Newspaper Photography

Journalism made a drastic change in 1936 with the publication Of “Life Magazine”. It was in “Life” that photos were used to tell a story instead of words. It was the birth of photojournalism.

Taking a Good Picture Taking a good picture comes with lots of practice, studying photography books, taking courses etc., but there are still a few tips that will help guarantee better pictures from the start. pictures from the start.

Basic Steps Determine how the picture will be used. Determine how the picture will be used. Choosing appropriate topics/subjects. Choosing appropriate topics/subjects. Prepare for the assignment. Prepare for the assignment. Pose your subject. Pose your subject. Compose your picture. Compose your picture. Put final touches on the photographs before publishing. Put final touches on the photographs before publishing.

Determine How the Picture Will Be Used. 1. As an illustration for a news or feature story (most popular). 2. As a story complete in itself. 3. As an element in a story made up of a group of photos, otherwise known as a photo story.

A Photo Story Conveys the message in pictures rather than words

Photo Assignments These are usually decided by the editor, Mrs. K and/or reporter. It tells the photographer what the picture should include, what layout is needed, and what the purpose behind the photo is to be.

Choosing Your Topic People+Action=News People+Action=News –People need too be doing something! –2-5 people is ideal. Anymore, they are hard to identify. –Large number of people are only used if it is NOT important to identify the subjects or you want to show size, magnitude etc. –Some may not include people, but it is rare. –Let your picture tell a story. Pose the students. Action photos should be faked/posed because they are hard to get with a digital camera. –Group photos are often taken for awards, recognition, etc…

Taking a Picture Prepare for the Assignment. Prepare for the Assignment. Pose your subject. Pose your subject. Compose your picture. Compose your picture.

Prepare for the Assignment Know the purpose of the photos. Know the purpose of the photos. Get background info on subjects/story. Get background info on subjects/story. Arrange a time. Make an appointment. This is very important when dealing with teachers. Arrange a time. Make an appointment. This is very important when dealing with teachers.

Pose Your Subject Ask yourself, “What is the stories key thought?” “What is the purpose of the photo?” Ask yourself, “What is the stories key thought?” “What is the purpose of the photo?” Pose your subject instead of trying to capture. It is much easier! Pose your subject instead of trying to capture. It is much easier! Move in close! Place your subjects close together. Your goal is to have identifiable Move in close! Place your subjects close together. Your goal is to have identifiablesubjects. Use a plain, neutral, or appropriate background. Brick walls distract as well as lines going through heads.

Compose Your Picture Consider your center of interest. You will want it near, but not in the exact center. Consider your center of interest. You will want it near, but not in the exact center. Use the rule of thirds. Use the rule of thirds. Do not have more than one center of interest. Do not have more than one center of interest. Use lines to lead your eyes to the subject. Use lines to lead your eyes to the subject. Create a visual frame for your subject Create a visual frame for your subject

Rule of Thirds Your center of interest should be on one of the circles.

Take More than One Photo Take pictures from different angles. Take pictures from different angles. Take at least four and choose the best. Take at least four and choose the best. Be assertive and tell your subjects what you want them to do! Be assertive and tell your subjects what you want them to do!

Notes Take notes and carefully check spelling of names and titles.

Producing the Final Print Before the final photo (known as a cut) is published: Crop the photo to emphasis the center of interest. This is the trimming process. Crop the photo to emphasis the center of interest. This is the trimming process. Adjust brightness and contrast. Adjust brightness and contrast. Change to 8-bit gray scale and add more brightness if it is to be printed in B/W (School newspaper) otherwise keep the picture in color. Change to 8-bit gray scale and add more brightness if it is to be printed in B/W (School newspaper) otherwise keep the picture in color. Adjust hue and saturation if needed in a color photo Adjust hue and saturation if needed in a color photo “Save As” in the photo folder on the desktop as a jpg. Keep filename short, all lower case and no spaces. For example science3.jpg or som11.jpg. “Save As” in the photo folder on the desktop as a jpg. Keep filename short, all lower case and no spaces. For example science3.jpg or som11.jpg.