Thought Piece #1

After reading these sections, I realized that being a photojournalist is about much more than taking a good picture. It is also about having ideas, working with people, practicing, and making sure the story I am telling is honest. The reading made me think about my own strengths and the areas of photography that I still struggle with.

One of my biggest struggles is coming up with ideas for photo assignments. I often feel like I need to have the perfect idea right away, which makes it harder for me to even get started. Then I become stressed and feel like the final work is not my best. The reading says, “Don’t limit your subject matter – everything, and I mean everything, is a potential feature picture” (p. 126). I think keeping an idea log could help me stop putting so much pressure on myself and instead write down small things I notice that could become stories later.

I also struggle with feeling comfortable when I am taking photos of people. I feel like I stand out, and when someone notices me looking at them, I sometimes shut down instead of continuing to look for the moment. Portraits are especially difficult for me because I do not always know how to get the expression I want from someone. The reading reminded me that I need to become more comfortable around my subjects and let moments happen instead of forcing them. I also want to remember that “your reputation depends on photographing what you see, not what you want to see” (p. 124).

One area that does come naturally to me is talking to people. Because I am comfortable having conversations, captioning is something I feel confident about. I can ask questions, get people talking, and pull quotes and important details from them. The reading says, “a photographer’s responsibility to his subjects does not end with making pictures” (p. 121), which reminds me that talking with people and understanding their stories is just as important as making the photograph.

Overall, this reading showed me that I still have a lot to work on as a photojournalist. I want to practice getting comfortable with people, especially when they notice my camera, and become better at directing and capturing expressions in portraits. Most importantly, I want to stop putting so much pressure on myself to find the perfect idea and instead give myself time to notice stories around me. I know that “Practice, practice, practice” (p. 127) is something I need to take seriously as I continue developing my photography.