Thought Piece #2

After reading these sections, I started thinking about how much of being a photojournalist

happens before I even press the shutter. I have always focused a lot on getting the settings right and making sure I get a usable photo, but this reading made me realize that a strong photograph comes from paying attention to what is happening around me. As a photojournalist, I want to get better a slowing down, observing people and situations and making decisions that help tell the story instead of just documenting it.

The section about light especially changes the way I think about taking pictures. The reading

says, “The quality of light affects the way a reader feels about a picture” (p. 27). I usually think

of lighting in terms of whether I can see my subject clearly, but I want to start thinking about

how it affects the mood of the photograph. When I am photographing for CMLife or working on an assignment, I can use natural light, shadows and different directions of light to make an image feel more meaningful. Even when I am dealing with bad or difficult lighting at an event, I can look for a different position instead of immediately trying to fix everything with my camera.

Composition is something I can also apply to my work as a student photographer. One thing I

took from this section is that I should not always settle for the first photo I see. The reading

explains that “what you see and how you see it” separates photographers from each other (p. 28). I think this is important because there can dozens of photographers at the same event, but everyone has the ability to tell the story differently. If I am photographing a speaker, for

example, I do not want every photo to be the person standing behind a podium. I can look at the audience, their reactions, the environment or smaller interactions that someone else might miss. I also want to become more aware of what is in my background so that I am making the photo stronger rather than accidentally distracting from the subject.

The section on timing is probably something I can use the most. The reading described how

“nothing is more compelling in a photograph than a real, candid moment” (p. 30). I have noticed this while taking photos myself. Some of my favorite photographers are not the ones where someone is looking directly at the camera. They are the moments where people are laughing, reacting, working or interacting without thinking about the camera. I want to become better at anticipating those moments instead of constantly reacting to them after they happen. As a photojournalist, I need to be patient and pay attention because the best moment might only last for a second.

The subject matter section also made me think about how I approach assignments. The reading says, “What you shoot is a critical decision” (p. 33). Even when I am assigned something that does not seem very exciting at first, I can still find something worth photographing. I can look for the person who has an interesting story, an emotional reaction or a detail that represents what the even is really about. I think this will help be become a more curious photographer instead of just checking off an assignment.

Overall, I want to take these ideas into my future work as a photojournalist by being more aware of what I am seeing and why I am photographing it. I do not want to only focus on getting technically correct pictures. I want make photographs that make someone stop and look, even if they were not at the event themselves. These sections showed me that being a good photojournalist is not just about having the right equipment or knowing how to use the camera. It is about being present enough to recognize the moment, make the right choice and tell a story through one image.