Advanced Photography Course

number of photographs is the scope of the story. For

example, the story of a Navy base will require more
photographs than a story about one person attached to
that base.

6. WRITING THE TEXT AND CUTLINES.

After the film has been exposed, processed, and
contact prints made, the next step is to begin writing
the text and cutlines. Review your notes carefully.

Look for quotes or other information that can be used

as a lead. Check all statements and facts. Remember

to double-check the spelling of names. Your first
attempt at writing a story should be considered a
rough draft only. This is the time to correct mistakes
and to verify that you have complete and accurate
information. Above all, remember that the text must
support the photographs. When the text is written,
writing the cutlines is a rather simple matter. Do not
repeat what you have already stated in the text.
Cutlines in a picture story should not be confused
with captions for a single picture. Cutlines for a
picture story are very brief. Sometimes they consist
of no more than one word. The purpose of an cutline
is to bridge the gap between the text and the pictures
(fig. 1-5).

PICTURE ESSAY

A picture essay, unlike a picture story, does not

have to follow a logical order, have continuity, or be
objective. A picture essay allows a photojournalist to

present a subject from a personal point of view, For
example, how does the flight deck of an aircraft
carrier affect you emotionally? Does the vast size of
it overwhelm you? If so, you may photograph it
abstractly with a fisheye or extremely wide-angle lens

to emphasize this feeling. Similarly, you may be
aroused by the hard and dangerous work on a flight

deck, and your approach to the story may be from this
direction.

A picture essay differs from a picture story. In the

picture essay, it is the photographer's viewpoint on a
given subject that is important. A picture essay is
interpretive, not factual. It is an organization of
pictures around a central theme; it does not have a
plot, and it does not have a well-defined beginning,
middle, or ending. It is not objective; the requirement
for a photographer to remain unbiased and factual is
eliminated from the coverage. It is actually through
the photographer's point of view that the reader sees
the subject.

To create a picture essay, you must organize

several pictures on a single theme to give a deeper,
fuller, more rounded, more intense view of the subject
than a single picture could. It does not matter what
method you use to bind the photographs to the theme.
This is the point where your creative talents can be
used to explore people, events, and nature.

As with any photo assignment, research is

necessary. It is through research that you will decide

just how subjective you can be. Will a broad

interpretation say the same thing as a tightly knit,
artistic portrayal? What should be the main
technique? Is more than one subjective approach
required? Here again, you must research your subject,
and then plan your shooting and portrayal of the
subject.

Because a picture essay is subjective, you may

choose to use subjective photographs to make your
point. Subjective photographs, as a rule, show the
subjects in a form that makes them more interesting
and stimulating than usual. This is because they
present the subject in a new light. Refer to figure 1-6,

located at the end of this chapter, for an example of a
picture essay.

You can use various pictorial interpretation

techniques to produce different interpretations of an
event. A few that you may want to consider are as

follows:

1. MULTIPLE IMAGES. There are occasions

when a single image is not adequate for showing an
imaginative theme, mixed mental impressions of the
busy world of today, or combinations of a certain
background with the framing of the foreground. The
technique of sandwiching two or more negatives
together, double printing, double exposures, and
montages is used to this creative end.

2. INFRARED. Black-and-white infrared film

can transform the landscape from a dull photograph to

an image of beauty. The amount of infrared radiation
absorbed or reflected by the subject renders the
subject in unnatural tones (foliage and grass appear

lighter than normal because they strongly reflect
infrared radiation).

3. MOTION. In still pictures, motion suggests

action. Motion can be suggested by using a
slow-shutter speed or by panning with the subject. The

1-13

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Advanced Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> number of photographs is the scope of the story. For example, the story of a Navy base will require more photographs than a story about one person attached to that base. 6. WRITING THE TEXT AND CUTLINES. After the film has been exposed, processed, and contact prints made, the next step is to begin writing the text and cutlines. Review your notes carefully. Look for quotes or other information that can be used as a lead. Check all statements and facts. Remember to double-check the spelling of names. Your first attempt at writing a story should be considered a rough draft only. This is the time to correct mistakes and to verify that you have complete and accurate information. Above all, remember that the text must support the photographs. When the text is written, writing the cutlines is a rather simple matter. Do not repeat what you have already stated in the text. Cutlines in a picture story should not be confused with captions for a single picture. Cutlines for a picture story are very brief. Sometimes they consist of no more than one word. The purpose of an cutline is to bridge the gap between the text and the pictures (fig. 1-5). PICTURE ESSAY A picture essay, unlike a picture story, does not have to follow a logical order, have continuity, or be objective. A picture essay allows a photojournalist to present a subject from a personal point of view, For example, how does the flight deck of an aircraft carrier affect you emotionally? Does the vast size of it overwhelm you? If so, you may photograph it abstractly with a fisheye or extremely wide-angle lens to emphasize this feeling. Similarly, you may be aroused by the hard and dangerous work on a flight deck, and your approach to the story may be from this direction. A picture essay differs from a picture story. In the picture essay, it is the photographer's viewpoint on a given subject that is important. A picture essay is interpretive, not factual. It is an organization of pictures around a central theme; it does not have a plot, and it does not have a well-defined beginning, middle, or ending. It is not objective; the requirement for a photographer to remain unbiased and factual is eliminated from the coverage. It is actually through the photographer's point of view that the reader sees the subject. To create a picture essay, you must organize several pictures on a single theme to give a deeper, fuller, more rounded, more intense view of the subject than a single picture could. It does not matter what method you use to bind the photographs to the theme. This is the point where your creative talents can be used to explore people, events, and nature. As with any photo assignment, research is necessary. It is through research that you will decide just how subjective you can be. Will a broad interpretation say the same thing as a tightly knit, artistic portrayal? What should be the main technique? Is more than one subjective approach required? Here again, you must research your subject, and then plan your shooting and portrayal of the subject. Because a picture essay is subjective, you may choose to use subjective photographs to make your point. Subjective photographs, as a rule, show the subjects in a form that makes them more interesting and stimulating than usual. This is because they present the subject in a new light. Refer to figure 1-6, located at the end of this chapter, for an example of a picture essay. You can use various pictorial interpretation techniques to produce different interpretations of an event. A few that you may want to consider are as follows: 1. MULTIPLE IMAGES. There are occasions when a single image is not adequate for showing an imaginative theme, mixed mental impressions of the busy world of today, or combinations of a certain background with the framing of the foreground. The technique of sandwiching two or more negatives together, double printing, double exposures, and montages is used to this creative end. 2. INFRARED. Black-and-white infrared film can transform the landscape from a dull photograph to an image of beauty. The amount of infrared radiation absorbed or reflected by the subject renders the subject in unnatural tones (foliage and grass appear lighter than normal because they strongly reflect infrared radiation). 3. MOTION. In still pictures, motion suggests action. Motion can be suggested by using a slow-shutter speed or by panning with the subject. The 1-13 contents Advanced Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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