It may be a cliché to say that a picture’s worth a thousand words, yet as a visually stimulated species, humans are wired to be interested and motivated by images. A properly rendered image can inspire us, evoke our emotions, move us to act, or amaze us. This is the foundational belief of photojournalism, which is the art of using images to tell a story. Photojournalism can extend from simply adding images to a news story to creating a standalone pictorial series of images for a website or magazine. Regardless of their assignment, a photojournalist has one main goal: to tell a story better through their image that could be ever expressed in text.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD IMAGE
Before we can look at what photojournalism does with images, we need to look at what makes a good image in general. There are three important aspects of an image: the subject, the framing, and the composition.
SUBJECT
The subject is what the photographer wants to show to tell audience. Usually, the subject of a news photo is a person or animal, yet it can occasionally be an object or a geographical feature. There are many ways to establish a subject in a photo. The subject can be the largest thing in a photo, the only thing in the photo that’s moving, or something that is isolated from everything else. No matter how this is done, the reader knows what the subject is because it is differentiated from its background.
Yet photographers don’t always get a chance to pose the subject or control the background—think of taking a photo of an excited fan in the middle of a football crowd. How can a photographer indicate that this fan is the subject? A trick many photographers use is changing the depth of field, a term for the distance between objects that the camera sees in focus. By changing the depth of field, the photographer can keep the entire photo in sharp focus, blur the background so the eye focuses on the subject in the foreground, or even blur the foreground so focus is on a subject in the midground or background.
Yet photographers don’t always get a chance to pose the subject or control the background—think of taking a photo of an excited fan in the middle of a football crowd. How can a photographer indicate that this fan is the subject? A trick many photographers use is changing the depth of field, a term for the distance between objects that the camera sees in focus. By changing the depth of field, the photographer can keep the entire photo in sharp focus, blur the background so the eye focuses on the subject in the foreground, or even blur the foreground so focus is on a subject in the midground or background.
FRAMING
Most photographs are rectangles, either situated as a portrait (where it is taller vertically than horizontally) or as a landscape (where it is wider horizontally than vertically). No matter what shape the image is, the photo still has boundaries—this is the frame. Framing then is simply how the subject elements are organized in frame. Framing has only one goal—to better draw the eye to the subject of the photo. There are various visual tools that are used in framing:
- Symmetry: The simplest type of framing, this puts the subject dead center. Typically, background elements are similar on either side to increase the sense of symmetry. As the faces of most people and animals are symmetrical (not to mention most of the objects in our world), symmetry creates a natural look that pleases our brains.
- Rule of thirds: This photo alignment technique works against symmetry but still maintain balance so photos look unique but not strange. To accomplish this, place a 3x3 grid over a photo and align subject elements to the lines. Faces and eyes specifically should be placed in one of the four points where the grid lines intersect. Note that this is a very popular composition method as it is the only one that can be done in editing.
- Perspective (angles): Another way to realign the subject is by moving the camera away from eye level, the natural height at which people hold a camera. Taking photos of a subject from a low angle (or a worm’s eye view) makes the subject feel powerful, dominant, and important. Likewise, taking photos of a subject from a high angle (or a bird’s eye view) makes the subject feel small, insignificant, and weak. Tilting the camera so it is not parallel with the ground (called a Dutch angle) gives a photo a feeling of strangeness, as our brains see the world as wrong.
- Internal Framing: To draw more attention to the subject, shoot the photo with a closer object in the foreground that frames the subjects within the photo.
- Leading lines: Another way to draw attention to the subject is by finding natural background elements like steps or bricks that create natural lines, then take the photo from a place where those lines direct the eye to the subject.
- Repetition: Finally, finding a repeating element in the background of the photo can help direct the eye to a subject through contrast—essentially, the subject breaks the repeated pattern, make the eye immediately go to it
COMPOSITION
Finally, a photo’s composition is crucial for creating an emotional tone for the photo. While some including framing techniques under composition, we’ll define composition as specifically the lighting and coloration in a photo.
Lighting can hep focus the eye just like framing through contrast. In a photo with a lot of darkness, the eye will be drawn to what is in the light; similarly, the eye will focus on an object in darkness (like a silhouette) in a photo bathed in light. Warmer light—light that is softer and toward the orange part of the color spectrum—creates and inviting and cozy mood. Cooler light, with its harder edges and shift toward the blue part of the spectrum, does the opposite and establishes a distant and sadder mood. Natural light often gives off a tone of high energy, while darkness provides a tone of isolation, stillness, and mystery.
Color theory also plays a factor. Warmer backgrounds like pink, red, orange, and yellow give a photo a more playful, energetic feel while photos dominated by dark green, blue, purple, and brown make photos feel more subdued. Brighter colors give a photo more intensity while more muted “washed out” colors give a photo more of a serious tone. White backgrounds make photos feel sterile while black backgrounds make photos feel absorbing. And of course, black and white photos feel classic and traditional. Just like lighting, color contrast is important to make the subject stick out in the photo—a light skinned girl with light hair wearing a white shirt in front of a white wall is not going to be very interesting.
Lighting can hep focus the eye just like framing through contrast. In a photo with a lot of darkness, the eye will be drawn to what is in the light; similarly, the eye will focus on an object in darkness (like a silhouette) in a photo bathed in light. Warmer light—light that is softer and toward the orange part of the color spectrum—creates and inviting and cozy mood. Cooler light, with its harder edges and shift toward the blue part of the spectrum, does the opposite and establishes a distant and sadder mood. Natural light often gives off a tone of high energy, while darkness provides a tone of isolation, stillness, and mystery.
Color theory also plays a factor. Warmer backgrounds like pink, red, orange, and yellow give a photo a more playful, energetic feel while photos dominated by dark green, blue, purple, and brown make photos feel more subdued. Brighter colors give a photo more intensity while more muted “washed out” colors give a photo more of a serious tone. White backgrounds make photos feel sterile while black backgrounds make photos feel absorbing. And of course, black and white photos feel classic and traditional. Just like lighting, color contrast is important to make the subject stick out in the photo—a light skinned girl with light hair wearing a white shirt in front of a white wall is not going to be very interesting.
WHAT MAKES FOR GOOD PHOTOJOURNALISM
A photojournalist doesn’t merely take a photo—the image must tell a story. And all stories have a point. In order to tell a story through the photo, a picture must tell the viewer one of the following things:
This is something incredible you need to see
This is someone/something important whose name you should know
This is how something works
This is how someone feels
This should clarify things for you (includes infographics and slideshows)
In order to do this well, photojournalists follow the motto of be honest, not objective. Stories tend to be one-sided, with heroes and villains, joy and tragedy, good and evil. While text in a news feature has the luxury of taking an objective view, a photographer can only capture the truth through their lens. As we’ve seen, deciding where to point the camera and at what angle can change the meaning or a photo. Cropping a photo to draw focus to a subject or to follow the rule of thirds invariably leaves things out. Since photography is biased by its very nature, the photographer must shift that bias toward veracity. A photographer should not crop or alter a photo in a way that changes the truth behind a story (like cutting out someone who was there to pretend they weren’t). This is why photojournalist try to avoid staged or posed photos—for them, it’s the real thing or nothing.
Of course, that doesn’t really help describe what makes for good photojournalism. In general, stick by these five guidelines:
REVEAL PERSONALITY: A good photo demonstrates who someone is through their posture and attitude. A photo of a politician may capture them as unsmiling and grim as their fiscal policy, while the eye contact of a couple in conversation can reveal the deep love they have for each other. This holds true of nonhuman subjects as well, as a dog tiling its head at an owner can show its confusion and curiosity. As faces carry many of the microexpressions that relate personality, it’s important to get photos of faces over photos of backs.
CAPTURE ACTION: Something should be happening in photos, as action draws an audience’s attention. Show the moment the player scored the goal, not them discussing it in a press conference afterward. Show the cheetah running after the gazelle, not the cheetah walking around aimlessly. Show the student creating an academic project, not them accepting the award for the project. While posed photos are the bane of photojournalism, keep in mind that there can be action in stillness. A gymnast who has just made a perfect landing, a cat recoiled in the moment before it jumps, the roller coaster at the top of the first hill—while these subjects are still, they are alert and ready to move at a moment’s desire. Moreover, their position implies the related action to the viewer.
CAPTURE REACTION: Every action has a reaction, and a reaction to an event can tell just as much of a story as an action. Think about the tears of joy or loss on the faces of athletes and crowds after a last minute win or loss. Think of the shock on someone’s face watching a sudden jump scare in a horror film. Think of the focused concentration of a Jenga player figuring out which block to remove. Reactions are engrossing for viewers because they reveal what the subject is thinking. So for graduation, never capture the handshake onstage but the celebrations after. For a club meeting, don’t show a passive group sitting but an engaged group reaction.
SHOW RELATIONSHIPS: When a photo has more than one subject in it, their relationship should be clear. Are they competitors? Friends? Family? Part of a crowd? Demonstrating relationships can engage readers, as people are social creatures and naturally try to determine relationships when they see people in proximity. Animals do this too, which is why some of the most engaging nature photojournalism involves hunter and prey or two animals working symbiotically (like the South American tarantulas that keep tiny frogs as pets).
CREATE WONDER: Did that tarantula-frog fact surprise you? It should—we as a society think of spiders as cold-blooded murder machines, making it surprising when we see something that goes against our expectations. Photojournalism is truly grate when it challenges or shatters our expectations, giving us something we haven’t seen before. This is especially true of nature photography, which can capture a landscape or tree in a way that it looks brand new to the viewer. Whether it’s the stoic Math teacher playing the guitar in mom jeans, the football team getting their manicures together before prom, or a close-up of the mites that live in a person’s eyelashes, great photojournalism shows the viewer something they don’t see every day.
Of course, that doesn’t really help describe what makes for good photojournalism. In general, stick by these five guidelines:
REVEAL PERSONALITY: A good photo demonstrates who someone is through their posture and attitude. A photo of a politician may capture them as unsmiling and grim as their fiscal policy, while the eye contact of a couple in conversation can reveal the deep love they have for each other. This holds true of nonhuman subjects as well, as a dog tiling its head at an owner can show its confusion and curiosity. As faces carry many of the microexpressions that relate personality, it’s important to get photos of faces over photos of backs.
CAPTURE ACTION: Something should be happening in photos, as action draws an audience’s attention. Show the moment the player scored the goal, not them discussing it in a press conference afterward. Show the cheetah running after the gazelle, not the cheetah walking around aimlessly. Show the student creating an academic project, not them accepting the award for the project. While posed photos are the bane of photojournalism, keep in mind that there can be action in stillness. A gymnast who has just made a perfect landing, a cat recoiled in the moment before it jumps, the roller coaster at the top of the first hill—while these subjects are still, they are alert and ready to move at a moment’s desire. Moreover, their position implies the related action to the viewer.
CAPTURE REACTION: Every action has a reaction, and a reaction to an event can tell just as much of a story as an action. Think about the tears of joy or loss on the faces of athletes and crowds after a last minute win or loss. Think of the shock on someone’s face watching a sudden jump scare in a horror film. Think of the focused concentration of a Jenga player figuring out which block to remove. Reactions are engrossing for viewers because they reveal what the subject is thinking. So for graduation, never capture the handshake onstage but the celebrations after. For a club meeting, don’t show a passive group sitting but an engaged group reaction.
SHOW RELATIONSHIPS: When a photo has more than one subject in it, their relationship should be clear. Are they competitors? Friends? Family? Part of a crowd? Demonstrating relationships can engage readers, as people are social creatures and naturally try to determine relationships when they see people in proximity. Animals do this too, which is why some of the most engaging nature photojournalism involves hunter and prey or two animals working symbiotically (like the South American tarantulas that keep tiny frogs as pets).
CREATE WONDER: Did that tarantula-frog fact surprise you? It should—we as a society think of spiders as cold-blooded murder machines, making it surprising when we see something that goes against our expectations. Photojournalism is truly grate when it challenges or shatters our expectations, giving us something we haven’t seen before. This is especially true of nature photography, which can capture a landscape or tree in a way that it looks brand new to the viewer. Whether it’s the stoic Math teacher playing the guitar in mom jeans, the football team getting their manicures together before prom, or a close-up of the mites that live in a person’s eyelashes, great photojournalism shows the viewer something they don’t see every day.
PHOTO TITLES AND CAPTIONS
While photojournalists focus on making sure their images can tell a story on their own, they don't abandon words entirely. Photojournalists still need to title their pieces, both individual photos and pictorial sets. In naming photos and photo sets, use the same strategies used when writing headlines. All photos (other than infographics) also require captions to provide a needed frame of reference. After all, a picture of a person smiling needs more detail--Did they just win something? Did they just hear a great joke? Are they beaming with pride because their little sister just scored the game-winning goal? Captions, short descriptions providing a frame of reference for the photo, clear this up. This is the only job of a caption--providing a frame of reference.
Good captions are typically three sentences long following the formula of ACTION-BACKGROUND-CONTEXT (these are sometimes referred to as the ABC's):
When photojournalists write captions for a complete pictorial set, each caption builds off the previous caption, just as each paragraph in a written story builds of the last. For images that accompany a regular news story, photojournalists craft a caption that directly relates to the story while providing background and context that is not in the article itself--this rewards the reader for reading the caption, as it's needed but not redundant. Captions must also be very clear. To clarify who is who in the photo, some captions include directionals in parentheses like (left), (at center), or (top right). Captions also use exact dates, including the year if the photo is older than two weeks. Professional captions also use a standard list of abbreviations for places and formal titles. Perhaps the most important addition to the caption is the photo attribution, which is typically placed at the end of a caption to credit the photojournalist.
Good captions are typically three sentences long following the formula of ACTION-BACKGROUND-CONTEXT (these are sometimes referred to as the ABC's):
- ACTION: What is happening in this image? Give the who, what, where, and when. Note that this is usually skipped with drawings.
- BACKGROUND: What led to this image, and by association this story? This is where you address the why of the image.
- CONTEXT: This is typically a quote from a stakeholder, a statistic, or specific detail that provides more context to the image and a story.
When photojournalists write captions for a complete pictorial set, each caption builds off the previous caption, just as each paragraph in a written story builds of the last. For images that accompany a regular news story, photojournalists craft a caption that directly relates to the story while providing background and context that is not in the article itself--this rewards the reader for reading the caption, as it's needed but not redundant. Captions must also be very clear. To clarify who is who in the photo, some captions include directionals in parentheses like (left), (at center), or (top right). Captions also use exact dates, including the year if the photo is older than two weeks. Professional captions also use a standard list of abbreviations for places and formal titles. Perhaps the most important addition to the caption is the photo attribution, which is typically placed at the end of a caption to credit the photojournalist.