SNSG 12, 16-Photo/Design
SNSG 12, 16
"photojournalism is about seizing moments, about showing readers what writers try to-and sometimes can't-describe" 106
Photos have the ability to capture the emotion on people's faces, their reactions to the world. Print can only tell us about events, whereas photos share. Seeing a moment captured makes the event seem more real. In our history, there have been events so gruesome that mankind can hardly believe they actually happened. Photojournalism shocks the world awake. Reading about the Holocaust is horrible enough, but viewing those camp photos brings the humanity to the issue. Photos are reality. Print is an explanation of that reality.
"photojournalists need sensitivity and intuition to find these moments" 106
Just as when interviewing a victim, the journalist needs to handle the situation with care. If the photographer is too in-the-face of a victim, the victim could possibly get violent. Grieving people do not need another added stress factor. Stand back from the situation and shoot; don't sit next to the victim and point the lense in their face. You do not want to interrupt at all. Just let the emotion flow and shoot from a distance.
"you want to capture life as it unfolds, not as you want it to look" 106
This quote reminds me of an assignment from Black and White photography. The subject for our final portfolio was people. We were not allowed to give the people instructions and had to shoot them as they lived their lives. I completed my assignment by keeping the camera near me at all times that week. Whenever one of my friends would start laughing (my angle was "laughter") I'd pull the camera out of the bag and quickly shoot. The photos captured the moments in real time. There was no imitation. It's a shame I never got those pictures back. What made them so compelling was the reality, the sincerity. Poses are for fashion magazines.
"though digital photography offers myriad opportunities for manipulating images, resist the temptation"
I actually had a person come up to me and say, "that class is useless now. Photoshop is more valuable." I've never used Photoshop or any photo-editing tool, but I know what it can do. Photoshop can completely alter reality, and construct a fake one. The Weekly World News does this in every issue. They print ridiculous stories with "realistic" looking photographs. Despite the subject matter, some people do believe these stories. WWN makes a mockery of everything real journalists value. But is that the point?
Do you really want to give people that much power to manipulate reality?
"news happens, even on a seemingly sleepy college campus" 107
Well, after Wednesday's events, we all know this to be true. I'd love to see if anyone took pictures of the protestors, especially the little children holding up the anti-abortion signs.
"photojournalism is about seizing moments, about showing readers what writers try to-and sometimes can't-describe" 106
Photos have the ability to capture the emotion on people's faces, their reactions to the world. Print can only tell us about events, whereas photos share. Seeing a moment captured makes the event seem more real. In our history, there have been events so gruesome that mankind can hardly believe they actually happened. Photojournalism shocks the world awake. Reading about the Holocaust is horrible enough, but viewing those camp photos brings the humanity to the issue. Photos are reality. Print is an explanation of that reality.
"photojournalists need sensitivity and intuition to find these moments" 106
Just as when interviewing a victim, the journalist needs to handle the situation with care. If the photographer is too in-the-face of a victim, the victim could possibly get violent. Grieving people do not need another added stress factor. Stand back from the situation and shoot; don't sit next to the victim and point the lense in their face. You do not want to interrupt at all. Just let the emotion flow and shoot from a distance.
"you want to capture life as it unfolds, not as you want it to look" 106
This quote reminds me of an assignment from Black and White photography. The subject for our final portfolio was people. We were not allowed to give the people instructions and had to shoot them as they lived their lives. I completed my assignment by keeping the camera near me at all times that week. Whenever one of my friends would start laughing (my angle was "laughter") I'd pull the camera out of the bag and quickly shoot. The photos captured the moments in real time. There was no imitation. It's a shame I never got those pictures back. What made them so compelling was the reality, the sincerity. Poses are for fashion magazines.
"though digital photography offers myriad opportunities for manipulating images, resist the temptation"
I actually had a person come up to me and say, "that class is useless now. Photoshop is more valuable." I've never used Photoshop or any photo-editing tool, but I know what it can do. Photoshop can completely alter reality, and construct a fake one. The Weekly World News does this in every issue. They print ridiculous stories with "realistic" looking photographs. Despite the subject matter, some people do believe these stories. WWN makes a mockery of everything real journalists value. But is that the point?
Do you really want to give people that much power to manipulate reality?
"news happens, even on a seemingly sleepy college campus" 107
Well, after Wednesday's events, we all know this to be true. I'd love to see if anyone took pictures of the protestors, especially the little children holding up the anti-abortion signs.
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