Multimedia Journalism Multimedia Journalism Digital Photography Elements of a Good Photo Sec. C1 – Feb 17, 2009

Topics we’ll cover today Today’s assignment What is a picture story? Some elements of good composition In-class assignment Useful links and information Assignment for next time

Today’s assignment Tell the class about your picture story ideas. – You will shoot, upload to flickr, and post to your blog your approved idea for next week.

What is a picture story? It’s a collection of images that together tell you something. – A “slide show” can show you anything, but a true picture story will allow viewers to see your stories and pick up on some sort of theme or narrative. Picture stories can be a collection of non-linear images that bring you into a situation: – “Wildfires Rage in Australia”Wildfires Rage in Australia – “Autumn Comes to Cambridge”Autumn Comes to Cambridge They can be linear, as if to tell you a step-by-step story: – “Visit to the Vet”Visit to the Vet

Elements of Good Composition Lighting: Obviously, you need to make sure there’s enough light to properly depict your subject. – People can tell the difference between dim lighting for artistic effect and dim lighting by accident. – If photographing at night, get as close as possible to your subject. Ever try taking pictures at concerts or other stage performances? Consider your past results. Nighttime photos in general can be grainy and dull—proximity and a good flash will help. – Make sure your lighting is in the right spot. You’ll be able to tell pretty quickly that a backlit subject will come up silhouetted in your photograph. An overly lit subject might look washed out.

Elements of Good Composition Lighting: Yes, you could get Image 3 by compositing 1 and 2, but remember: Fixing in “post” is a lot harder than getting things right the first time.

Elements of Good Composition Make sure your frames aren’t cluttered and your backgrounds are free from distraction. – What’s wrong with these images? Note the difference between this and a crowd photocrowd photo

Elements of Good Composition Keep the camera straight (if that’s the intention) – Sometimes holding your camera at an angle can create a great artistic effect, making your shots feel more playful or candid. Other times, it can be distracting. – Avoid slight angles—they’ll make you dizzy.

Elements of Good Composition Framing: a technique used to bring the focus to the subject – Just as a picture frame brings your focus to a photograph, framing within an image highlights your main point of interest – Consider how other elements in your image frame your subject

Elements of Good Composition Rule of thirds: – Which of these is more interesting or appealing?

Elements of Good Composition Rule of thirds: – An image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines – If you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines, your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Note that Center is not always Better.Better

Elements of Good Composition Perspective/viewpoint – The perspective from which a shot is taken can have a big impact upon the image. Shooting from up-high or down-low not only affects the “look” of an image, but the “story” that image is telling us.

In-class assignment Tell me a story in three to five photos – It can be very simple or very complicated, e.g. Someone crossing the street or getting on the T. Two people talking: What are their faces/posture telling us? – Things to keep in mind: Composition and framing: Does your project meet the criteria of good photography discussed in class? Narrative flow: If a stranger were to see your photos, would he or she understand what you’re trying to say?

Useful Links Photo contests – Boston.com’s RAW photo contest Boston.com’s RAW photo contest – Channel 5’s PhotoVote Channel 5’s PhotoVote Tutorials and tips – Digital Photography School: Tips and Tutorials Digital Photography School: Tips and Tutorials – Microsoft: Taking Better Photos Microsoft: Taking Better Photos – Photonhead’s Photography Tricks Photonhead’s Photography Tricks – Photographic Composition Photographic Composition Other – Try to get your photos onto CNN, Fox News and the like using their community journalism tools. CNN’s iReport* MSNBC’s First Person CNN’s iReportMSNBC’s First Person Fox’s U-Report * CBS’s EyeMobile Fox’s U-ReportCBS’s EyeMobile

Portable Storage You must get a portable hard drive for use in this class. (If you already own one for personal use or for another class, you may use that.) – What I recommend: FireWire connectivity Usability with Mac computers At least 100 gigs (for short video projects) – Amazon is a good place to find one. I personally use the LaCie D2 Quandra. Amazon

Assignment for next week Shoot your approved picture story in photographs. – Go to Flickr.com and sign up for a new account if you don’t have one. – Upload your images (be sure to put them in a “set”—this will make things easier when you work on later projects). – View as slide show; post to your blog. – Grading criteria Narrative flow: If a stranger were to see your photos, would he or she understand what you’re trying to say? Slide show must be embedded onto a new blog entry –title the entry and add a one-graf description of the story you’re trying to tell. Composition and framing: Does your project meet the criteria of good photography discussed in class? – Your pictures don’t have to be professional-quality, but they should reflect what we’ve discussed in class (e.g., avoid plants sticking out of people’s heads and crooked horizons).