Monday's lecture focused primarily on picture stories and moving pictures. Every good article needs a great picture, just as every news segment on TV requires meaningful footage.. These are what makes a good photo:
- framing
- focus
- angle & point of view
- exposure (light)
- timing (shutter speed)
- capturing 'the moment'
The example given was a picture taken at Jonathon Thurston's Uncle's funeral. The picture showed immense emotion and was beautifully framed by a window/wall cutout. Captured with a camera phone, this picture proved that being in 'the moment' is THE key to mastering photojournalism.
It was interesting in our tutorial when we were given a completely different article about ridding Brisbane streets of old gum, to see that the photo can be the decider on whether or not someone reads a certain article. I doubt I would ever read an article on chewing gum, but the final picture chosen had all the key points mentioned above and, if I were at home and not in a tutorial, it would have drawn me into the article.
Since I've started my Journalism degree, I've realized that I now assess how every journalist pulls off their articles. Whether it's a headline that falls flat, a picture that doesn't make sense or even an article that doesn't explain the 5 Ws and the H, I will constantly check whether they could have made it better in any way. Sounds a bit arrogant, coming from a 1st year university student, doesn't it? But I'm learning. And this course has got me thinking. A little too much.
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