SUMMER CAMPUS JOURNALISM WORKSHOP APRIL 2,3, 10-13, 2012

PHOTOJOURNALISM
What comes to your mind when you hear the word photojournalism?

Two Words 1. Photo - picture 2. Journalism - story

Photojournalism is literally defined as a picture story or a story picture.

Photojournalistic Question: What does the picture tell?

It gives information about people and events as in news story;

It entertains as in feature story;

It gives an opinion about issues as in editorial; It presents dynamic action as in sports story.

 Avoid

firing squad photos. Use action photos. Crop a picture intelligently:

Dramatize essentials and eliminate nonessentials. Look for the very focal point of interest. Have only one point of interest. In portraits, emphasize details such as eyes. Leave some space on the side towards the subject is facing. (rule of thirds)

 In

a group photo, each face should not be smaller than a 25-centavo piece. People in pictures should be looking in towards the center of paper. Sacrifice the body to play up the face. Dont place the cuts on the fold. Use proper captioning.

 Use

bigger, bold types than the usual body type. Write simple captions, except for a caption story. Have the picture in front of you when you caption it. Describe what is happening without being obvious. Avoid opinions. Say when or where the picture is made. Avoid expressions such as is pictured. Use the present the tense to describe action. If all persons are identified, check the number of people against the number in the caption. Check agreement of verb tenses with adverbs of time.

[1] Timeliness the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events. [2] Objectivity the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone.
[3] Narrative the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.

LINES are the most basic component of a photographic image, and can be classified into two ways - physical lines, and imaginary lines of force and direction.

Lines have profound psychological effects on the viewers

HORIZONTAL

LINES -evoke feelings of serenity, stability, while VERTICAL LINES- have a sense of energy, grandeur. DIAGONAL LINES- express movement and dynamism.

Lines when joined together create twodimensional shapes like circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, polygons, etc.

Shapes attract our attention first and foremost whenever we look at photographs. Everyday objects are rich sources of shapes; some shapes will be obvious like the painted circle in the middle of the gymnasium below, and the water hose.

In the early days of photography, tribesmen from jungles and mountains believed that cameras had the power to steal their soul and imprison them in a piece of paper. But photographs really are just reproductions of what is actually there in reality. The problem oftentimes however is that a lot of pictures do not have depth, which makes them look unreal. Here we need the element of form. While shapes are two-dimensional, form provides a third dimension depth.

The word photography actually comes from two words photon meaning light and graphein meaning to write. As someone once said, without light, photography is not possible. And so it is with form and depth. When light strikes an object, it creates highlights and shadows. If I remember correctly my Humanities I subject in UP Diliman way back in 1973, the interplay of light and shadow is called chiaroscuro. The combination of highlights and shadows convey a sense of depth, of volume or of the subjects solidity like the pictures below of the rubber doll nestling in the rusted milk cans, and the folds in the nuns uniforms.

A childs soft skin, a stuffed toys rough, furry exterior ... While form gives us an idea of what it would be like to hold the object in our photograph, texture gives us an idea how that objects surface would be like to touch, whether it would be rough or smooth.

The stuffed toys in the picture above are obviously just enjoying themselves, hanging out together and, although, theyre in the shade, you can also sense their furry texture. In landscapes or nature photography, however, scenes sometimes look best when the texture of rock formations, trees, etc. stand out.

Tone in photography refers to the transition of light to dark within the subject of your photograph. The variations in tones provide us with the visual information enabling us to distinguish one object from another, and to determine a photographs quality.

A picture with primarily dark tones will convey a somber, dramatic, mysterious mood

Light tones, on the other hand, convey to the viewers a cheerful, open and optimistic mood as in this picture of cadets preparing for the fancy drill.

When bright and dark tones are both present, a bold, assertive image will be created like in this picture where the painted faces are pure white and the T-shirts are solid black.

Closely related to tone, contrast is the difference between the strongest highlight and the darkest shadow in a photograph. When a picture uses tones at the opposite ends of the tonal range, it is said to have high contrast.

Photographs with extremely high contrast like in the picture above will lack detail in the burned out highlights (the ground) and in the almost solid black shadows (the desks and the overhanging foliage).

Low contrast images on the other hand, have a limited range of tones. When the range between the highlights and the shadows is very low, the resulting pictures will look muddy and dull.

Pattern is the repetition of shapes, lines, colors or forms. It could either be a random or orderly arrangement of objects in nature or of man-made objects. It may either be a repetition of a single, basic shape or a combination of shapes.

People by their gestures, actions, expressions, and movements, can also create patterns

The best element, however, which enables a two-dimensional image to achieve the impression of being three-dimensional is perspective. The term refers to the relationships in space and the relative sizes of objects in a scene. It may either be linear or aerial. Objects of the same size diminish in their apparent size the farther away they are from the photographer. On the other hand, a smaller object located closer to the camera will appear almost the same size as a larger object located at a farther distance.

Example 1

the students at the top of the picture seem smaller than the hollow blocks at the bottom portion;

Example 2 the guy in front, whos hogging all the chairs for himself, appear much bigger than the other students who are located farther away from the camera; and

Example 3 the jeepney located nearer to the camera appears to be almost as wide as the building behind it.

Linear perspective, parallel lines and vanishing points

Parallel lines can be made to appear to converge as they recede into the so-called vanishing point. This is another aspect of linear perspective. Take a look, for example, at the posts of the waiting shed above which appear to become smaller and smaller as they recede into the background, and finally converging into the vanishing point.

Linear perspective, parallel lines and vanishing points

A very easy, yet very effective way of creating depth is by using diagonal lines. Shoot your subject from the side, and youll get a diagonal line. To make a better photograph, anchor the corners with the diagonal lines.

Black and white pictures are technically called monochromes.

When youre shooting black and white film, youve got to consciously, deliberately think of the various colors as being black, white or shades of gray in the final picture. Youre forced to think of the image in terms of the basic elements - line, shape, form, tone, pattern, etc.

This is why shooting black and white photographs is an excellent way to learn photography. As one Kodak advertisement puts it, The absence of color ... the

presence of imagination!

Photojournalism used to be synonymous with black and white photographs.

When youre shooting in color, youve got to be aware of the color or colors within the image. This may sound basic (or even nonsense to some of you) but you have to admit that we oftentimes take color for granted. In one National Secondary Schools Press Conference in the late 1980s, for example, the topic for the feature writing contest was this: How do you explain the color red to someone born blind?

 [1]

Pay attention to details

When youre just starting to learn about photography, dont consider anything too small, too trivial or too insignificant. The folk dancer in picture above has a V-shaped black ribbon on her costume; notice how the out of focus highlights on the background form an inverted letter V.

If you look hard enough, you will notice that cute ribbon tied to my student's shoe buckle ... you know how vain girls are! I was able to take only one shot before my student kicked me away!

How many pipes are there in the picture above? Two. How many boys are standing up? Two. How many boys are sitting down? Two. How many boys are looking towards the right? Two. How many boys are looking towards the camera? Two.

[2] Learn from paintings, music videos, comic books, poetry, etc. Look at paintings; watch good music videos. Look at comic books on superheroes; they have brilliant colors, subtle shadings, clean and dynamic lines. Read poetry, short stories and other creative fiction, and then visualize in your mind the ideas, emotions expressed in them.

[3] Practice visualizing things Beginners should know how to sketch his target photo before taking shots

[4] Look for symbolism and relationships

I took this picture way back in 1986 during the original EDSA Revolution. What are the symbolisms here? The soldier is the defender of freedom and democracy (symbolized by the Philippine flag in the background) and the child hes carrying is the beneficiary of that freedom and democracy.

[5] Practice doing still life

These milk cans in the picture below were rusting away near a santol tree. Ive seen them several times before but I felt that they needed something else to perk up the image. I looked around, saw an old rubber doll my cute nephew had outgrown, and placed it inside one of the milk cans.

How do you capture this decisive moment, this one moment in time?
(1) Pay attention to whats happening around you; dont be like the photographer in the famous Kitkat chocolate commercial. (2) Anticipate the moment. (3) Watch the practices or rehearsals in your schools activities, so you wont be caught unprepared.

Whats the decisive moment in the picture above? Well, its Field Demonstration time and with an activity like this, the students acting as a group are always emphasized. They form various patterns and perform intricate movements with props such as hats, ribbons and fans. I wanted a picture that would express a persons uniqueness or individuality rising above, as it were, the groups collective identity.

 By

force of habit and training, in much the same way we read any piece of text, we look at pictures from left to right. Since our eyes tend to linger or to stop at the right side of the picture:
most of the time, subjects should be placed at the right side of the frame; and elements at the left side of the frame can be used to lead the viewers eyes toward the subject.

Anyway, since he was looking to the left, and there were only walls behind him, I placed him on the right side of the picture. I knew however that with such a set-up, there would be a lot of empty spaces on the left side. I waited for a while for something to happen. Then I saw these three students walking toward us. They were just the right lead-in element I needed! When they were just in the right spot, I took the shot.Gallacio

 Without

light, photography is not possible.

[1] Always consider the quality of light The main source of light for photography is the sun and as the sun moves across the sky, the quality of light changes. If you want to be a good photographer, you should always consider the quality of light.

[2] Avoid shooting at noontime. Avoid shooting, as much as possible at noontime; the harsh sun will create deep, ugly shadows underneath peoples eyes, like in the pictures here.

If both you and your subject are in the shade, then its okay to shoot. However, avoid situations like in the picture below where the leaves of the trees create uneven, scattered areas of light and shadows.
Some Filipino photographers call this the chocolate effect.

Photographers call both sunrise and sunset as the golden hours because these times provide a gorgeous light thats very suitable for photography. At dawn, the light is dominated by soft pinks while at sunset, the colors become more golden.

Train yourself to notice and to use aesthetically the direction of your light source.

There are primarily three ways by which a subject can be lighted: from the front, the side or the back. 1. Front lighting - your light source which may either be the sun or artificial light sources like your camera flash, comes from directly behind you. Front lighting gives you great colors and a lot of subject detail. On the minus side, these details are flat. Since your light source directly illuminates your subject, the shadows created are placed behind the subject. Your picture will be two-dimensional, lacking depth.

2. Sidelighting - this kind of lighting produces the strongest three-dimensional effects. In our discussion later on, you will learn that sidelighting is one good way of creating the illusion of depth in your pictures. Soft sidelighting, however, is best for portraits and landscapes.

3. Backlighting - generally, you should avoid shooting against your light source since this creates high contrast and greatly reduces details in your subject. The technical term for shooting against the light is contra luz. In French, its called contre jour. If youre shooting portraits, for example, your background will turn out bright, while your subjects face will turn out in deep shadows. Thats because your cameras light meter will be fooled by all that background brightness.

How tall is that tree in the picture above? By including the child at the lower right hand corner, I can give the viewers an idea as to how high the tree is.

How big is a river tugboat ?

How small is that kitten in the picture?

How big are those stone letters spelling out paaralan

How big are the letters being painted on the roof by the worker?

Low angle point of view ants eye view

High angle point of view birds eye view)

Close Up

Extreme Close Up

TYPES OF SHOTS

LS: Long Shot taken from afar

TYPES OF SHOTS
MS: Medium Shot a bit closer

CU: Close-up the subject is very close

TYPES OF SHOTS

XCU: Extreme Close-up singled out part of the subject

RULE OF THIRDS: giving your subject offcenter emphasis

[1] Divide the picture area into three equal parts, both horizontally and vertically. The dividing lines will create four intersecting points which are called the intersection of thirds.

[2] Place your subject (or some important element of your image) at or near any of the intersections.

Background must not be cluttered with distracting details

Foreground blur

Background blur

[1] Goal in shooting groups: convey the groups sense of unity and belonging

[2] Formal group shots: observe the groups hierarchy

[3] Informal group shots: anything goes

[4] Choosing your viewpoint in shooting groups; shoot several frames

[5] Focal point or center of interest; oddnumbered groups

[6] Triangular composition in shooting groups

In this kind of situation, you have to use the B-setting on your SLR cameras shutter speed dial. Heres how to use the B-setting: (1) Place your camera on a tripod, a table or any sturdy structure. (2) Attach a cable release to your shutter release button. (3) Focus on your subject. (4) Fire the shutter, lock the cable release. (5) Release the lock after you reach your desired exposure time.

How to focus when shooting at night Because of the darkness, you might find it difficult focusing on your subject. Solution? Try focusing on distinct points of light near your subject, like the streetlights in the picture.

One way of teaching yourself to be more selective in your shots is to do a photo essay. Unlike indiscriminate shooting of subjects (or even a photo sequence), a photo essay requires planning: what to shoot, how to best shoot it, how this picture contributes to the essay, etc.

LIMITING THE TOPIC FOR YOUR PHOTO ESSAY Were all familiar with writing essays or themes for our English or Filipino subjects. What do teachers emphasize before you write out that essay? Limit your topic. The same advice holds true for a photo essay: [1] Decide first what your general topic or your subject will be - people, places, events, programs, universal truths, etc. [2] After deciding on your general topic, the next step is to come up with a limited topic. Peopleconcentrate on one person or a specific group; places your school, your community; activities - enrollment, graduation, summer class; universal truths - love between a mother and child, pizzas the best thing ever to happen in history...

USING THEMES FOR YOUR PHOTO ESSAY

A photo essay can make use of certain themes. Various pictures taken in different places, different times of the day, can be grouped together to illustrate a certain theme, whether serious or lighthearted, significant or trivial, like the pictures below which show students using chairs in creative ways other than sitting on them.

VARY YOUR SHOTS

In whatever way you develop your photo essay, thematically or chronologically (well discuss this next time), you have to vary your shots, your viewpoints. Use close-ups, medium shots, full shots and long shots. You have to employ a variety of lenses. You have to shoot at different times of the day; use different viewpoints (eye level, low and high). You also have to shoot using both horizontal and vertical formats.

In a written essay, you have the introduction, the body, and the ending or conclusion. In a photo essay, you would need different kinds of pictures establishing shots to show your viewers the setting or context of your subject; major actions, stages or developments, to illustrate your theme or subject: minor pictures which can serve as transitions; and, pictures that will effectively close out your photo essay.
In a written essay, you always try to end it with a punch, with a line or expression that gives it a sense of completeness, a sense that nothing has been left hanging. With a photo essay, you try to end it with a picture that also brings a sense of completeness.

Shutter speed is one of three ways we use to discuss the term speed in photography. The two other ways are lens speed which refers to the maximum aperture a given lens has, and film speed which is the measurement of the films sensitivity to light.

FREEZING MOVEMENT
When you want to freeze movement, there are factors other than shutter speed which you have to consider: [1] subject distance; [2], focal length of the lens; and [3], direction of the movement.

If the subject is moving away from or towards the camera (like the boys in the picture above rushing to the venue of the Math Quiz competition), you can use 1/60 sec. or slower since the camera senses little movement in this kind of situation.

If the subject is moving in an oblique way with reference to the camera, like this Tae Kwon Do blackbelter in the picture above, use l/125 sec or higher.

If the subject is moving across the film plane, you have to use 1/250 sec or higher. Otherwise, the subject will come out blurred like the boys in the picture above where 1/60 sec was used,

WHAT EXPOSURE MEANS

The term exposure means allowing the light to reach or strike the film inside your camera. With single lens reflex (SLR) cameras, exposure involves the following mechanical procedures: you depress the shutter release button; the lens opens to whatever aperture you have set; the mirror flips up out of the way; the focal plane shutter curtains open and close according to the shutter speed you have set; the mirror returns to its original position; and the lens is fully open again.

HERE ARE THE GENERAL RULES ON EXPOSURE: [1] Bright lighting conditions - use a fast shutter speed and a small aperture; [2] Dim lighting conditions - use a slow shutter speed and a wide aperture; [3] The slower the shutter speed, the smaller the aperture should be; [4] The higher the shutter speed, the bigger the aperture.

 Shooting

against the light: As a general rule, the sun or your light source must always be behind you (the subject is therefore frontally lit). Light subject against a dark background, OR a dark subject against a light background: Your SLR cameras reflected light meter will be fooled by either the brightness or the darkness of the background. High lighting contrast: The scene has a higher brightness range than normal film can handle.