Photojournalism: The Generation of Mobile Photography

PHOTOJOURNALISM: THE GENERATION OF MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY

RAY ADRIAN C. MACALALAG

DISCUSSION OUTLINE I.

Photography VS Photojournalism

II. Basic Photography Terms and Concepts III. Choosing the Good Camera IV. Ethics and Reality V. Tips in Mobile Photography

PHOTOGRAPHY VS PHOTOJOURNALISM

PHOTOGRAPHY VS PHOTOJOURNALISM Photojournalism is photography but photography is not always photojournalism.

PHOTOGRAPHY VS PHOTOJOURNALISM PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOJOURNALISM

It is an art form where the artist has full autonomy on what he chooses to show the viewer.

It is photography in essence but the photograph must accurately portray an event while maintaining a quality composition

The photographer has very flexible timing and has opportunities to repeat a shot.

The photojournalist has to be at the right place at the right time.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY IS DIVERSE BUT NOTHING COULD COMPARE TO THE CHALLENGE OF PHOTOJOURNALISM

ERIC SCHAEFFER GETTY IMAGES

VERONIQUE DE VIGUERIE GETTY IMAGES

EGYPTIAN CHINESE UNIVERSITY

JEFF WIDENER ASSOCIATED PRESS

BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

APERTURE The aperture is a hole which controls the amount of light. In a camera, it can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the film or image sensor.

DEPTH OF FIELD Focus Point Focus Distance

Depth of Field

Focus Distance

Depth of Field

It is defined as the range of object distances within which objects are imaged with acceptable sharpness.

EXPOSURE It is the amount of light which reaches your camera sensor or film.

FLORIAN KURZ LIGHTSTALKING.COM

FOCAL LENGTH The focal length is the distance between the lens and the image sensor, usually stated in millimeters (e.g., 28 mm, 50 mm, or 100 mm). The shorter the focal length (e.g. 18 mm), the wider the angle of view and the greater the area captured.

IMAGE SENSOR OPTIMIZATION (ISO) It measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.

In very basic terms, ISO is simply a camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo.

Lower ISO

Higher ISO

SHUTTER SPEED Also known as exposure time, it is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light

UROS PUDLOGAR PHOTONEWS.CA

WHITE BALANCE White balance is the scale of adjustment of colors to match the color of the light source so that white objects appear white.

Warmer

Auto White Balance

Cooler

CHOOSING THE GOOD CAMERA

MEGAPIXELS Megapixels do not necessarily dictate the quality of photo you get.

It refers to the size. Higher megapixels may do get the details you want but may also become too detailed to record noise and ultimately consume more memory.

300 ppi

75ppi

600ppi

It is the standard pixel concentration for publications. At this resolution, a 12MP photo could be printed at 13.3”x 10”.

The minimum tolerable resolution needed for printing tarpaulin posters. A 12MP photo could be printed at 4.5’ x 3.3’.

It is the standard pixel concentration for developing photos. A 12MP photo can be printed at 6.7”X5”.

MEMORY Memory is essential in order to store as many photos and videos you may need.

MP

File size (MB)

1GB

2GB

4GB

8GB

16GB

32GB

64GB

128GB

4MP

1.2

715

1430

2861

5722

11444

22888

45776

91552

5MP

1.5

572

1144

2288

4577

9155

18310

36620

73240

6MP

1.8

476

953

1907

3814

7629

15258

30516

61032

7MP

2.1

408

817

1634

3269

6539

13078

26156

52312

8MP

2.4

357

715

1430

2861

5722

11444

22888

45776

10MP

3.0

286

572

1144

2288

4577

9155

18310

36620

12MP

3.6

238

476

953

1907

3814

7629

15258

30516

14MP

4.2

204

408

817

1634

3269

6539

13078

26156

16MP

4.8

178

357

715

1430

2861

5722

11444

22888

22MP

6.6

130

260

520

1040

2080

4161

8322

16644

ADDITIONAL FEATURES Look for the following features in your next camera phone:

A good display means good resolution.

AMOLED Displays offer good resolutions.

Greater battery life is essential each time an event is documented.

Phones with at least 4,000mAh is recommended.

Bluetooth and/or infrared connectivity is also an essential for remote photography.

ETHICS AND REALITY

KEVIN CARTER THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE DILEMMA OF PHOTOJOURNALISM Documenting may lead to a lot of ethical discrepancies.

Sometimes, in “how could he take a picture of this situation without providing any sort of help?” moments.

ALEPPO MEDIA CENTER

THE POWER OF PHOTOJOURNALISM Any form of censorship in every image of human suffering wouldn’t mean that the world is suddenly a better place.

THE DUTY OF A PHOTOJOURNALIST Photojournalists do not cause the suffering of the people they photograph, they are simply the messenger that document reality.

NOEL CELIS AFP

TIPS ON MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY

FOOT ZOOM Physically move to your subject. Not all phones are created equal. Zooming in destroys the quality and sharpness of your photo. Improve composition of photo by restricting the focus to your subject.

USE PROFESSIONAL MODE Most smartphone cameras already have professional modes where you can manually adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc.

LIGHT UP SUBJECT Be aware of the simple “against the light” angles.

Original Photo

Color Enhanced with Adobe Lightroom

DO NOT USE FLASH Using flash in covering events is a big distraction and is often considered rude. At night, if subjects are still, take a chance on night mode.

SHOOT WITH STABILITY If possible, accessorize with even just a simple tripod when shooting videos or long exposure shots.

PLAY WITH COMPOSITION Composition should always be on point. Here are some examples: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Rule of Thirds Balancing Leading Lines Patterns Viewpoint Framing

RULE OF THIRDS

RULE OF THIRDS

BALANCING

BALANCING

LEADING LINES

LEADING LINES

PATTERN

PATTERN

VIEWPOINT

CHARLIE CALAPARDO DPWH REGIONAL OFFICE VI

FRAMING

FRAMING

REMEMBER STORYTELLING The best shots are the shots which actually tell a story.

AVOID SUBJECTS FROM MAKING EYE CONTACT Eye contact can sometimes imply that the photo is staged.

PCOO

MANILA BULLETIN

PROCESS IMAGE After shooting, you may enhance the photos you took through available third-party apps.

PHOTOJOURNALISM: THE GENERATION OF MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY

RAY ADRIAN C. MACALALAG

www.rayaddesign.com