Press Photography/ Photojournalism

by Bill Hall | More from this Blogger

09 Aug 2006 09:51 AM

I was at my daughter's last swim meet of the season a few weeks ago, and was watching the local newspaper photographer get some shots of the meet. He has been doing this a long time, as was evidenced by his Nikon D2H camera with a long, expensive lens. As he was taking a break from the action and having lunch, we talked about swimming and how you can't get a decent candid photo of my daughter, as she is always posing.

Which leads me to today's topic: Press Photography

Press photography is similar to wedding photography, in that you only get one chance to get the shot. Unlike wedding photography, however, you don't have a session for posed photos. You need to get the shot, and get it now.

Press photographers document history through the use of photos. They are storytellers equipped with cameras. But they are also people who know how to capture the "human interest" picture. Anybody can capture the obvious events in a scene, but the press photographer/photojournalist captures the emotions of the scene as well.

The idea in taking a photo is to tell the story of what is going on in the picture. Who, what, when, where and why are the key questions that must be answered. The press photographer must be prepared to answer those questions with their pictures.

Of course, the article that appears with the photo will explain what is going on in the picture in more detail.

The equipment that a press photographer uses is the same as other equipment that photographers normally use. The difference is that the press photographer knows how to prefocus on an area and be prepared for the shot at the height of the action. They also know how to get close to the scene, by building relationships with the local emergency service and law enforcement personnel.

If you are interested in being a press photographer or photojournalist, check with your local community college or university, and see what classes they offer. Or, check out this site for more information.

If you have a love of photography and you are a people person, this may be the job for you.

Learn more about Bill Hall

Bill is a professional freelance photographer and web designer, who lives with his wife of 17 years and their 12 year-old daughter in Arizona. He also lives with three dogs and two parakeets.

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