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How To Get Good Content With Quality Pictures
Here is a little help guide for those who are not quite sure of what to take in the way of pictures or how to set up their digital camera for Indymedia.
Setting up your camera
Image format
Jpegs/jpg. are probably the best option for the web and there are many programs that can be used to edit this file format. You don’t need huge files for this, ideally the image should be no more than 640 by 400 pixels for the Indymedia websites so you will probably need to set your file size to small or medium in the camera’s menu settings. Further; jpgs. can be transferred with most computers using a card reader and is handy if there is an IMC centre or access point as there might be problems or special drivers/software needed for the camera’s native format (RAW).
Set Quality to fine or medium. However if you want to use the images for other mediums such as prints or publication for campaign groups you might want to change the above settings to the large file size and fine quality options especially if you have space on your memory card, if you are going to tackle the shooting script below you will need about 80-110 images.
Set White Balance to Auto
Set the ISO to 200 or more if it’s darker, less if it’s very bright but beware of changing light conditions if your ISO has an Auto setting then stick with this or go somewhere between the maximum and minimum ISO values if you are unsure.
This is alters the camera’s sensitivity to light, the lower the ISO the better quality, but the sensor is exposed to light for longer in low light conditions meaning the images might become blured by movement of the photographer or the subject moving if the light is not bright enough (i.e. a sunny day and shot outside, with the subject not in shade) at high ISO settings the image becomes grainy looking with coloured dots in the blacks and shadows and should only be used in poor lighting situations without a flash
Content
When composing your picture, try to exclude any information in the scene which will be distracting to the viewer and makes it hard to understand what is going on in the picture. Keep it simple is the rule. Obviously this is not always going to be possible to do so don’t worry if you can’t.
So what do you take pictures of well there are two ways that have been long established by photojournalists the first is just following the story in logical sequence from beginning, middle and end. Although that sounds easy it dose not make conveying the story to a viewer an easy task nor dose it help with what pictures you should take to show the beginning middle and end.
So a better way is the shooting script that follows(
can be used for video too):
- Establishing Shot: A high or wide view to establish the viewer of the scene
- Media Focus: focuses on one action or the main group
- Detail: A close up, one element, like a persons hands or detail of a building
- Portraits/Personality: Dramatic tight head shot or persons in their environment, the mood of the place, event or people
- Interaction: the public, police or staff. Makes for interest for the viewer
- Summery: summarizes the situation with all the key elements for the viewer Henri Cartier-Bresson called this the “Decisive Moment”
- Sequence: How to, before and after, the beginning middle and end = Actions
- Closer: Also known as a clincher; one image that would end/sums up the story
Again not all of the shooting scripts topics will present themselves, so don’t worry, but at least you now have an idea of what to look for. How you interpret the topics is really down to you, but you can try applying some thought to the sort of images you might want to get in situations like a protest, a new building construction, an act of environmental devastation or how you would cover the plight of travellers/homeless
A variety of angles will also make for better visual layout, when shooting the establishing shot, shoot from low to the ground from high up and from left and right of the scene. This adds visual variety and can be extended to the other “script headings.” You can also use the cameras zoom set at the short end (wide angle) and move close to the subject and shoot low, high, right and left. Then Zoom out to the long end standing back, and shoot low, high, right and left again.
This will take 64 pictures plus sequence images, I used to take three rolls of 36 exposures (108 frames) leaving 44 images for the sequence part or 11 sequences with eight different views. So make sure you have enough film or memory card.
Images for features should be iconic as on Indymedia a small image is used to accompany text and links so it should be simple and clear as to what it is for example an image of protesters would be hard to make out due to its size and a shot of a banner might be more suitable.
I need to write up a story as well!
No problem follow the same format answering the 6 W’s who what when where why and hoW
- Establishing shot: When, Where
- Media Focus: Why
- Detail: What is the main issue/s
- Portraits/Personality: who is protesting against who, quotes- from who
- Interaction: What did who/they do
- Summery: what was the outcome
- Sequence: hoW did they do it
- Closer: What next. What can the reader do.
You don’t have to keep to the same order, but try and start by establishing the scene for the reader/viewer.
Editing the images
Ok, so you might have over a hundred images, but don’t publish them all.
First sort out those that are poorly exposed, out of focus or obscured at the last minute as some one got in the way.
Now go through the script and find the best image of each topic and the best images of the sequence and you should have no more than twenty images.
Now you are ready to publish
Then publish your images and text
And don’t forget to add the images to the
IMC picture Library
Issues surround Police - Press - Photographer relations
The has been a fair amount of discussion, between the National Union of Journalists, ACPO and the MET Police, regarding the recognition of the press card, and the rights and responsibilities implied
I'm involved in trying to get the 'good practice' of Staffordshire Police in issuing guidelines to its officers and 'properly accredited photographers' on what they can expect from each other. I have described some of this progress in a mail to the IMC Photo list at:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-photos/Week-of-Mon-20050516/0516-ev.html
IMC Photo list:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-photos. Photographers in our group, are encouraged to join this email list also.
This article below is about the recent arrest of a photographer at the G8 energy ministers, shows what happens when this all goes wrong.
I'm reminded of this advice from the Freelance section of the NUJ. A few years old now, but still pertinent.
Advice for photographers covering demonstrations
Before covering any demonstration, time spent on preparation usually pays off in keeping safe and getting good pictures.
Research & recce
Check with the organisers of the demonstration its times and route.
Are there feeder marches?
What are the expected numbers?
Speakers?
Are there expected problems, any counter demonstrations?
Will it be marshalled?
Check with police press office demonstration times, route, expected numbers, any expected problems, any counter demonstrations, whether it will be marshalled. Always carry a map so you can check alternative routes and exit points.
Leave yourself time to drive the route to check for places for good pictures, trouble spots, level of policing, exit routes.
If you are parking a car, think carefully where you leave it, as you might need to get out in a hurry.
If you park too close to the demonstration your car could get damaged or blocked if there is trouble.
If you are a freelance on commission, are you insured by the media organisation?
Preparing yourself
Wear strong walking boots.
Wear strong, tight-fitting clothing which allows you to move about freely.
Always remember the weather and dress accordingly.
Carry only a small camera bag with the minimum amount of equipment so you can move quickly if need be.
Do not carry other equipment such as a step ladder.
Have enough film or electronic memory in case it turns into a major news story.
Shin guards, kneepads, body armour, helmet - all or some may be worth thinking about. [A bicycle helmet is less likely to attract trouble than a Darth Vader jobbie - ed]
Let someone know that you are covering the demonstration, what time you are leaving and at what time to expect you back.
At the demonstration
What's going on around you while you're taking pictures? There's a world outside the viewfinder and trouble can come from behind as well as in front of you.
If you are working as a journalist you should not be taking part in a demonstration. At all times you should be distinct from the protesters.
You should not work alongside the police as the demonstrators may mistake you for a police photographer.
Always carry your press card in an accessible place and use it to identify yourself.
Carry your cameras openly and act like a press photographer at all times.
Keep an eye on fellow photographers in case they need help.
Carry a copy of the NUJ's and Thompson solicitors emergency phone numbers in case you need help.
Always work in such a way that if something happens you can extract yourself.
http://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/streets.html
Contributing photographers - IMC photo library now online
Thousands of pictures get published on indymedia sites worldwide, but when they drop off the newswire they generally can't be found again. To remedy this we've created a picture library where photographers can post pictures of lasting value, allowing them to be retrieved by keyword, subject, date or author.
Pictures downloaded by users of the library retain this information along with copyright details (by default a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License) and the contact details (if supplied) of the photographer.
The library can be found at
http://w3.buz.org/indypix
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