Tag Archives: photojournalism

John Moore’s: An Immigrant’s Journey

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One of Moore’s images showing immigrants crossing into Mexico from Guatemala.

Getty Images photographer John Moore took his coverage of immigration stories a step further when he traveled  to the Mexico-Guatemala border, where Central American immigrants cross the Suchiate River, beginning their long and perilous journey north through Mexico. View his images here.

On my way to Tapachula to get a visa renewed, I witnessed people openly crossing the Guatemalan/Mexican border on rafts just below the bridge where immigration officers are checking documents for those who cross legally. They were going both ways.

Those headed north may have been just starting their journey to attempt a border crossing into the USA. Those heading south had loads of products, gasoline, etc. that they were not-so subtly smuggling into Guatemala where untaxed gas is openly sold along the highways at nearly $1.30 (US) cheaper than the going rate at legal gas stations.

PhotoJournalism: Get model releases

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Mark M. Hancock gives the best description and easily understood info about model releases for photojournalists that I’ve seen yet.  This is definitely worth a read.

The biggest benefit of a signed model release is the subjects’ knowledge they signed a release. In other words, once the subject signs the release, they’re aware it exists and aren’t going to try to sue because they know they signed it.

read the whole article at PhotoJournalism: Get model releases.

What’s been your experience with or without model releases?

Ethics in Photojournalism

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I’m reading over a variety of examples of ethics breaches. Check these out:

The LA Times published the following image which turned out to be a composite. Click the image to see how it was made. Read about Brian Walski’s image here.

Here’s how Time and Newsweek handled O.J. Simpson’s mug shot in 1994. Time dodged the edges and his face to make it more striking, but not as accurate.

See more examples of stinky journalism here.

Don’t come back without them.

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Whatever you are covering, there are three shots every photographer should bring back to the newsroom: The overall shot, the medium shot, and the close-up. These are your must haves.

The overall shot

Often a wide angle or expansive shot that provides an overall view establishing the scene. This image let’s the viewer see how the subject(s) is/are oriented in relationship to the whole scene.

Take a street festival for example…the overall shot may show the expanse of the street lined with vendor booths and crowded with people with a perspective from a high vantage point. This image lets the viewer see how big this event really is.

The medium shot

This shot is the basic story teller shot. It lets the viewer see the subject close enough to view their actions but not so tight that they are secluded from their environment or people they are interacting with.

Back to the street festival example…the medium shot may show a street vendor interacting with a customer and leaves enough environment to place the interaction at the festival.

The close up

This shot pulls out details that support the other two shots. By narrowing the field of view, it forces the viewer to come closer and, in effect, enter the scene themselves. A close up gives the viewer that personal view of even small details that make up the whole of the scene.

In the street festival, the close up may be the sticky fist of a child holding an ice cream cone and framed by an equally sticky face or the intricate carving of an artisan’s craft.

By making sure you’ve got these three covered, you’re going to have a much better chance of coming back with not just one image that “works” but getting a story in images that will help you show what you saw and keep your editor happy.

Warm Lenses

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This is the second part of a two-part entry. Part I covers tips for Journalists, while Part II covers tips for Photojournalists.
As a journalist, staying practiced up is something that’s a must. Whether you’re a student, a stringer or a full-time staffer, you’ve got stay on top of your game. I call it keeping your pencil sharp for journalists and your lenses warm for photojournalists. Here are a few tips for doing just that.

Tips for keeping your lenses warm:

  • Shoot. Evaluate. Shoot better. Always evaluate your work. Look through the contact sheets and see what worked and what didn’t. Then figure out what you need to do more of and what you need to avoid so you can do it better next time. Continue reading →