INTRODUCTION

Photojournalism is the process of telling stories using photos as the medium. It

uses a camera to capture visual representations of a story. Photojournalism
follows a set framework of rules and principles for composition. The stories told
using photos are supposedly true and thus should be communicated in a fair and
unbiased way. In photojournalism, the news photos often evoke intense emotions
among viewers, like shots of disaster survivors or scenes of a terrorist attack. In
print media the content is largely text and only certain stories are supported by
photos. In photojournalism, photographs are used to tell incidents, events and
other important news. It uses the body language and facial expressions of the
subjects i.e .the people involved in the incident to tell their story. As the term
suggests, photojournalism is the fusion of photography and journalism. It is used
extensively in newspapers, newsmagazines, film magazines and advertising
magazines.

Every newspaper and magazine takes the services of photojournalists to cater to

its audience. News photography is used in print and electronic media to convey
the stories and to reach out to maximum audience.

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Photojournalism is an effective way of telling stories and disseminating

information to adverse group of people. Photojournalism gives visual support to
the news story. A good news photo tells a story all on its own and requires little to
no writing to back it up. Social media tools like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat,
Whatsapp etc, have made it really convenient for people to share photos and
videos. These tools are even being used by the news organizations to disseminate
news. Youtube provides space to people and organizations so that they can start
their own channels where viewers can come and see the videos on a variety of
subjects. Photographs paint real pictures of news, events and varied human
emotions.
 In big newspapers and magazines, photographers work with a journalist assigned
to a particular newsbeat. This means that he photographer takes photos related
to the newstory and the reporter collects the facts for the story and writes it. The
main objective of photojournalism is to tell a story better than the text or write-
up that usually accompanies the photos. Therefore, it should capture images that
have a specific meaning or relevance to the story being told. For example, a story
about a father reunited with his daughter after being a part for 30 years will be
more effective if it is accompanied by a photo showing them rushing in to each
other’s arms.

Photojournalism covers latest national and international news developments

which are of public interest .A good photojournalist will focus on latest news
which is being discussed by the common man for example the current cricket
tournament series or the announcement of elections etc. which will be of more
interest to the reader.

A good photojournalist should be objective and honest. He should present the

images as they are with no manipulation. In fact a photojournalist knows that real
emotions of people are captured when they are relaxed and busy with their daily
chores. These candid and perfect moments are captured by the lens and become
timeless classics. A good photograph should try to answer maximum number of
Ws and H. For example, a photo that shows a family of four begging for food and
money tells a clearer story than a single person begging for food.

Photojournalists follow certain principles to produce photos that catch the

attention of different audiences. Photos taken with the right focus, exposure,
angle and color are understood better by larger audience as compared to photos
in which the subject is not in focus and which lack proper camera angle.
Photojournalism can be done for

a) General News Stories, which pertains to any event that is planned a head of
time. Examples are press conferences, product launch ceremonies, exhibitions
and political rallies.
b) Spot or Breaking News: refers to any event or incident that has just happened.
It is a breaking news story where the photojournalist rushes to the place of the
incident and takes shots which convey the essence of the story.

A house or building on fire, car accident, plane crash or a bridge collapse are some
of the examples.

c) Sports Photography: is seen as the most difficult type of photojournalism. The

camera lens has to follow the movement of the player, ball or the vehicle as the
case may be. Special attention has to be given to the aperture and shutter speed
settings. Generally experienced photojournalists are given sports assignments like
basketball game, a football championship match or an IPL match.

e) Portrait Photojournalism: a portrait shows people from the society in their

usual environment, like a race card river beside his car, a doctor inside the
operating on the defense minister in her office. The portrait captures the
emotional state of the person. Portrait Is often give in an exclusive interview or
any special report where that person happens to be a central figure or an
important functionary. Good photos convey the key points of a story faster than
its accompanying text. The photos should focus on the faces of the people and
not on their backs.

A good photo will show the person doing some action or group of people involved
in some activity. Any unusual photograph showing a new phenomenon, emotion
or extraordinary act may qualify as a good photograph. The subject has to be in
focus and the audience should be able to find the key are at of occlusion in the
frame. For example after a heavy snowfall will focus of one picture can be on the
sufferings of the people living in that area and other picture can be on the extent
of snowfall i.e. the amount of snowfall.

The photographer through right composition and proper visualization has to

convey the right message, one that should be able to tell the audience where to
look in the photo. Any two pictures will have two different angles for a story. This
sort of work needs careful planning and execution. Always take note of the angle
of the shots and position of the camera before taking the pictures. Experienced
photographers often take multiple shots from different perspectives. This process
is quite easy with digital cameras. Digital Single-lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)
manufactured by Nikon, Cannon, Sony, Fuji etc. support memory cards as high as
128GB or so. They can also at the same time see the output and take many shots
without worrying about the storage space.

History of Photojournalism

The history of photojournalism can be traced back to the experiments done by

Joseph Nicephore. In 1826 Joseph Nicephore slotted a pewter (aalloyoftin, copper
with antimony) plate in to his camera obscura and exposed that plate to the
surroundings. He had this exposed plate with lavender oil after eight hours and
found that an image had formed on the plate. This image was not very clear but
the scene was more or less visible. Joseph Nicephore claimed it to be the first
photograph, built without a negative. Carol Szathmaria Romanian painter and
photographer were among the first who did photojournalism with the help of His
engraving and painting technique. This engraving technique was also used in the
American Civil war. The first 35mm Leica camera came in 1925 and this marked
the beginning of the Golden Age of Photojournalism. First commercial flashbulbs
came in 1927. The early 35mm camera was small and light. They were more
portable and the printing methods used in these cameras were less cumbersome.
Prominent photographers in the golden age which spanned from 1930sto 1960s
included Walker Evan, Dorothea and Gordon Parks. Homai Vyarawalla is
recognized as the first woman photojournalist of India. She was born in
Gujaratandit was her husband Manekshaw Vyarawalla who introduced her to the
world of photography.

Tamabarahalli Subramanya SatyanarayanaIyer, popularly known as TS Satyan is

known as the father of Indian Photojournalism. He was born in Mysore in 1923. In
2005 TS Satyan published his memoir “Alive and Kicking” in which has mentioned
his experiences and various assignment she did in his life as a photojournalist. TS
Satyan passed away in 2009.
WHY STUDY PHOTOJOURNALISM

Photojournalism is the right field for a creative person who has an eye for detail
and loves to travel. One who likes meeting people and is prepared to work for
long hours in difficult situations can do well in photojournalism. There are lots of
job opportunities for a photojournalist. Websites, news portals, newsmagazines,
TV channels and newspapers are looking for dedicated and efficient camera
persons. Apart from joining a company, a good photojournalist can become a
freelancer. A degree from a reputed college or a university can be an added
advantage for the student. Qualified photographers can join:

Print and Advertising Industry–magazines, adverts and photo libraries; Fashion

Industry–creative photography of models and clothing for magazines and
catalogues; Event Company- social functions, family, wedding and celebrations
photography; And Corporate (industrial/commercial) – company promotional
material

The Camera as a Tool

A camera is a device for recording visual images which may be in the form of
pictures or videos. The camera is only a tool. The camera person has to master
photographic technique. The most important thing is to think of the best way to
show the visual regarding the story to the audience. For this, the photojournalist
should be able to mentally visualize the shot she wants to show and then plan
accordingly. This is achieved by taking the shots from a right perspective. The
photojournalist will think about the right angle, content of the frame and the
content he wants the audience to focus on.

It is always a wise thing to know as much as possible about the subjects to be

photographed and think of all possible different perspectives which could be
shown to the reader in order to covey the point. These days’ professional
photographers use Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR). In DSLR instead of
hitting the film, the light which enters shits the sensor. DSLR comes with a zoom
lens which has a variable focal length in the range of 35mm-70mm.

A good photograph can be powerful and can be an agent for change. Different
journalists and photographers approach news stories differently. Some of them
highlight the government’s failure in a story; whereas some of them shoot to
support a public cause. They capture different aspects of life of a common man

To high light their plight and suffering in order to draw the attention of
authorities towards these issues. By publishing the pictures of pending projects
and unfinished tasks they remind different agencies and also the public to meet
their responsibility. For example by publishing pictures of garbage and piles of
waste material the photojournalist reminds the citizens of their duty towards
maintaining a clean neighborhood which is free of dirt and diseases.

Good camera work focuses on the relevant parts of the story i.e. visual parts
which are important for storytelling and leaves the rest. The relevant visual parts
are photographed in a manner which develops an emotional connect with the
audience. Such a photograph with the emotional appeal is liked by the audience
and they remember it for long. While doing his camera work the photojournalist
needs to be sensitive towards the feelings of other human beings. Right
specifications of focal length, exposure and ISO can bring good results even with
an old camera. The specifications depend on whether the photography is out
door or in door. The time of the day also affects the quality of the picture. Source
of light and the temperature of artificial lights also affect the final picture. A keen
study of the separate meters will enable a photojournalist to plan his camera
work appropriately.

Let us discuss a few technical terms used frequently in photojournalism. A good

understanding of these terms is necessary to bring the desired results. The
exposure or exposure value is the amount of light received by the camera. If more
light goes inside the camera the image becomes over exposed and if the amount
of light is less it is underexposed. Inappropriate levels of exposure are seen as
noise and affects the message. Many newsrooms reject these images as they are
not fit for publication. Three values are considered important when looking at the
amount of light entering a camera.

a) Shutter Speed, b) Aperture and c) Sensitivity.

Shutter speed refers to the time the sensor is exposed to the light and is
measured infraction of seconds. A shutter speed of 1/30 exposes the sensor to
light for 1/ 30th of a second. For most cameras successive shutter speed roughly
halves the exposure time (i.e. 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/120s.) Faster shutter speed is
required to capture fast motion like a cycling race or 100 meter sprint. Shutter
speed of 1/ 250s freezes the frame. Higher shutter speed also reduces the
amount of light entering the camera. Doubling the shutter speed reduces the
amount of light entering the camera by half.

Shutter speed is the duration, i.e .how long light will take to go through the
sensor, while the aperture or there is the adjustable opening in a camera lens that
determines how much light reaches the sensor in a unit time.

Aperture settings are given in f-stops and are written as f/1.2,f/2.8,f/4. F-stop is
designated in fractions of focal length. Higher values of aperture represent
smaller aperture opening which means higher values of aperture allows less
amount of light to enter the camera. Lenses with large aperture which allow more
light to enter through are called fast lenses.

The third key factor which determines the exposure of a picture is the sensor’s
sensitivity. The sensitivity of a sensorisde noted by ISO. ISO measures the
sensitivity of the image sensor. 100 ISO is accepted as a ‘normal’ or ‘standard’ ISO
and will give fine shots with little noise. The photojournalist has to check the ISO
settings when covering different assignments with different light conditions. A
camera lens is an assembly or combination of optical lenses to make images
either on film or any optical storage medium. Different types of lenses have
different focal length which helps them to be used in different situations. The
focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens of a camera and its image
sensor when the subject that the camera is pointing is in focus. The focal length is
usually stated in millimeters. The focal length of few lenses and their uses are
given below: