Chap 6 Sum

Summary

Photography has been long in the making; since the early days it has served an important role in society. The brain responds to images with intensity depending on the situation. Point in case, this is why pornography is so popular among men as the brain translates it into chemicals in the body. Pictures convey messages as the old saying, "One picture is worth a thousand words."

Photo Journalism has had a long evolution over the years. From big, heavy and delicate equipment of the 1900's, to the point and shoot cell phone cameras we have today, we have come along ways. What use to be weeks of expensive work is now mere seconds from getting millions of views worldwide. Many of the techniques have also evolved in relation to the picture and written text.

Basic concepts of photojournalism aren't as simple as snapping a picture of interest and publishing it. Many different characteristics must be taken into consideration. What kind of photo is it, Drama, action or unusual? These different categories demand specific shots depending on what you want to capture. Long range shot may be useful for a drama, but a close up would do for a John kicking his first soccer goal. The rule of thirds is a good starter for anyone seeking to pursue a professional path in photojournalism. It involves drawing a tic-tac-toe grid over your viewing area and centering your photo in one of the boxes. This sets for a more interesting picture than centered. Ethics is also important as you peruse accuracy, clarity and simplicity in the overall message of your photo. Are the individual false posing or is this representing the "natural" nature of the story?

Posting captions and charts to cosponsored the story/pictures is also important. A caption sets the attitude of the shot. Charts can inform the reader of the facts behind the story. If you are at a graduation and you take a shot of the graduating class, a graph representing the number of seniors would give the reader an idea how many are actually present. Always make sure you are getting names correct and sighting your sources.