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A PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

Getting Started in EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Not long ago a young lady who was interning as a writer at our newspaper came to me and asked if I could show her how to take pictures. "My passion is writing," she said, "and I want to learn to take pictures to go along with my stories," she added. This page will give you some of the ideas I shared with her. She had no photographic experience what-so-ever.

This was at the time before digital cameras became the norm in editorial photography.

If there is one formula for journalism it is P-B-S-I That's P for PERSON, you need a person in most journalistic photos, the B is for BACKROUND, you need an uncluttered backround, and S is for SYMBOL, the single object that lets the viewer get an immediate idea of what the images is about and finally I for INVOLVEMENT - the picture needs to show involvement between the Person and the symbol. P-B-S-I: rember this!

We started by shooting and developing a roll of film (or more) every day for two weeks.

In the beginning, subject matter is not important. The idea is to get a feel for your equipment and for the technical response of camera and film. You need to have a camera with adjustable F-stops and shutter-speeds. First shoot the same scene at normal exposure. Then underexpose one F-stop and then two F-stops. Then overexpose one F-stop and then two F-stops. MAKE NOTES so you know what you have done. Fevelop the film and examine your negatives to see what the different exposures looks like. Think of F-stop and shutter-speed as valves that control the amount of light which reaches the film. Light is like water flowing through a pipe. Its volume can be controled with a valve. When the F-stop is big (closer to 2.8) more light comes in but in the final image there will be less depth of field. When the F-stop is small (closer to F-22) less light comes in and in the final image there will be more depth of field. To get a properly exposed negative after you decide on how much depth of field you want you will need to adjust the shutter speed. (It's like controling how fast the water flows through the pipe.) All the camera adjustments follow the inverse square law: ie changes are double or half the value. You have given the film half the amount of light (F-8 to F-11) but you have exposed it for twice as long (1/30 is twice 1/60.) One F-stop change is the same as one change in speed. A negative shot at 1/60 at F8 will have the same exposure as one shot at 1/30 at F-11. Only the depth of field will be different.

Of course, if you are shooting "action" then the shutter speed becomes the priority and the F-stop is used as the balance for proper exposure.

DO LOTS OF TESTS and WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU DO.

Once you have mastered the exposure you can move on to subject matter. Go back and read the section on Feature Photos it's an easy start.

Try different lighting situations. Go up to people on the street and ask them if you can take their picture. You don't really need their permission but photographers need to be public relations experts and this is a good way to practice. The constitution allows that in public places you can shoot whatever you want, as long as the image is not used for commercial gain, such as in an ad. Pictures used for commercial gain need a "model release" signed by each identifyable person in the image.

PHOTO POLICY

Most newspapers have basic policys set for what their photographers will shoot and what they will not shoot. To maintain a strong graphic image for the newspaper and to maintain community trust and respect these rules should not be taken lightly. Set ups are OK for food and fashion. Anything set up in the news pages needs to have a cutline that clearly defines the image as an ILLUSTRATION.

WHAT PICTURES YOU SHOULD NOT DO

We will not set up a news, sports or feature photograph. We will not direct people to stand here or hold this or that. It is important to remember that we are not making the news we are reporting it. We are never part of the event we are observers.

We will not photograph the following events: check passing, tree planting, ground breaking, ribbon cutting, award ceremony, and the like. That is not to say that the cause doesn't deserve reporting. If there is a ribbon cutting for a new wing in the local children's hospital we will not cover it but we WILL find a good feature about one of the kids who will be helped by this new facility or maybe we will make rounds with a doctor who will be working in the new pediatric unit. You have to think about an alternative way of telling the story. Something visual and something real. A way the community can relate to the new wing. A hospital official cutting a ribbon does not tell the story of what the new wing will be for, or how it will serve the community.

Digital scanning of images as used today in most modern newspapers brings in yet another ethical problem. Manipulation of an image which in any way changes its content must not be allowed.

Once you are out in the field there are a few more things to remember: Shoot several different perspectives. Do at least one overall, and some close-ups along with your chosen perspective. Watch out for ruts - shooting style that all runs together. Be creative in the way you look at a picture but don't get too weird. It's usually a good idea to shoot a simple "mug shot" along with most stories. That way if something happens, if a big picture or a picture layout cannot run at least you have the mug which should run small. Find another photographer who takes pictures you like and seek his or her feedback.

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