Photojournalism

[mpinchinat]

Hello All,

I'm pretty new at photography and I was hoping to get a question answered by some of you experts out there....
I'm interested in taking pictures that have a photojournalistic view to them. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the camera being used, but I was wondering what settings should be made to the camera. For example, should I set the camera to shoot raw images instead of jpg? BTW, the camera that I'm using is the Nikon D300. So if there's a setting that needs to be changed, I would be surprised if this camera didn't have it.

Any thoughts?

[Frog]

There is no one setting for all situations.

[AgingEyes]

I'm interested in taking pictures that have a photojournalistic view to them. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the camera being used...[snip]

Any thoughts?

Hmmm...I'm not sure about that, given that photographers have been using all kinds of camera to shoot news/documentary photos for a long time.

If you're interested, get a copy of "Photojournalism" by Kobre. The 6th edition is the latest edition of the book. I don't recall the books specifically says anything about camera settings though.

If you can find it, also take a look at the book "Pictures on a Page" by Harold Evans.

Magnum's website should be one that you should visit, too.

Sorry to disappoint you but none of the above talks about camera settings in particular. But should be good source of info for photojournalism.

[Greg McCary]

I would think most photojournalist would be in to big of a hurry to edit much. So I would think RAW would be time consuming. I think it would depend on how much you were getting paid and how much time you were willing to invest.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

Well I freelance for a local new paper, I have done ball games, house fires, parades and
community events.

The style of your photos is not important, it's the story they tell. Who Why When and Where

House fire, you want to capture things that trucks on the street, tired firefighters, the fire, firefighters doing their job. Stuff like that.

Community events, what is the event, whats going on, who is there. that kind of stuff.

You can't be afraid to get in there and push the limit. Get close. You can't edit pictures you are sending in to the news paper. Don't pose the shots. You can sharpen, crop or adjust the color thats it.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

[fx101]

It's not the camera... biggest misconception out there. Sure, you can go out and get a D3 or an EOS1D-MkIII and LOOK like a photojournalist but it all comes down to composition, thinking quick, and learning how to use your camera perfectly on manual. There's no magic setting. Instead look at lens choice, apperture (do you want shallow DOF for people or deep DOF for a mob scene) exposure time, iso (just because you have a d300 don't feel like 3200 is ok to shoot at... try to shoot as if all you had was film and you'll get better quality pics), generally try to use apperture priority, turn of NR, shoot in RAW+Jpeg (allows you to preview quickly and ship quickly via jpegs or take a little time and get a better image from your RAW file after editing). Generally speaking only some photojournalists (pj's) use burst. Yes you can crank out 6fps but use 3fps so you can get a scene as it unfolds and get the exposure/apperture right to begin with. It's pointless to get 20 versions of a crappy image. In tricky lighting pj's often bracket so as to get light/dark versions of an image and later on pick the best one. For these scenarios shoot at your max burst speed and shoot in brackets of three. As for metering it depends on what and where you're shooting. The pros are now more confident about matrix/evaluative metering but if you're shooting your subject in very funky lighting try using center-weighted metering, meter your subject and then quickly frame it. Pro's do this in a second. You'll need an external flash obviously. For a D300 I would go for a SB-600... the SB-800 has blinding power but unless you're trying to illuminate madison square garden the SB-600 suffices and allows you to work with 3D matrix metering nicely. Remember: when indoors always bounce flash! Unless you're in a giant cathedral of course. Oh. I forgot the most important thing. You're going to have to get really good at setting EV compensation. I know some PJ's that have gotten away with never using it because meters are getting better but even though you have a d300 you should learn to quickly dial in EV compensation in complex lighting scenarios (if the first picture you take is over/underexposed then correct appropriately). I wouldn't really play with the AF modes a lot. Just pick where you want the camera to autofocus and it should do it. I know many veteran PJ's who dislike bazillion area AF groups and instead frame the subject in the center, focus, and then reframe. They do it savagely quickly and are able to focus exactly where they want if there is a ton of variety in the distances to objects which might confuse the AF system. As for lenses if you use VR lenses set them to mode I. Mode II is only useful for tracking stuff and I doubt you will ever need that in photojournalism.

[Frog]

Good advice above. If you don't already know about it the Nikon digitutor is easier to use than the manual. http://www.nikondigitutor.com/index_eng.html

[freygr]

Hello All,

I'm pretty new at photography and I was hoping to get a question answered by some of you experts out there....
I'm interested in taking pictures that have a photojournalistic view to them. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the camera being used, but I was wondering what settings should be made to the camera. For example, should I set the camera to shoot raw images instead of jpg? BTW, the camera that I'm using is the Nikon D300. So if there's a setting that needs to be changed, I would be surprised if this camera didn't have it.

Any thoughts?

It's not the camera you use! It's the style and subject of the photography. The D300 is a very good camera just remember that in low light you still will need fast glass.

[Ballen Photo]

What an interesting conversation with some excellent images to support it.
I think I'll keep an eye on this one.
-Bruce

[deckcadet]

As the others have said before me, settings have very little to do with it... but you must remember the number one thing about photojournalism is to capture the feel...the essence of any moment, any event, anything you are trying to photograph.

I am a working news photographer so most of what I do (outside of my sports shooting) falls under this category. Like any photographer, I have good days and exceptional days. On the exceptional days, I feel like I am flowing with the moments, and everything comes naturally. The results are, in those cases, some of my strongest photos. You should try and get into that sort of mentality as much as you can...and since you probably won't be shooting under a deadline you will have a longer time to do so than I do. If you can do that, you'll have more fun than if you sit around fiddling with settings trying to force yourself to do something.

[Loupey]

To recap what has already been said (in one way or another):

Understand one’s equipment intimately
Have a quick and critical eye
Possess excellent timing
Tell a story or convey a mood
Be brutally critical of one’s own work

All the requisites for just about every type of photography; and necessary for capturing good images consistently.

[Sebastian]

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/mul...id=7-6468-7844

[Asylum Steve]

Welcome to the site. The only real camera that's acceptable for photojournalism is the Canon Reportage.

It's made in a small factory in Osaka by Japanese monks, and very expensive.....

Ok, that's a joke.

As you've already been told here, no single type of camera is absolutuely essential to getting good photos. It's the knowledge and experience of the person using it that counts.

And trust me, you do really have to hone your photography skills to consistently get good reportage-style images.

That being said, camera and lens features that will certainly help you include fast lenses (wide f-stops), a fast camera processor, IS telephoto lenses, a good auto-exposure and focus system, etc.

These are things that begin to put the odds more in your favor of getting the shot. Learning how to work on the fly without screwing up too much is still the key, though...

[retroactiv]

Photojournalism isn't about the camera you have, or the settings you use. It's about passion, and capturing the feeling of the moment. Getting the Firefighters pulling the person out of the car after a horrific car accident, or getting grandma blowing out the candles on her 100th birthday cake. No setting on any camera, or Canon Reportage can give you a knowledge of when it is the perfect time to open the shutter and allow the image to be captured, that is all up to you the photographer.

[another view]

To me, any professional (including a PJ) has to come back with a shot. An amateur like me has the luxury of being able to say "oh well"...

Difference? The PJ really needs to have technical skills to handle any situation (not necessarily be an expert, but see my first sentence), ability to think quick and act even faster and have enough creativity to try different shots to make sure something works. After all, if you only have one shot then it will be your best.

Photojournalism to me isn't about a camera or settings either. A lot of good advice here already from people who are and have done it. Having to come back with the shot you want would be a good challenge even if you're doing it for yourself.

Tyson, your third shot above is really great - it's the direction of the light that does it for me.