PHOTO JOURNALISM: AN

EYE FOR CAMERA AND A

NOSE FOR NEWS

by
Prof. Hero Balba
Resource Speaker
What is Photojournalism?
 a particular form of journalism (the
collecting, editing, and presenting of news
material for publication or broadcast) that
creates images in order to tell a news story;
usually referring only to still images, but in
some cases the term also refers to video
used in broadcast journalism
 distinguished from other close branches of
photography (such as documentary
photography, social documentary, art
photography, street photography or
celebrity photography)
Qualities of Photojournalism
 Timeliness — the images have meaning in
the context of a recently published
record of events
 Objectivity — the situation implied by the
images is a fair and accurate
representation of the events they
depict in both content and tone
 Narrative — the images combine with
other news elements to make facts
relatable to the viewer or reader on a
cultural level
Ethical and Legal
Considerations
 objectivity applied by journalists on:
- what to shoot
- how to frame
- how to edit
 ethical conflicts can be mitigated or
enhanced by the actions of a sub-editor or
picture editor, who takes control of the
images once they have been delivered to
the news organization
 photojournalist often has no control as to
how images are ultimately used
Issues in Photojournalism
 emergence of digital photography offers
whole new realms of opportunity for the
manipulation, reproduction, and
transmission of images
 photo manipulation – what degree is
acceptable? – staged photos (particularly of
war – see war photography: history for
early examples), and false or misleading
captioning
 ethical issues are often inscribed with more
or less success into law; laws regarding
photography can vary significantly from
nation to nation
The Impact of New
Technologies
 smaller, lighter cameras greatly enhanced the role of the photojournalist;
since the 1960s, motor drives, electronic flash, auto-focus, better lenses and
other camera enhancements have made picture taking easier
 digital cameras free photojournalists from the limitation of film roll length, as
thousands of images can be stored on a single memory card
 content remains the most important element of photojournalism
 digital camera, a mobile phone and a laptop computer, a photojournalist can
send a high-quality image in minutes, even seconds after an event occurs
 profession of photojournalism as it is known today could change to such a
degree that it is unrecognizable as image-capturing technology naturally
progresses
 citizen journalism and the increase in user contribution and submission of
amateur photos to news sites is becoming more widespread
 introduction of the 35 mm Leica camera in the 1930s made it possible for
photographers to move with the action, taking shots of events as they were
unfolding
 age of the citizen journalist and the attainment of news photos from amateur
bystanders have contributed to the art of photojournalism
 Paul Levinson attributes this shift to the Kodak camera, one of the first cheap
and accessible photo technologies that “put a piece of visual reality into every
person's potential grasp”
 empowered news audience with the advent of the Internet sparked the
creation of blogs, podcasts and online news, independent of the traditional
outlets, and “for the first time in our history, the news increasingly is
produced by companies outside journalism”, example You_scoop of GMA7
Photo Story Thru Caption
 a short text message that appears
below the image/cut and clarifies its
importance
 short story behind the photo
 two short sentences, rarely three,
accompanied by a cutline (title of
caption)
 most commonly read words in an
article, should be succinct and
informative
Nature of Caption
 unique story-telling and seldom effective enough to
stand alone
 no matter how exciting the picture may be, it fails
unless the viewer understands the five Ws-Who,
What, When, Where and Why of the photograph
 text that accompanies the photograph and
responsibility of photojournalist to gather the
necessary information and write complete, concise,
and factual captions
 supplements the photograph by answering the five
Ws and provides clarification of important details that
are not readily apparent in the photograph
 three basic elements:
- an explanation of the subject
- identification of persons or things in the picture
- additional details of background information
Two Types of Caption
 News photo caption – summary of
story giving 5Ws and H
Writing News Caption
 first sentence usually identifies the people and
place in the photograph and supply the date and
location where it was taken
 second (and perhaps third) sentence should
provide contextual information to help readers
understand what they are looking at
 PARANAQUE HOLDS BLOOD-LETTING. The
Paranaque City Government thru the City
Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative conducts the
blood-letting activities at the city hall dubbed
“Dugo Mo, Buhay Ko”. The project held last Aug. 5
aims to have a pool of donors and an adequate
supply of blood for the medical needs of the
community. Photo shows Paranaque City
information office chief Lloyd Palconan donated
blood along other employees.
Two Types of Caption
 Feature photo
caption -
bubbly, creative,
human interest
story
Writing Feature Caption
 getting outside the box, not just
summary (5Ws and H)
 human interest angle of the story
 more creative use of words
 Waves caused by strong winds triggered
by typhoon Kiko crash against shanties
along the seawall in Tondo, Manila
yesterday as (inset) residents of
Malanday, Valenzuela ride a pedicab to
avoid floodwaters that rose to as high as
30 inches in some parts of the city.
Criteria for Good Caption

 clearly identifies the subject of

the picture, without detailing the
obvious
 establishes the picture's
relevance to the article
 provides context for the picture
 draws the reader into the article
ABC in Caption Writing
 Accuracy – correct facts
 Brevity – brief (2-3
sentences)
 Completeness – important
details depict story
Basic Requirements
 identify the people and location
 professional titles should be included
 spell names correctly
 identifications typically go from left to right (2-3 persons)
 identifications of only notable people may be required, no
I.D.s are required at all (large group)
 include the date of photograph for news currency
 archive photograph or photograph must make clear “file
photo”
 provide some background to the reader for news value of
the photograph
 write in complete sentences and in the present tense to give
the image a sense of immediacy
 first sentence the present tense and following sentences are
not
 be brief, one or two short, declarative sentences; extend to
a third sentence if complex contextual information is
needed to explain the image completely
Examples of Caption

 A school bus is towed following a collision with a car in the South Luzon Expressway
on Friday, Sept. 30, 2005. There were no major injuries reported among the 42
students and eight adults on board from St. Joseph School in Quezon City. (PNA
Photo/John Reyes)
 (L-R) New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Schools Chancellor
Joel Klein and Deputy Mayor for Education Denis Wolcott at PS 40 in Brooklyn on
Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005, announce the highest scores for New York City public
school 4th graders on state math exams since standards-based testing began four
years ago.
 9 Nov. - Cairo, Egypt - A woman displays her ink-stained finger after voting.
Egyptians took to the polls today for the first round of parliamentary election.
President Hosni Mubarak and his ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have
allowed several opposition groups, most notably the formerly banned Muslim
Brotherhood party, to be among the 5,000 candidates campaigning for more than
400 seats. Photo credit: John Smock/SIPA
 9 June, 2005 – Kabul, Afghanistan — A child severely burned by a car bomb
yesterday receives care at the Indira Gandi Institute of Child Medicine. Doctors are
struggling with limited medicines to treat the growing number of child victims whose
injuries are often compounded by other medical problems, such as poor nutrition,
that diminish a child’s ability to heal. John Smock/SIPA.
 Musician Phil Stewart uses software by Ejamming Inc. to play online with musicians
(pictured on the screen) in other parts of New York City at the DigitalLife Expo on
Friday, Oct. 14, 2005. The three-day DigitalLIfe Expo features cutting-edge
technology for work, home and play. (AP Photo/John Smock)
 Esquire magazine Editor-in-Chief David Granger, left, and Publisher Kevin O’Malley,
right, pose with actress Jessica Biel at her unveiling as the magazine’s 2005 ‘Sexiest
Woman Alive’ on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005, in New York City. (AP Photo/John Smock)
Do’s In Caption Writing
 first sentence is the most important, describe the action without overemphasizing
the obvious
 always use the active voice of the verb and write in the present tense
 include background information to clarify the photo, depends on where the picture
will be located and how it will be used
 know how the photograph is to be used, whether it will be used alone, as a single
picture, or used in conjunction with a news story or report
 when the picture is to accompany a news story, the caption should not repeat details
used in the text.
 when the photograph is to be used as a single picture, it must tell the whole story,
with background information, caption and picture combination must tell the
complete story
 five Ws should be given in vigorous, forceful language without sacrificing simplicity
and brevity -
- WHO (persons shown in the photograph, beginning with paygrade, rate, or rank
and full name.
- WHAT (identify objects and things shown in the photograph)
- WHERE (identify the location of the event)
- WHEN – (actual time or date of the event)
- WHY – (reason for a particular event taking place)
 although no prescribed length for captions, the general rule is one paragraph,
preferably in 50 words or less, the shorter you make the caption and still tell a
complete story, the better
 no one best way to write a caption, make use of the three basic elements: explain
the action, identify persons or things in the photograph, and give necessary
background information
Don’ts In Caption Writing

 Don’t be vague in your caption and make sure names of

people and places are correctly identified and spelled. Be
accurate (photojournalist is a journalist).
 Don’t create erroneous impression and tell if photo is
manipulated digitally beyond simple sizing and color
control, labeled as a “photo illustration” in the caption or in
the photo credit, need to exlain special effects, such as the
use of an inset or a picture sequence.
 Do not use verbs or verb phrases such as “looks on” or
“poses” “or “is pictured above” in writing captions; obvious
and boring.
 Do not editorialize or make assumptions about what
someone in a picture is thinking: “an unhappy voter…” or
“A fortunate survivor”.
 Do not characterize the content of a picture as beautiful,
dramatic, horrifying or in any other such descriptive terms
that should be evident in the photograph.
 Do not make your caption independently of a written story
called “wild art” or standalones.
Cutline Writing
 comprised of 3-4 key words
 title, not labels (more active
words)
e.g.
(Good) Paranaque Holds Blood-
letting
(Bad) Blood-letting
Format of Cutlines
 Center/middle
 flush-left
 flush-right
 run-in
Workshop on Caption/Cutline:
 The following news photo/cut flushed on the screen
deserves a short story and its title.
 Cull out from the facts of the story given as follows:
- 8 miners recovered after landslides
- rescuers dug out three (3) brothers buried by mud
and debris after heavy rains last Thursday at Camp 8
along Kennon Road, Baguio City
- Edu Pisca, 13; Michael Pisca, 12; and Kris, 7
- Chief Inspector (holding helmet) Paul Mencio said
landslides destroyed family’s shanty built on steep
cliff
- Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan suspended classes in
all levels in Baguio City
- The floods affected areas near the swollen Balili
River, la Trinidad’s major river system
The Photo