Editing
UNIT 11 PHOTOJOURNALISM
Structure
11.0 Introduction
11.1 Learning Outcomes
11.2 Photojournalism
11.2.1 History of Photojournalism
11.2.2 Why Study Photojournalism
11.2.3 The Camera as a Tool
11.3 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
11.3.1 Visual Research
11.3.2 Composition and aesthetic value
11.3.3 Visual Grammar: Shots and Angles
11.4 News Photography
11.4.1 News Value and Photography
11.4.2 Spot News, Portrait, Sports
11.4.3 Features and Photo Story
11.5 Post Production and Editing
11.6 Photojournalism and Ethics
11.7 Let Us Sum Up
11.8 Keywords
11.9 Further Readings
11.10 Check Your Progress: Possible Answers
11.0 INTRODUCTION
Photojournalism is the process of telling stories using photos as the medium.
It uses a camera to capture visual representations of a story. Photojournalism
follows a set framework of rules and principles for composition. The stories
told using photos are supposedly true and thus should be communicated in a
fair and unbiased way. In photojournalism, the news photos often evoke
intense emotions among viewers, like shots of disaster survivors or scenes of
a terrorist attack. In print media the content is largely text and only certain
stories are supported by photos. In photojournalism, photographs are used to
tell incidents, events and other important news. It uses the body language and
facial expressions of the subjects i.e. the people involved in the incident to tell
their story. As the term suggests, photojournalism is the fusion of photography
and journalism. It is used extensively in newspapers, news magazines, film
magazines and advertising magazines.
Every newspaper and magazine takes the services of photojournalists to cater
to its audience. News photography is used in print and electronic media to
convey the stories and to reach out to maximum audience.
164
, Photo Journalism
11.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES
After reading the Unit, you will be able to
understand the concept of Photojournalism;
understand the visual grammar used in photojournalism;
know the different types of news photography; and
understand composition and its use in photojournalism.
11.2 PHOTO JOURNALISM
Photojournalism is an effective way of telling stories and disseminating information
to a diverse group of people. Photojournalism gives visual support to the news
story. A good news photo tells a story all on its own and requires little to no
writing to back it up. Social media tools like Instagram, Facebook, Snap chat,
WhatsApp etc have made it really convenient for people to share photos and
videos. These tools are even being used by the news organizations to disseminate
news. Youtube provides space to people and organizations so that they can start
their own channels where viewers can come and see the videos on a variety of
subjects. Photographs paint real pictures of news, events and varied human
emotions.
In big newspapers and magazines, photographers work with a journalist assigned
to a particular news beat. This means that the photographer takes photos related
to the new story and the reporter collects the facts for the story and writes it. The
main objective of photojournalism is to tell a story better than the text or write-
up that usually accompanies the photos. Therefore, it should capture images that
have a specific meaning or relevance to the story being told. For example, a
story about a father reunited with his daughter after being apart for 30 years will
be more effective if it is accompanied by a photo showing them rushing into each
other’s arms.
Photojournalism covers latest national and international news developments which
are of public interest. A good photojournalist will focus on latest news which is
being discussed by the common man for example the current cricket tournament
series or the announcement of elections etc. which will be of more interest to the
reader.
A good photojournalist should be objective and honest. He should present the
images as they are with no manipulation. In fact a photojournalist knows that real
emotions of people are captured when they are relaxed and busy with their daily
chores. These candid and perfect moments are captured by the lens and become
timeless classics. A good photograph should try to answer maximum number of
Ws and H. For example, a photo that shows a family of four begging for food
and money tells a clearer story than a single person begging for food.
Photojournalists follow certain principles to produce photos that catch the attention
of different audiences. Photos taken with the right focus, exposure, angle and
color are understood better by larger audience as compared to photos in which
the subject is not in focus and which lack proper camera angle. Photojournalism
can be done for -
165
, Editing a) General News Stories, which pertains to any event that is planned ahead of
time. Examples are press conferences, product launch ceremonies, exhibitions
and political rallies.
b) Spot or Breaking News, refers to any event or incident that has just
happened. It is a breaking news story where the photojournalist rushes to the
place of the incident and takes shots which convey the essence of the story.
A house or building on fire, car accident, plane crash or a bridge collapse
are some of the examples.
c) Sports Photography is seen as the most difficult type of photojournalism.
The camera lens has to follow the movement of the player, ball or the vehicle
as the case may be. Special attention has to be given to the aperture and
shutter speed settings. Generally experienced photojournalists are given sports
assignments like basketball game, a football championship match or an IPL
match.
e) Portrait Photojournalism: a portrait shows people from the society in their
usual environment, like a race car driver beside his car, a doctor inside the
operating theatre or the defence minister in her office. The portrait captures
the emotional state of the person. Portrait is often given in an exclusive
interview or any special report where that person happens to be a central
figure or an important functionary.
Good photos convey the key points of a story faster than its accompanying text.
The photos should focus on the faces of the people and not on their backs. A
good photo will show the person doing some action or group of people involved
in some activity. Any unusual photograph showing a new phenomenon, emotion
or extraordinary act may qualify as a good photograph. The subject has to be in
focus and the audience should be able to find the key area to focus on in the
frame. For example after a heavy snowfall the focus of one picture can be on the
sufferings of the people living in that area and other picture can be on the extent
of snowfall i.e. the amount of snowfall.
The photographer through right composition and proper visualization has to convey
the right message, one that should be able to tell the audience where to look in
the photo. Any two pictures will have two different angles for a story. This sort
of work needs careful planning and execution. Always take note of the angle of
the shots and position of the camera before taking the pictures. Experienced
photographers often take multiple shots from different perspectives. This process
is quite easy with digital cameras. Digital Single-lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)
manufactured by Nikon, Cannon, Sony, Fuji etc. support memory cards as high
as 128 GB or so. They can also at the same time see the output and take many
shots without worrying about the storage space.
11.2.1 History of Photojournalism
The history of photojournalism can be traced back to the experiments done by
Joseph Nicephore. In 1826 Joseph Nicephore slotted a pewter (a alloy of tin,
copper with antimony) plate into his camera obscura and exposed that plate to
the surroundings. He washed this exposed plate with lavender oil after eight
hours and found that an image had formed on the plate. This image was not very
clear but the scene was more or less visible. Joseph Nicephore claimed it to be
the first photograph, built without a negative. Carol Szathmari a Romanian painter
166 and photographer was among the first who did photojournalism with the help of
UNIT 11 PHOTOJOURNALISM
Structure
11.0 Introduction
11.1 Learning Outcomes
11.2 Photojournalism
11.2.1 History of Photojournalism
11.2.2 Why Study Photojournalism
11.2.3 The Camera as a Tool
11.3 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
11.3.1 Visual Research
11.3.2 Composition and aesthetic value
11.3.3 Visual Grammar: Shots and Angles
11.4 News Photography
11.4.1 News Value and Photography
11.4.2 Spot News, Portrait, Sports
11.4.3 Features and Photo Story
11.5 Post Production and Editing
11.6 Photojournalism and Ethics
11.7 Let Us Sum Up
11.8 Keywords
11.9 Further Readings
11.10 Check Your Progress: Possible Answers
11.0 INTRODUCTION
Photojournalism is the process of telling stories using photos as the medium.
It uses a camera to capture visual representations of a story. Photojournalism
follows a set framework of rules and principles for composition. The stories
told using photos are supposedly true and thus should be communicated in a
fair and unbiased way. In photojournalism, the news photos often evoke
intense emotions among viewers, like shots of disaster survivors or scenes of
a terrorist attack. In print media the content is largely text and only certain
stories are supported by photos. In photojournalism, photographs are used to
tell incidents, events and other important news. It uses the body language and
facial expressions of the subjects i.e. the people involved in the incident to tell
their story. As the term suggests, photojournalism is the fusion of photography
and journalism. It is used extensively in newspapers, news magazines, film
magazines and advertising magazines.
Every newspaper and magazine takes the services of photojournalists to cater
to its audience. News photography is used in print and electronic media to
convey the stories and to reach out to maximum audience.
164
, Photo Journalism
11.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES
After reading the Unit, you will be able to
understand the concept of Photojournalism;
understand the visual grammar used in photojournalism;
know the different types of news photography; and
understand composition and its use in photojournalism.
11.2 PHOTO JOURNALISM
Photojournalism is an effective way of telling stories and disseminating information
to a diverse group of people. Photojournalism gives visual support to the news
story. A good news photo tells a story all on its own and requires little to no
writing to back it up. Social media tools like Instagram, Facebook, Snap chat,
WhatsApp etc have made it really convenient for people to share photos and
videos. These tools are even being used by the news organizations to disseminate
news. Youtube provides space to people and organizations so that they can start
their own channels where viewers can come and see the videos on a variety of
subjects. Photographs paint real pictures of news, events and varied human
emotions.
In big newspapers and magazines, photographers work with a journalist assigned
to a particular news beat. This means that the photographer takes photos related
to the new story and the reporter collects the facts for the story and writes it. The
main objective of photojournalism is to tell a story better than the text or write-
up that usually accompanies the photos. Therefore, it should capture images that
have a specific meaning or relevance to the story being told. For example, a
story about a father reunited with his daughter after being apart for 30 years will
be more effective if it is accompanied by a photo showing them rushing into each
other’s arms.
Photojournalism covers latest national and international news developments which
are of public interest. A good photojournalist will focus on latest news which is
being discussed by the common man for example the current cricket tournament
series or the announcement of elections etc. which will be of more interest to the
reader.
A good photojournalist should be objective and honest. He should present the
images as they are with no manipulation. In fact a photojournalist knows that real
emotions of people are captured when they are relaxed and busy with their daily
chores. These candid and perfect moments are captured by the lens and become
timeless classics. A good photograph should try to answer maximum number of
Ws and H. For example, a photo that shows a family of four begging for food
and money tells a clearer story than a single person begging for food.
Photojournalists follow certain principles to produce photos that catch the attention
of different audiences. Photos taken with the right focus, exposure, angle and
color are understood better by larger audience as compared to photos in which
the subject is not in focus and which lack proper camera angle. Photojournalism
can be done for -
165
, Editing a) General News Stories, which pertains to any event that is planned ahead of
time. Examples are press conferences, product launch ceremonies, exhibitions
and political rallies.
b) Spot or Breaking News, refers to any event or incident that has just
happened. It is a breaking news story where the photojournalist rushes to the
place of the incident and takes shots which convey the essence of the story.
A house or building on fire, car accident, plane crash or a bridge collapse
are some of the examples.
c) Sports Photography is seen as the most difficult type of photojournalism.
The camera lens has to follow the movement of the player, ball or the vehicle
as the case may be. Special attention has to be given to the aperture and
shutter speed settings. Generally experienced photojournalists are given sports
assignments like basketball game, a football championship match or an IPL
match.
e) Portrait Photojournalism: a portrait shows people from the society in their
usual environment, like a race car driver beside his car, a doctor inside the
operating theatre or the defence minister in her office. The portrait captures
the emotional state of the person. Portrait is often given in an exclusive
interview or any special report where that person happens to be a central
figure or an important functionary.
Good photos convey the key points of a story faster than its accompanying text.
The photos should focus on the faces of the people and not on their backs. A
good photo will show the person doing some action or group of people involved
in some activity. Any unusual photograph showing a new phenomenon, emotion
or extraordinary act may qualify as a good photograph. The subject has to be in
focus and the audience should be able to find the key area to focus on in the
frame. For example after a heavy snowfall the focus of one picture can be on the
sufferings of the people living in that area and other picture can be on the extent
of snowfall i.e. the amount of snowfall.
The photographer through right composition and proper visualization has to convey
the right message, one that should be able to tell the audience where to look in
the photo. Any two pictures will have two different angles for a story. This sort
of work needs careful planning and execution. Always take note of the angle of
the shots and position of the camera before taking the pictures. Experienced
photographers often take multiple shots from different perspectives. This process
is quite easy with digital cameras. Digital Single-lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)
manufactured by Nikon, Cannon, Sony, Fuji etc. support memory cards as high
as 128 GB or so. They can also at the same time see the output and take many
shots without worrying about the storage space.
11.2.1 History of Photojournalism
The history of photojournalism can be traced back to the experiments done by
Joseph Nicephore. In 1826 Joseph Nicephore slotted a pewter (a alloy of tin,
copper with antimony) plate into his camera obscura and exposed that plate to
the surroundings. He washed this exposed plate with lavender oil after eight
hours and found that an image had formed on the plate. This image was not very
clear but the scene was more or less visible. Joseph Nicephore claimed it to be
the first photograph, built without a negative. Carol Szathmari a Romanian painter
166 and photographer was among the first who did photojournalism with the help of
