The photo story
Show & tell The photo story requires more than simply placing a few photos on a page.
A
LIFE FORMULA FOR VISUAL VARIETY INTRODUCTORY: Usually a wide-angle or arial shot to establish the scene. MEDIUM: Focuses on one activity or one group. CLOSE-UP: One element, like a person’s hands or an intricate detail of a building. PORTRAIT: Either a dramatic, tight head shot or a person in his environment. INTERACTION: People conversing or in action. SIGNATURE: A summary of the situation with all of the key elements in one photo — the decisive moment). SEQUENCE: A how-to, before and after, or series with beginning, middle and end. CLINCHER: A closer that would end the story.
By Bradley Wilson
photo story could be a yearbook spread. Or a newspaper photo page. Or a multimedia presentation, such as a slide show accessed on a Web site or via a link. Always, though, a photo story is a collection of images that tell a story focusing on a central theme. The complete photo story may be told about a critical event, such as a celebration, an accident or a natural disaster. Or it may record activity that happened over months or years. The story may be told through a collection of portraits or settings in a variety of places. Successful photo stories might depict the day in the life of a dog or of a school janitor. Or they might depict the preparation for a school musical through the strike party after the last performance. No matter the time frame or locale, the photographs should all support a central, well-developed theme. As photographer Ken Kobré says, “[T]hese visual storytelling packages are the avenues through which photographers document ways of life, explore topics in depth, present a point of view or show with images the many sides of an issue.” When the photographer chooses to tell the story through time, it has a beginning, middle and end. A climax to the narration and resolution to the action help complete the story. Such a “narrative approach” might start as tryouts begin for the musical and then cover the blocking, the dress rehearsals and the final cast party. Not all photo stories are best told through time. The “documentary approach” works better when time is not a key factor. For example, the photographer might have a collection of images about different athletes at the school or various sections in the band. Regardless of whether the photographer uses a chronological approach or documentary approach, a successful story, while highlighting a central theme, contains a variety of images — the wide (storytelling) shot, the medium shot, the tight shot and a close-up/detail shot. For all approaches, order matters as does high technical quality. Photographers must pay attention to which photograph is the central image (often the dominant on a page or on a spread). It should be the one that by itself portrays the most important piece of the action. To enhance the impact of the photographs, pay attention to other essentials: the headline, caption stories that build on reporting and a copy block that adds enlightenment to the importance of the focus. Uniform internal margins are routine, but attentive design itself adds power to the photography.
RESOURCE
Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach, 6th ed. by Kenneth Kobré 512 pages Focal Press 2008 $55/paperback
More on the photo story SPRING 2009
COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY • 19
The photo story
ON the AIR
Photo story by Emily Judd, McKinney High School (Texas; Lori Oglesbee, adviser) GETTING THE SHOT As senior Ashley Kim zooms in and perfects her shot, she takes directions from the control room in her headphones. After everything is double checked, she tells the anchors that the cameras are rolling. “Being behind the camera is so cool,” Ashley said. “Everything I do has a different impact on the show.” LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION With the teleprompter guiding their lines, Phillip White and Devin Taylor introduce the stories to be aired that week on MHS1. When given the privilege to anchor for the school show, students must write their own script. “Writing the script isn’t easy,” Phillip said. “It has to be clever and funny but also make sense.” ON THE SET As the lights shine down on the set, Phillip White and Devin Taylor adjust their microphones and rehearse their lines before filming begins. For each MHS1 show, new anchors are chosen to go before the camera. “It was my first time to be an anchor so I was pretty nervous,” Devin said. “It’s harder than it looks.” CONTROL FREAK The monitors hum as the footage from the three cameras feeds into them. Senior Dylan Young gives directions to the anchors and to the camera operators as he shifts between shots. “Directing can be stressful and tedious,” Dylan said. “But I enjoy working on the equipment to get a perfect outcome when we film anchors.” CRITIQUE BY BRYAN FARLEY These photos are informative and useful. I see this as a strong yearbook layout about the school’s video broadcast program, but I don’t see it as a photo story. The photographer alluded to a nervous student preparing for his first time as anchor. Perhaps we could have seen how the nervous student prepared for the show, overcame nervousness, rehearsed, performed and watched tape. Also, three of the photos are too similar for a story; pick one.
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SPRING 2009
ON the SIDELINES
Photo story by Jake Webb, Westlake High School (Austin, Texas; Deanne Brown, adviser) CELEBRATION Seniors David Germann and Ryan Swope celebrate after their win against Akins at the Homecoming game. ALL SMILES Senior cheer captain Allie Goldstick performs her halftime routine at the Homecoming game against Akins. DANCIN’ TO THE BEAT Hyline captain Kimi Patton, senior, dances during her halftime routine during the game against Pflugerville. IN TUNE A freshman band member plays during the halftime performance at the Connally game.
SPRING 2009
FROM JAKE WEBB, PHOTOGRAPHER The shots are well composed, technically strong and capture significant moments independent of one another, but together they serve to complement one another and build on the unifying theme: What happens on the sidelines of a high-school football game? CRITIQUE BY BRYAN FARLEY I know instantly that I am looking at someone with talent, but I feel as if I am looking at a portfolio instead of a photo story. For example, a photo story would take the unnamed freshman band member, or the other people, and look at their lives. Get to know the people you shoot and tell their stories — if you find them interesting. CRITIQUE BY MARK MURRAY One of the things that is important to the package is to make sure that every image is different from all the o thers. The dominant includes a great expression on the football players’ faces, but the other three photos are all very similar because they all feature one individual. The center image of the drill team member is the strongest of the three because of the depth of field and the action of her hair. I’d like to see additional information included in the captions. COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY • 21
The photo story
Show & tell The photo story is more than just putting a few photos on a page
WORK THE THEME
From Kenneth L. Rosenauer, professor of journalism, Missouri Western State University (Saint Joseph, Mo.)
Photo stories blend the wanted with the given. In other words, following some background research, try to imagine a theme or specific angle to emphasize — the wanted. With that in mind, spend time working the theme or angle with the camera, constantly shooting what elements help to communicate theme or angle — the given. A good photo story seldom just happens and rarely comes quickly with limited time spent shooting. Explore. Discover. Narrow the focus. And always be looking for the “money shot” — the one you know when you shoot will be the dominant in the spread. SPEND TIME WITH THE SUBJECT From Matt Stamey, photographer, Houma Courier (Louisiana)
Find a subject you’re interested in shooting. And spend time with that subject. If you’re interested in being there, you’ll be more relaxed and will become a part of what you are photographing and not just somebody there with a camera. By doing this, you will be able to make better, more intimate images. Be sure to spend a lot of time with your subject. If you’re shooting a person, meet the individual for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week. See what he or she does on days off. Try to photograph as many aspects of his or her life as possible. You can’t show the story of someone or something in just a few minutes. It takes time and patience. Go back — then go back again. Even if it’s something you’ve already shot. Go shoot it again. You might see it in a different way or something else might happen. For example, a photographer in Chicago started working on a story about a group of homeless guys who have a soccer team. He started going to their practices, then
32. PHOTO STORY (carry-in) NATURE OF THE CONTEST You will submit three, four or five of your photographs that appeared in last year’s yearbook, will appear in this year’s yearbook or that have been published in the school news publication within the last year and that have not been entered in a previous national JEA competition. All photographs should be related to a common theme and should visually tell a story. You are responsible for submitting your photographs before the deadline and for remaining for a smallgroup critique session. WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR Imaginative subject matter; technical quality and excellence; neatness in mounting; photo composition; visual impact; story told in each photograph as well as in the package of images; simplicity; cropping; lighting. Quality of the caption and written story may also be considered.
games, more practices, more games. He got to know the guys. One day, the coach of the team died. And the guys on the team invited the photographer to attend and photograph the funeral services. He made some amazing, heartwarming pictures of these guys grieving their late coach. Had he not built that relationship by going to all those games and practices, he never would have gotten the real story of this team. DEVELOP THE IDEA
From Michael Prince, mprince@oc.ctc.edu
Develop a strong idea (could be a short or long-term project) that explores an interesting subject (widely or little known) — people, places, trends, events, etc. — impacting or representative of your audience/community. As always, shoot a lot. Capture photos from a variety of perspectives/angles (overall/wide-angle, medium, close-up, portrait, action, decisive moment). Images with peo-
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ple are almost always best in photojournalism/showing a story. Give the work of Eugene Smith‚ famous for his 1948 Life magazine photo essay of a “country doctor,” a close look. Finally, strive for visual consistency. WIDE, MEDIUM, CLOSE-UP
Katie Campbell, adjunct professor, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, campbell_katie@yahoo.com
When you’re taking pictures and you want to tell a story, you need to shoot wide, medium and close-up shots. A good rule of thumb is one wide shot, one medium shot with the rest being closeups (even with a multimedia story when there are 50 images, the typical ratio is often two wide shots, six to 10 medium shots and the rest close-ups). The variety of images makes the story interesting. Some photogs call the wide shot, the storytelling shot. The wide shot is the scene-setter — the one that gives the viewer the most information about the story (the place, the people, the subject matter) The medium shot can be thought of as the character shot. Often you use a medium shot to introduce the audience to the main character of your story. With this shot, you can show personality. The close-up shots keep the story interesting. In a wide shot, the small details can get lost because you’re telling the viewer to look at the whole scene. But in close-ups, you’re saying this detail is really important in this story. You’re telling the viewer what details to focus on. (You can think of them as puzzle pieces or clues that you’re giving your audience ... as a result, it keeps the story interesting). Close-up shots on faces show emotion, and that also keeps the story interesting.
SPRING 2009
REMEMBERING the PAST
on Friday, Sept. 26. The Pommies bring school spirit to assemblies as well as to sporting events, and they represent Oak Park at various dance competitions throughout the year. “[Pom] is keeping me busy, but it’s a lot of fun,” Holmgren said. “We have a lot of energy.”
SHOWING SPIRIT Cheering on the football team, senior Jayson Chapman shows his spirit at the Homecoming game Sept. 26. Chapman was one of many fans who supported the team throughout the season despite that night’s surprising loss to Winnetonka. “It hit home real hard,” Chapman said. ”I cried, but I didn’t lose faith in the team.”
CRITIQUE BY BRYAN FARLEY Look at Car Smash and Homecoming Queen, both interesting moments and well shot. These moments have stories attached. Somehow the car got to this location (and removed), and the Homecoming queen was nominated, bought a dress, prepared for Homecoming, won, and celebrated. I want to see a photographer follow a Homecoming queen candidate after she is nominated and cover her until after the winner is announced. Win or lose, that’s a story.
Photo story by Derek Byrne, Oak Park High School (Kansas City, Mo; Christina Geabhart, adviser)
CAR SMASH Senior Phillip Evola takes his turn at destroying the Winnetonka car during the Homecoming pep rally Sept. 25. Along with the car smash, which returned for a second year, there were many other activities and performances to create excitement for the upcoming weekend. ”It was a lot of fun. Everyone was pumpin’,” Evola said. “It was a tight way to show spirit.” SURPRISE Moments after being crowned Homecoming queen, senior Lauren White reacts with joy as her family surrounds her Sept. 26. “I wasn’t expecting to win at all,” White said. “The whole experience was unbelievable.” THE POMMIES Senior Sabrina McEvers and sophomore Melanie Holmgren rally the crowd while dancing to the fight song at the Homecoming assembly SPRING 2009
COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY • 23
The photo story
The MOM
Photo story by Paige Hermreck, James Enochos High School (Modesto, Calif.; Tamra McCarthy, adviser) MORNING RITUAL Junior Melissa Stephens prepares herself for another long day at school while her 9-month-old daughter, Camilla Rose, watches quietly from her crib. “Being a teenage mom and a full-time student is hard because I have to care for another person,” Stephens said. Spending quality time together is priority for the young mother. “Nothing can replace the feeling of being a mother. It’s something I couldn’t understand until it happened to me,” Stephens said. CRITIQUE BY BRYAN FARLEY These photographs are informative and intimate, and the shot in the mirror is really clever, especially considering it was early in the morning. There is also a story structure with a beginning/ middle/end, which makes it easy to follow. As with other forms of good storytelling, photo stories are done well by those that care about the stories they are telling. Sometimes this means they find better stories; other times this means they put more time into their project and make sure they are at a teen mother’s house before school starts. I would like to see this story developed more and have the photographer follow the mother through the day and through the year. CRITIQUE BY MARK MURRAY The dominant photo in this package does a nice job of capturing the story and telling the reader what to expect. The captions go beyond the photo and tell the reader more than what they see in the photograph. The two smaller images are personal moments — the one of the mother and child kissing has greater impact.
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SPRING 2009
The photo story
The FLOOD
Photo story by Sarah Roberts, Munster High School (Ind.; Nancy Hastings, adviser) IN DEEP In floodwater up to her knees, Ashley Drobac hefts potentially house-saving sandbags toward a partially flooded home. She was one of many volunteers who came out to support the town of Munster. “I have no idea how heavy these sandbags are,” Ashley said. “But I want to help my town.” TIE Taylor Lee, senior, ties and loads the sandbags into the trucks. “We all wanted to help,” Taylor said. “Anything we could do, we did.” PILE Sophomore Megan Johnson, father Bill Taylor, sophomore Katie Taylor and sophomore Sarah Classurath pile sandbags along the Little Calumet as the water rose. UNDER WATER Floods left approximately 1,100 people homeless and disrupted local business life in Munster, Ind. CRITIQUE BY BRYAN FARLEY It is important that the photographer document the flood and related activity, and the school publication will be able to use these. Spot news is also difficult for a photo story. Events happen quickly, and the photographer often misses the beginning so must find some other story structure. On this particular collection, I would have liked to have seen more about the “1,100 homeless and disrupted local business.” CRITIQUE BY MARK MURRAY Photo stories don’t have to be all features. Here’s one that is more of a news story, but is told through photographs rather than just words. Each photo adds to the story and provides the reader with a better understanding of the events. The dominant photo would be strengthened by cropping out the person in the background.
SPRING 2009
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