Lessons in Photojournalism: 25 Years in the Field
(Part 1 of 3)
I’ve been been a photojournalist based in South Carolina for more than 25 years - working with Getty Images, The New York Times, The Associated Press and others — for the last ten. Here’s what I’ve learned about photojournalism over a span of four decades.
Photos and words by Sean Rayford (offering personalized online photography lessons)
1. NURTURE CURIOSITY: One of the most important character traits of a journalist and photojournalist, is curiosity. This is the fuel for our fires.
If you don’t like surprises, being out of place, blazing trails or asking questions — you may be looking in the wrong place.
2. GET CLOSER: Robert Capa is famously quoted. “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” And while this isn’t always the case, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb. When we get close, intimacy follows.
That said, Capa was killed getting too close to a landmine.
3. RECON AND DOUBLE DOWN: Explore angles and identify the best results and double down on those. Once I start making photos — and sometimes before, I’ll walk around a subject to make sure I see what each lighting scenario and backgrounds work well together. You can also do this when you arrive early.
4. CAPTIONS: Caption writing is one of the biggest distinguishers between photojournalists and everyone else with a camera. In a modern age dominated by misinformation, having the who, what, where and when attached to a photo is invaluable. Here’s a video about how photojournalists write captions .
5. ARRIVE EARLY: When I was younger, I was frequently cutting it close when it came to getting places on time. I was mostly on time, especially when it mattered, but being on time isn’t good enough.
Arriving early gives a photojournalist the opportunity to get familiar with the scene, but more importantly it allows people to get familiar with us..
There’s a psychological power when it comes to occupying spaces before others. This applies to large spaces over periods of time and also to exact locations and moments. As a photographer, you’re much less intrusive when the subjects come into space you already occupy.
Getting somewhere early also helps get you into your “zone.” Photojournalism is a very performance-based activity — where routine and state of mind are important.
6. MEET DEADLINES: There are many things photojournalists can do to help them meet their deadlines, but none rival preparing captions before each assignment. Prior to most assignments, photojournalists typically have enough information to pre-write significant parts of a photo caption.
For example, we typically always know the date and location for the first sentence and all of the second sentence. With breaking news we have to do more thinking on our feet, but the process is the same.
7. DOGS and PEOPLE: Get the name of the dog. Also, get the names of people.
8. SWING FOR THE FENCES: Begin your assignment by knocking out the basic requirements —then circle back and swing for the fences. Take risks. Get creative. If you fail — and fail and fail and fail again — you learn what doesn’t work.
This is when we get to make our best photos and when we get to learn the most. This also provides a system for both reliability and excellence.
9. STORYTELLING WITH LAYERS: I love using layers to help tell stories. Typically my photography involves a subject and a background and sometimes a foreground. Sometimes I make use of more layers.
One of the most powerful storytelling techniques with photography uses layers to signal context. These layers can be subtle messages or obvious ones. Political campaigns orchestrate this type of thing all the time. Sometimes, we get words to harness. These contextual parts of a photograph don’t need to be in focus, as long as its still identifiable.
10. FILMMAKING: When working on an assignment that will feature multiple photos, vary detail, close, medium and wide shots — like a filmmaker would. Study filmmakers.
11. KILL YOUR DARLINGS: We are in the age of the photo dump. Learn to edit tightly. Learn what makes a great photograph and apply that to your own work. The power of still photography is it’s ability to tell a story in a single frame. Use photography with intention.
Some reporters and editors may want lots of photos so the community will visit a website in hopes of seeing themselves there. I don’t think this is photojournalism.
Continue with Part 2 of 3