How to Take Great Newspaper Photos
News Photography, Photo Journalism Tips for Freelance Photographers
News photography is a craft that many freelance photographers overlook if their area of interest is in photography as an art form, but many freelance photographers fail to realize that the best newspaper photographers and photojournalists have a background in art.
Meanwhile, more print reporters and writers are picking up the camera - a trend that's become commonplace in most newsrooms since digital cameras came into the picture. And unfortunately, this has resulted in some pretty poor news photos from reporters who focus too much on the storytelling aspect of the photos, while ignoring artistic photographic elements like photo composition.
The best newspaper photographers and photojournalists combine the art of photography with the storytelling abilities of a reporter. The following tips will help beginner newspaper photographers and photojournalists take better photographs out in the field.
Every Photo Should Tell a Story With Action and Movement
Newspaper photographs should serve to tell a new element of the story through action. In short, each news photo should have an element of action; simply asking a subject to pose for the photo doesn't cut it in the world of photojournalism. There must be an element of action or movement in every photograph; something must be "happening" in every frame.
"You can tell the novice news photographer from the seasoned professional newspaper photographer by looking at their car accident photographs - a common assignment for a photographer working in the newspaper industry," explained J. Storey in a December 2008 interview with Suite101.
"The novice photographer will take a photo of the cars that were involved in the accident from 12 different angles. The professional photographer will capture every element of the scene as it unfolds; they'll photograph the drivers as they speak with police, the paramedics as they remove the injured people from the cars, the grimace of pain on the face of the car crash victims are loaded onto the stretcher. The professional will capture the intensity on the faces of the firefighters as they're cutting the car apart with the jaws of life; the novice news photographer will focus on the actual car wreck and the hydraulic cutting tools."
Another example: instead of getting a dog owner to pose with his dog, snap a photograph as the man and dog are playing fetch or jogging.
News Photos Must Capture Every Element of a Scene
Many inexperienced newspaper photographers will focus on one element of a news story. The best newspaper photographers will capture every element of the scene.
At a fire, the novice photojournalist will photograph the actual structure as it burns. Meanwhile, the professional photographer will also capture the exhaustion of the firefighters as they strip off their heavy, soot-covered gear, the expressions of anguish on the fire victims' faces as they embrace, and the street sign with the emergency vehicles in the immediate background.
"At a fire scene, for instance, there's so much more than the actual fire. There's the worried and curious neighbors, the firefighters lugging their gear back to the fire truck, the cordoned-off neighborhood, the traffic from cars being detoured around the fire scene, and the homeowner who comes home to find they've lost everything. You need to capture all of that as a news photographer. Treat the scene as multi-dimensional," Storey advised aspiring newspaper photographers.
Take Photographs for Potential News Stories
Newspaper photographers generate a significant percentage of the story ideas at a news organization, since news photographers are out and about in the community to a degree that's impossible for reporters and editorial staff.
Storey added, "An inexperienced newspaper photographer will drive right past road work, for example. But a good news photographer will stop and take photos. There's a good chance there's a story in that road project - it's affecting the community's drivers, isn't it? People will want to know about it. And sometimes, these things aren't worth an entire newspaper article - but they are worth a photo and cutline."
Capture Photographs of Everyday Life
A significant portion of the photographs that appear in a newspaper are unassigned - photos that the photographer generated on his or her own.
"Photo ideas are everywhere. Life is filled with the ordinary and you need to capture that as a photojournalist; make it interesting. Look around you and there's dozens of potentially compelling photographs that tell the story of life within a community - the man walking his dog, the parent playing with a child at the playground, children selling lemonade. This is all part of life and it's these human interest photographs that distinguish the true photojournalist from a reporter with a camera," Storey explained.
Looking for more tips on how to write a newspaper article or how to get a job as a journalist? Check out this Journalist Resource page with tips on reporting, journalism, writing and more!
Tips for Taking Better Photos for Newspapers.
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