Photo Journalism

Course outline

• Lesson 1: The history of Photo Journalism

  In the opening lecture we investigate the potential for photographs to tell a story examining the history of the medium from its roots in early portraiture to the battlefields of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.

  We define the strands of photography and journalism – the traditions of both photojournalism and documentary work within the genre of reportage.

  We look at the tradition of both the concerned European and American traditions of social reportage combined with camera technology that became the Humanist Documentary tradition in the Golden Age of magazines.

  We look at the confusing contemporary reportage world and try to relate a reinterpretation of documentary forms within the written and filmic tradition. - We define a checklist for creating a readable and actionable photo-story.

• Lesson 2: What makes an engaging image?

  In the second lecture we ask ‘what makes an engaging image’? We look at the world of classical art and how that has influenced our vision of the world and building a mental scrapbook of devices of composition.

  We examine the tools of the reportage photographer from the camera to tricks of the trade, concentrating on exposure, colour and format.

  We examine compositional and graphical devices concentrating on framing and visual clarity looking at colour, texture and movement.

  We look at the ballet of photographing – literally where you stand to achieve engaging and impactful work.

• Lesson 3: The Photo essay

  In the third lecture, we discuss the core of reportage – the mechanics of photographing a story – the photo essay.

  We examine the ebb and flow of action in narrative: the role of anticipation and the Decisive Moment.

  We examine street photography, the law and ethics as they relate to working as a professional in the public sphere.

  We deconstruct classic photo-essays in order to define a structure that enables us to be able to construct our own essays that are readable and achievable. We relate that to scripting and editing but also to the role of serendipity and reactivity to events.

• Lesson 4: Professional practice in the field

  In the final lecture we talk about how we relate to the world and those that we record. -We talk about the role of the guide and professional practice in the field.

  We talk about the ethics of representation and professional standards - what is required when entering other people’s lives and how we sit, listen and blend to achieve intimacy.

  We discuss the morality of photojournalism using difficult real-life scenarios and the challenges of visual cliché including the problem of the image of the photojournalist.

  We examine contemporary documentary traditions and the confusing ‘bleed’ from the art world and the challenges of evolving media platforms.

  We examine the constant tension in reportage between what is fashionable and what is lasting - the responsibilities of what Cornell Capa described as the “creation of the visual history of our time”