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“Journalism without photographs is like writing without verbs,” Mark Briggs said.
Photographs are important in journalism, and in all other aspects, because they are able to expand on a story in a way that words cannot. In order to fully express an idea, journalists must understand how to capture the perfect image.
When possible, shoot images using natural light. Avoid shooting with a flash or mixture of flashes. If bright sunlight is in front of subjects being photographs, it will create face shadows and make people squint; if the sun is behind the subjects then their faces will be darker.
Great photographs are the ones where viwerers can see a picture within a picture.
According to Val Hoeppner, the biggest mistake amateurs and beginners make is that they do not get close enough to their subjects or to the action happening in front of them. Hoeppner suggests taking 10 steps forward after journalists think they are close enough to a subject.
Two secrets for capturing better photos are to be patient and to take more photographs.
Once journalists are done capturing photos, they should then edit them for online publishing.
Editing advice:
- Edit a copy of the photo – never the original.
- Crop the photo.
- Resize the picture.
- Modify the resolution.
- Tone and color correct the picture.
- Save a Web version.
- Keep it simple.
Remember that adding and/or removing objects from an image is strictly forbidden. An image should never be altered in a way that can “mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects,” says Briggs.
“In this day and age of photo manipulation, students new to photojournalism must understand and adhere to the ethics of not creating images that lie or are deceptive to the viewer,” says Colin Mulvany.
Photo editing software:
