Double Exposure Challenge: Photojournalism

From Photoworkshop.com

Double Exposure Challenge
Double Exposure Challenge: Photojournalism
By The Editors of Double Exposure
Apr 1, 2008

CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UP

Firecrackers © Carlos Malvas

So many of the images we received for our Photojournalism “Challenge” were very intriguing, but we finally narrowed the field down to a few outstanding entries. Carlos Malvas of Macau was awarded 1st Place for his image entitled “Firecrackers.” He has won a downloadable version of Extensis Portfolio 8.5. Jim Haberman of North Carolina was awarded 2nd Place for “Shepherd, Jerusalem.” He has won a Hoodman HoodLoupe Pro. And Mario Aparicio was awarded 3rd Place for his image, “500 Years.” He’s won the book, Alternative Digital Photography by John G. Blair. There were also 10 runners-up, whose images appear in the accompanying gallery. We congratulate all of our winners!

News photographers—otherwise known as photojournalists—are truly reporters with cameras. Photojournalism literally means "telling a story with photographs." Great photojournalists are vigilant, constantly staying on top of breaking news, and can create an image to tell a story that words alone can’t convey. News photographers have keen eyes and a great instinct for the interaction of people and events, as well as quick reflexes. They learn to anticipate the peak moment of action, but the photographer’s timing to click the shutter at the optimum moment is every bit as important as anticipation. Most photojournalism involves capturing a candid moment, but a more posed situation, such as a photo illustration of a subject who’s being interviewed for a newspaper or other publication, also constitutes photojournalism.

Many dramatic news images are not the result of a city desk assignment, but are rather from photographers who monitor scanners to learn about breaking news situations. In order to react quickly, photojournalists must be prepared for any situation, completely familiar with their equipment, and have the willingness to appear on the scene at any given time. They may even carry two cameras with lenses of different focal lengths to facilitate speed. Many photojournalists shoot with wide-angle lenses to get a great depth of field as well as the capability to get close to a subject and fill the entire frame. They also use telephoto lenses in dangerous situations or when it’s difficult to get close to the subject. Today’s zoom lenses offer excellent quality ranging from a wide view to a telephoto.

Shepherd, Jerusalem © Jim Haberman

Although much news photography is shot in natural light, flash is very important in dim or subdued lighting. Photojournalists often use flash off-camera with a cord, bounce flash off a wall or ceiling, or use other modifiers to soften the harsh light.

Public places and city streets provide many wonderful opportunities for getting spontaneous images. In this situation, photographers often shoot candid photos that their subject is totally unaware of, and have devised ways to do so—a kind of “fly on the wall” approach. The legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, for example, worked at fairly close range with a small, quiet-shuttered rangefinder camera with a normal lens or one with a slightly wide angle. He would shoot quickly, and then leave the scene.

You can use your digital camera on automatic, or preset the aperture and/or shutter speed so that you can react quickly to situations. Compact digital SLRs are ideal for street photography because you can carry it around more inconspicuously than a larger SLR. When the scene is right, raise the camera to your eye and shoot the picture. It takes practice to do this smoothly and quickly. If you don’t want your subject to know you’re photographing him/her, be as unobtrusive as possible. You don’t have to hide the fact that you’re taking pictures if you can make them think that you’re aiming at something else. Another technique is to find a good setting and wait for interesting subjects to pass through your field of view.

Generally, if you want to capture a subject who’s unaware of the camera, you might want to take photos from a side view, from the back, or from above the subject. You can also make your presence less obvious by shooting from a distance or from the corner of a building. A telephoto lens may allow you to keep your distance and your subject won’t be aware of the click of the shutter. You can use a lens with a focal length anywhere from 70–300mm, and a zoom lens gives you more flexibility in framing. But since a camera with a long lens is more bulky and noticeable, you’ll want to take extra care to be unobtrusive and blend into the background. When using a telephoto lens, it’s very important that your subject be sharp because of the lens’s inherent shallow depth of field.

Although candids of unsuspecting subjects are fun to shoot, there may be times when it’s a good idea to approach an interesting subject and let them know you’d like to take his/her picture. This is especially true in foreign countries where some people might have religious beliefs that could interfere with your photography. If you’re friendly, approachable, and let them know you mean no harm, some people may very well comply with your request. You might also offer to send them one of the pictures later (just make sure you follow through with this promise). However, if someone objects to being photographed, respect his/her wishes and move on to another subject. An out-in-the-open approach works well when subjects, engaged in an engrossing activity or event, forget that a photographer is around. At a public event, like a street fair, you might ask if people object to being photographed. If not, you can shoot your pictures with their permission, and allow the activities to continue as if you weren’t there.

This is just a brief overview of the topic—there are so many aspects to Photojournalism that could fill an entire book. Challenge yourself by going out and looking for interesting street scenes or other situations that might inspire you to shoot candidly. As with Henri Cartier-Bresson, you just may discover that you love capturing the “decisive moment.”

Take our next Double Exposure Challenge! Look for details on the next topic, “Picture Your Pet" in this issue.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UP