depth to the storytelling image
• Explain technical information
• Relate to the four non visual senses