Importance for a Photojournalist to have a
Broad Understanding of the Functional aspect of Photography in a Newspaper Production
By Andrew Bishop Mkandawire (AB Deevado)-MC Yr 4
4th May, 2012 Share World Open University-BT
Campus
It is indeed necessary for a
photojournalist to have broad understanding of the functional aspects of
photography in a newspaper production. It can be argued that the major reasons
for a photojournalist to hold this position is To know how to take a good
picture and/or to have power of choosing right picture, To have ability to edit,
To know how to tell a story using photographs, To know where and when to use a
picture, To know functions of photographs, To know ethical and legal boundaries
and implications, and To know and maintain qualities of a good photographer for
achievement of professionalism.
To have power of choosing right pictures and/or to know how to take a
good picture is to have ability to take a picture that will communicate,
that will provide credibility, that will provide visual appeal, and that will
provide vitality to a news story.
A good picture has to
communicate. ‘A photograph can communicate general information very
quickly…Photo may communicate emotions as well as facts. It informs and
expresses’, (Levin 2001, p. 175).
This information communicated
reflects what happened though it may depict the specific side of the whole
event or pat of it. This helps to give picture of what the event was like.
A good picture has to provide
credibility. Credibility is believability. A picture has to position an event
to be more real or true. This helps people to trust the news as they relate the
facts told and the illustration of the picture.
A good picture has also to
provide visual appeal or entertainment. Pictures work like visual magnets. They
draw readers into the story. This provides the ability to let the readers read
the entire story. In some aspects the same visual appeal can entertain readers.
This helps to arouse interest in reading the whole story. This also works to
make the story memorable. A good picture helps readers to memorize story facts.
This is therefore necessary as it can help the newspaper to sell only with the
appeal the pictures are giving to the readers.
Finally, a good picture has to
provide life to a story. For example, mugshot which is a photo that shows only
the head and the shoulders of the person provides life to a story. Readers tend
to believe the subject attached to the story if real. This is in feature in
literally works where fictions stories accompanied by pictures seem to be real.
Even some feature stories that express author’s opinion when accompanied by a
picture they look like the pinion expressed is real. To news stories this
simply adds life to existing facts.
The tendency of having ability of
choosing right picture, and/or, to know how to take a good picture for
publication, extends to enabling the ability to tell a story using photographs.
To have ability to edit does not mean to alter the originality of a
photograph. There are many editing tools and techniques of photo editing. Cropping
which is the process of selecting the best part of the photo to print; and
Sizing which is the art of enlarging or reducing a photo to make it fit into a
certain space on the page are common editing techniques of a photo.
To know where and when to use a picture in a newspaper demands
knowledge and practical functionality of understanding aspects of photography.
For example, not all news stories and feature stories need picture
accompaniment. In hard news stories, only stories that have great impact or
those that involve prominent people in society can appeal more to the people by
providing them with pictures.
To know functions of
photographs is another aspect that can reflect photographer’s knowledge of
aspects of photography. A picture plays a number of functions. Some of the
functions include to capture attention,
to provide information- pictures that stand alone to give readers a situation
at a glance- pictures tell a million stories, to provide entertainment—these
are pictures that humorous or lighthearted, to establish links with readers (i)
give readers a sense of being there (ii) pictures share readers feelings and
reactions (iii) pictures invoke memories of past and expectations and
experiences, to acting as a layout device- pictures help in layout and designs,
and to pictures establish an identity.
To know ethical and legal boundaries and implications is to be accurate,
fair and balanced when taking and using pictures in newspaper publication. Photojournalists
who also edit pictures need not to alter the authenticity of the picture, but a
picture can be edited to improve its appeal using computer picture editing
software like Adobe Photoshop for example. This can avoid ethical and legal
implications.
Being accurate, fair and
balanced is also taking photographs with consent. Taking of photographs for
specific use like commercial purpose or news indeed needs consent. This is
ethical as well as legal. And efforts not to alter the image are a position of
accuracy. These issues are crucial if breached are civil or criminally punishable
by courts. For example, taking a picture and publishing it without the consent
of the subject can invade privacy right. Privacy right takes many forms
including trespass, defamation, trademarks, and confidence. Trespass can be
argued differently but Crone (2002) describes that trespass to land or property
may be claimed in a variety of situations. Any person entering on to another’s
land to observe him or to plant a listening device will be guilty of trespass.
For example, ‘…courts have
consistently recognized that photographs can be intrusive and have shown a high
degree of willingness to prevent the publication of photographs, taken without
the consent of the person photographed but which the photographer or someone
else sought to exploit and publish. This protection extended to photographs, taken
without their consent, of people who exploited the commercial value of their
own image in similar photographs, and to photographs taken with the consent of
people but who had not contented to that particular form of commercial
exploitation, as well as photographs taken in public or from a public place of
what could not be seen with the naked eye, then at least with the add of
powerful binoculars…’, (Carey et al
2007, p. 132).
To know and maintain qualities of a good photographer for
professionalism can be achieved if the photojournalist knows functional
aspects of photography. Some of the
qualities that the photojournalist needs to have are:
Need to have expertise; this
represents the ability to use the necessary photography equipment like still
and digital camera, dark room and printers. This expertise helps to achieve
photojournalism professionalism.
For example a digital camera
will demand the photographer to have knowledge of the MODE and MENU. The Mode
has Auto which automatically selects
settings, Manual which allows to
select settings yourself , Special Scene
(SCN) which allows to take pictures in rare occasions like during the night,
indoor, snow and fire works and the Movie
which has standard and compact options (www.photography.about.com). When
these issues are known and learnt, when using a digital camera the photographer
surely will come up with good pictures.
Need to have ability to
research; photo-journalists who are assigned to take pictures from an event
need to visit the place before the event commences. This helps to identify
better positions that will accommodate them to get desired pictures. It is
awkward to get a shaded picture or that has no focus in terms of content
because the crowd was shrouding the focus of the camera to get a subject
intended photographed.
The research done to analyze
viability of the place for journalists before the actual event occur in professional
journalism is called Reconnaissance although it is common to broadcast
journalism sector. ‘It is a detailed inspection of the outdoor location where
the video (photos or images) will be shot. Inspection of the actual location
will determine the shooting script. It will also provide answers to some of the
following questions: is the location accessible for the camera? Is the natural
light from the right direction? Can the camera be placed close enough to the
subject?’ (Fourie 2005, p. 394).
Need to have interpersonal
skills; these skills help in a number of ways. For example, photographers need
good relations with the police, fire fighter brigade, security companies just
to mention a few. These people rush to places where new events have occurred.
Photographers in journalism need to take on the scene or fresh pictures of how
exactly the event or the scene looked like before possible efforts were put to
control the negative effect flow. For example, before the fire brigade begins
to extinguish the fire the photojournalists need to take informative pictures
until subsequently efforts of controlling and finally extinguishing the fire
can get to pass. Such collection of sequential pictures with cut lines for
example, can tell an essay picture story or without captions can tell a
sequential picture story. However in many occasions in journalistic writing
pictures accompany news stories.
Therefore interpersonal skills
can put the photographers to an advantage of getting necessary pictures
including fresh ones because there will be good relations with picture sources.
Need to meet deadlines; this
could be seen as the most crucial part in the profession of photojournalism
particularly when taking pictures that chase timeliness of event being covered. Photographers need to supply photos assigned
to photo-editors on time to match with copyeditor and publisher’s time to publish
the newspaper publication.
Need to come up with captions;
nice captions help to make the picture tell a good story. It is not easy to
come up with good caption but it only demands practice and experience. When
photographers are able to provide captions to their pictures they help to
lessen the job for photo editors.
Cutline styles vary greatly in
newspapers. ‘Most cut lines are placed underneath pictures’, (Harris et al 2002, p. 197)-Able to tell a story
with pictures
Need to have ability to learn;
photojournalism is interesting because it has history and advances in the
profession. It was firstly improved by still camera like 35mm Single Lens
Reflex and 35mm Compact. Then later by a digital camera of which the modern one
has the movie mode function. Even the picture editing has shifted more from
analogue to digital. Instead of darkroom media houses are using computer
software to edit pictures like Adobe Photoshop, Picture Magic Editor, and Canon
Picture window. All these need someone’s docility to know and practice them.
Photojournalists need to be innovators who are flexible to move with pressures
of technology. But this does not mean dumping old systems of picture
management.
It is therefore no stranger to
learn that it is important for a photojournalist to have broad understanding of
the photography in newspaper production. This even helps to sell newspapers
just because of visual appeal apart from using pictures to tell a story.
REFERENCES
Carey, P et al 2007,
Media Law, 4th edition,
London, Thomson
Crone, T 2002, Media
Law, Oxford, Focal Press
Fourie, PJ 2005, Media
Studies: Content, Audiences and Production, 2nd Volume,
Lansdowne, Juta Education
Harris, J et al 2002,
Complete Reporter, Boston, Thomson
Levin, M 2000, Journalism,
Chicago, National Textbook Company
Masoner,
L 2012, Major Types of Cameras - SLR and Point and
Shoot Cameras: An
Introduction to the Two Main Types of Cameras Available Today, Viewed 4th April, 2012, http://photography.about.com/od/cameratypes/a/PointAndShoot.htm
‘Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia’ 2012, The history of photojournalism, Viewed 4th
April, 2012,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_photojornalism
