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.
