Skip to main content

Photojournalism: News Photography

 Photographs of happenings that have news values, and reported immediately. Photography of unexpected occurrences / spot news, or breaking news.  Most news photographs also have documentary value.  Thus serious news photographers are also documentary photographers.

Study the PDF below (for academic use only)

News Photography PDF

Why do we need news photography?

The story becomes tangible with a picture: A picture can let the reader see what a person, or a place, or a building, or an event looks like. The picture shows the news.

The page becomes attractive and inviting to read: Newspapers without pictures do not make the news easy to read. A page without a picture is just a slab of grey text. It looks boring and many people will not bother to read what is written on it.

Provides evidence for the event reported: Since the readers can see it with their own eyes, the photograph takes them to the place of action, and familiarizes them with people and happenings.

Two types of News Photos

The happening: It is the image of the real happening and people. For example the images of an an earthquake, a murder, or a demonstration that happened. It could be images of particular people who are involved with it.

The epitome: This image shows on a small scale a larger reality. For example, one impoverished mother, with no milk to feed her child, watching her baby starve to death communicates the state of poverty in the country. Epitomes are important to news pictures because it is impossible to cover 10,000 people starving.

News Photography is characterised by news values: Timeliness, Prominence, Impact / Consequence, Conflict / Negativity, Proximity, Currency / Relevance, Human interest, and Oddity / Bizarre.

How to go about taking news photography?

  • We never know when a spot news will happen; so be prepared at all times.
  • Be familiar with your camera controls.
  • Having one camera body with a wide-angle lens, and another with a telephoto, gives you options while you work on an event. Some even choose to have two cameras.
  • What matters most are people, take pictures of people with identification.
  • Basic shots: long shot, medium shot, and close up. Remember you cant go back to take more shots.
  • First shoot the usual angles. Shoot from all possible angles. Beyond that look for different and unusual images. Make your photographs stand out.
  • Try to capture the peak and decisive moment. Wait for the right moment.
  • Often you’ll find the best photos either before, or after, an event. Don’t leave right after it’s over. For example, A political candidate may be talking to a family after a news conference. Or a trophy winner may be celebrating with friends.

News Photography, Photojournalism
News Photography

How to caption a news photograph?

  • A caption of the photograph explains what is in the frame and places it in the context.
  • The information must be accurate.
  • The caption can give new information. Don’t just repeat the news headline.
  • Always identify the main people in the photograph. Avoid confusion by stating ‘left to right’. 
  • Whenever possible, use present tense. That creates a sense of immediacy and impact.
  • Conversational language is the best. Write a caption as though you are talking to a friend.
  • The tone of the caption should match the tone of the image. If an image is serious do not try to be humorous.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Visual Analysis: SEMIOTICS

 Visual analysis is a systematic and scientific approach to examining visual materials that goes far beyond casual observation.  In our visually saturated world, images have become a inescapable universal language that shapes our perceptions, attitudes, and experiences. From the artworks adorning gallery walls to the advertisements lining city streets, visuals communicate narratives, evoke emotions, and reflect sociocultural ideologies. However, the process of seeing and interpreting visuals is not as spontaneous or natural as we often assume. As John Berger notably stated, "seeing is an active decision," suggesting that the process of interpreting visuals is neither spontaneous nor natural, but rather requires conscious effort and critical thinking. The way we perceive and interpret visual content is heavily influenced by habits, conventions, and our individual perspectives.  Serious visual analyses requires conscious effort and critical analysis to unravel the laye...
1 comment
Read more

A Critical Visual Analysis of Jan Banning's ‘Bureaucratics’

 Jan Banning's photographic series Bureaucratics offers a remarkable anthropological study of civil servants across eight countries, revealing how power, hierarchy, and cultural identity manifest in governmental spaces. Through meticulously composed photographs taken from a citizen's perspective, Banning unveils the theatre of bureaucracy the most immediate visual impact comes from Banning's consistent methodology: each photograph is taken from the same height and distance, positioning the viewer in the role of a citizen approaching the bureaucrat's desk. The bureaucrats are photographed in their natural habitat – their offices – which become stages where power dynamics and cultural values are performed daily. Make visual analysis of  Bureaucratics  by Jan Banning given below. Bureaucratics by Jan Banning PDF  (for academic use only) In examining the spatial arrangements, a clear pattern emerges: the desk serves as both barrier and symbol of authority. In many image...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sigmund Freud on Creative Writing and Day-Dreaming

 Freud in his essay, Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming, explores the psychological origins of artistic creativity and the impact of literature on readers. He draws parallels between the imaginative activity of creative writers and the day-dreaming of ordinary people. It is a discussion about the relationship between creative art and unconscious phantasy. In it, Freud talks about the role of daydreaming and fantasy in human behaviour, and how creative writers are able to express their daydreams without shame or self-reproach. Read the essay below (for academic use only) Creative Writers and Day Dreaming PDF Freud argues that the child's play and the adult's phantasies/daydreams share a common element—the desire to alter an unsatisfactory reality and fulfil unfulfilled wishes. The creative writer is like a successful daydreamer who is able to transform their private fantasies into works that provide pleasure to the audience. Freud suggests that the writer's choice of subject...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sound Recording for Films: A Crucial Element of Cinematic Storytelling

 Sound recording is a fundamental aspect of filmmaking that significantly contributes to the overall cinematic experience. It is the process of capturing and recording audio elements that complement the on-screen visuals. These audio elements form the foundation for creating an immersive auditory experience that enhances the film's storytelling and emotional impact. Study the PDF below (for academic use only) Sound Recording for Films PDF The components of a film's soundscape are diverse and multifaceted. They include dialogues , which are the actors' spoken lines recorded on set or dubbed later; Foley sounds, which represent the actors' interactions with their surroundings and add authenticity to scenes; ambient sound, which creates a subtle background soundscape to transport the audience to the film's environment; music or score, which evokes emotion and enhances the narrative; and sound effects , which augment the film's realism and atmosphere. To capture ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Evolution of Art Styles Through History

 The journey of human artistic expression spans millennia, evolving from primitive cave paintings to today's digital creations and conceptual installations. This evolution reflects not just changing techniques and materials, but also the transforming human consciousness, societal values, and technological capabilities across different eras. Study the PDF below (for academic use only) Evolution of Art PDF Prehistoric Era (Before 8th Century BCE): The dawn of human artistic expression began in prehistoric times, characterised by raw, primal representations of daily life, hunting scenes, and spiritual beliefs. Cave paintings and rock art served as humanity's first canvas, using natural pigments to capture the essence of their existence. These early artists laid the foundation for all future artistic expression, demonstrating humanity's inherent need to create and communicate through visual means. Classical Period (8th Century BCE - 5th Century CE) : The Classical period, domi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Photojournalists Covering Traumatic Events

 The article, The difficulty of documenting a tragedy, discusses the challenges photojournalists face when covering tragedies and disasters. The author, Thulasi Kakkat, notes that most journalists have no training in saving lives or rescuing people during emergencies. Yet they are compelled to rush to the scene of accidents and calamities to document the events unfolding. At the site of a disaster, a photojournalist is expected to remain objective and convey the reality of the situation through images, even though they may be confronted with disturbing and emotional scenes. The article cites the example of a photojournalist who covered a building collapse in Kerala, India, where several construction workers were trapped and injured. The journalist wanted to get an image of the workers caught under the debris, but felt conflicted about his responsibility to simply document versus intervene to help. Kevin Carter lived this conflict. His photograph of a dying child, The Vulture and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Left, Right, Centre, and Gandhiji

 Every politician, when he leaves office, ought to go straight to jail and serve his time, thus goes an American folk saying. Politics and politicians have come to be synonymous with dishonesty, favouritism, and corruption. This perhaps is the underlying reasoning for many good and competent people to stay away from active politics; and many corrupt and incompetent people to get attracted to active politics. The good people’s silence and inaction make it easy for the wicked people to fill the world with their opinions, lies, and propaganda; and establish their agendas and actions as normal and standard. For Gandhi, being political was not a choice, but an imperative. He famously said, “Anyone who says they are not interested in politics is like a drowning man who insists he is not interested in water.” Gandhi returned to India on 19 December 1914, after his sojourn in England and South Africa, as quite a matured man of forty-five, having seen the worlds of exploiters and the exploi...
Post a Comment
Read more