During our last class lecture before Fall break, Chris Machian, photographer and videographer for the Omaha World-Herald, came to speak with our class about the fundamentals of using photography to tell a media story. He described the basic goal for any photo/photographer is to tell a story, sometimes while using a single photo, and other times by using multiple photos to give more insight in to local events, feature stories, and developing news stories.
His presentation was helpful, as it distinguished between the three basic types of photos used in media storytelling:
1. The tight/detail shot, which seeks to capture something that maybe on its own won’t tell the story all by itself, but it helps emphasize a point in the story.
2. The medium shot, which mostly involves pictures of people, and
3. The wide shot, which is often used to show placement of a story/give the viewer a when/where of the photo and the story it is attempting to tell. The wide shot captures a lot by showing a wider space. Machian made sure to pinpoint that the wide shot doesn’t necessarily have to be shot with a wide-angle lens, just as long as the photo captures how many people were at an event, etc.
After showing examples of the different types of shots that can be taken, Machian discussed the “rule of thirds” in photography, which helps to prevent placing people dead-center in a photograph, giving it a more natural look in order to tell the story. I will try to remember this rule when I go out to complete my own photography essay assignment.
One piece of advice I found useful and interesting was how to approach people who will be potential subjects for photographs to tell a story. Machian stated, “Treat your subject as someone you know in order to minimize harm and show them your respect.” It reminded me of how important it is to always ensure that our actions and work are aimed toward self-awareness, making sure we are there to serve the community and tell a story and the last thing we want to do as journalists is cause harm towards anyone involved in a story.
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Jesi Baltezor UNO Blog 