Aim
Photography journalism is introduced in Edgefield Primary to give students the platform to provide caption, explanation and even constructive criticism to the photo taken. Stories are integral to human culture and storytelling is timeless. In photographic practice, visual storytelling is often ‘photojournalism’. It is a way for a photographer to narrate a story with photographs.
Background
Edgfield Primary School has been awarded LLP Values through Visual Arts (Photography) in 2012 through the focus area of Visual Arts & Design. Through the LLP, we envisage that Edgefield Primary will be the Photography Hub in providing opportunities for all our school community to be involved in Photography. Through Photography, we hope that the pupils will be able to realise our school’s vision of “Lives Empowered, Lives Touched”. “Lives Empowered”: As an Empowered Leader and Learner, we will empower them through Photography to take on leadership, individual and group roles and be more self-confident and motivated. “Lives Touched”: As we inculcate our 7 school core values, we aim to make a difference and touch their lives and in turn they themselves will touch others’.
LLP to ALP
Since 2017, more than 80 primary schools in Singapore have Applied Learning Programmes (APL), which are designed by schools to help students apply their learning to the real world. Applied Learning Programme (ALP) The ALP help students appreciate the relevance and value of what they are learning in the academic curriculum to the real world, and develop stronger motivation and purpose to acquire knowledge and skills. By 2023, all primary schools in Singapore will have an Applied Learning Programme (ALP), Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng announced in Parliament on Monday (Mar 5, 2018). Speaking during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate, Mr Ng said the Education Ministry (MOE) will also support schools with ALPs to further enhance and strengthen their capabilities and programmes. “This is an investment worth making to nurture innovation and creativity,” he said. “And importantly, prepare our children for the future.” All the ALPs, importantly, encourage exploration, ideation and creativity. Students learn through experimentation – they try, fail, try, learn from it and try again.”
What is PhotoJournalism?
Photojournalism is the process of story-telling using photography. While a journalist will use pen and paper to tell a story, a photojournalist will use his camera to capture the story. A photojournalist brings us the visual images of a story that back up his words. A photojournalist is there to cover important events, showcase the faces behind the headlines, and his photos help us visualise – as if we are part of the scene. These photos evoke feelings of shock, surprise, empathy, sadness, or joy. Some photojournalists may define photojournalism as capturing ‘verbs’ (action words). However, this does not mean simply taking an action photo. To capture and communicate a ‘verb’ is much more than that.
How is photojournalism different from a written story?
People who write the news stories that you read are called journalists or reporters. A journalist looks for events that have happened, gathers information about the events and the people involved in them, and then creates stories about the events to share with the public. A journalist captures his story in words. A written story is captured in paragraphs or sequence of events. Photojournalism is the process of bringing stories to the reader's attention through the use of photographs and video. Photojournalism IS NOT about the best picture composition, the best lighting or angle or technical details, or an interesting subject. Of course, these are important considerations for a good photo. It is an achievement when everything works out to produce a great photo. More importantly, photojournalism IS about showing readers something that really happened. Photojournalism allows the world to see through the eyes of the photographer at that moment in time. That is the mark of photojournalism - to capture that single moment in time and give readers the sense that they are part of it.
Why is photojournalism important?
There is a place for journalists, and there is a place for photojournalists. One is not more important than the other. However, the importance of photojournalism was first highlighted when cameras were first taken into war zones. There was very little need for words when photos of ordinary people, caught in between the victory and defeat of war, took centre stage and captivated the attention of readers. Journalists took photos to go along with their news stories. There might be a long, written story about a news event and one or two photos to go with it. The photographs were very popular because they helped people really see what was going on in the news. Soon, there were also entire stories being told mostly by the photos, with just a few sentences in-between to show the relationships among the photographs. These photo stories became very popular in magazines. Today, with the Internet, many newspapers and magazines are available online. Photographs and videos become even more important than before. With the advance of technology in mobile phones, almost everyone has a camera available. Many images that are online are taken by students, like you!
When news happens in your neighbourhood, you can take photographs and upload them onto the Internet. Hopefully, from this publication, you will learn to do this correctly.
When news happens in your neighbourhood, you can take photographs and upload them onto the Internet. Hopefully, from this publication, you will learn to do this correctly.
How to evaluate if a photo is suitable for a journal?
Remember, you are a student of photojournalism. Even though there is a need for artistic expression in photography, your role is not an artist. Your role is to capture the right moment. When you get it right, your photograph can draw people in, emotionally and intellectually. A captivating image can compel people to read your story. As a student of photojournalism, the following questions will help you think and talk about issues while looking at a photo: 1. What is included in the picture? What is the focus or main subject? Is it an event, a situation, a moment of extreme feelings? In what way does the image affect or influence your understanding of the focus or subject? 2. Is this photograph a "candid" shot, or was it staged by the photographer or posed by the person (s) involved? What is the photo trying to say to you? Do you think you are getting the correct message which the photographer wants to tell you? How can you be sure of this? Do you identify with or agree or disagree with this message?
3. Do you feel so inspired by this photo that you wish to write or talk about it? Who are the readers you have in mind if you wish to publish this photo in a newspapers or magazine or webpage. Does this photo communicate with emotions and excitement that a written story cannot?
If the photo brings up feelings that you can identify with, or issues that you think others should also know about, then it would be a good photo for you to write on or talk about in greater detail.
Remember, a picture speaks a thousand words. If it is a good photo, you should be able to write easily about it because your ideas will flow naturally from within you.
3. Do you feel so inspired by this photo that you wish to write or talk about it? Who are the readers you have in mind if you wish to publish this photo in a newspapers or magazine or webpage. Does this photo communicate with emotions and excitement that a written story cannot?
If the photo brings up feelings that you can identify with, or issues that you think others should also know about, then it would be a good photo for you to write on or talk about in greater detail.
Remember, a picture speaks a thousand words. If it is a good photo, you should be able to write easily about it because your ideas will flow naturally from within you.
How to take good photos as a photojournalist?
These five simple tips will start you on the path to good photojournalism.
Task
What is your assignment or task? Focus on this task and do everything you can to include all the relevant elements in a single image. The key subject of your photograph must be in focus, whether that’s just a small detail of a much larger image or a full landscape. Ask yourself, what do you want your readers to see? What is the most important thing you are trying to capture in this image? A photojournalist strives to convey what is happening in ONE shot.
What is your assignment or task? Focus on this task and do everything you can to include all the relevant elements in a single image. The key subject of your photograph must be in focus, whether that’s just a small detail of a much larger image or a full landscape. Ask yourself, what do you want your readers to see? What is the most important thing you are trying to capture in this image? A photojournalist strives to convey what is happening in ONE shot.
Planning
Photojournalism is planning to capture unexpected events or moments. Plan ahead. Ask yourself: Who are the key participants? What is likely to happen? Who is likely to provide you with the most interesting visual opportunities. You need to be paying attention constantly. Look for visual details that will explain what’s relevant to the viewer. You need to have your camera ready and be looking in the right direction when it does.
Photojournalism is planning to capture unexpected events or moments. Plan ahead. Ask yourself: Who are the key participants? What is likely to happen? Who is likely to provide you with the most interesting visual opportunities. You need to be paying attention constantly. Look for visual details that will explain what’s relevant to the viewer. You need to have your camera ready and be looking in the right direction when it does.
Rights
Everyone has the rights to privacy. You need to be cautious about taking photographs of other people whom you do not know. If the people are nearby and you are pointing your camera at them, ask for permission before you shoot. Explain why you are taking photographs and how the photos will be used.
Everyone has the rights to privacy. You need to be cautious about taking photographs of other people whom you do not know. If the people are nearby and you are pointing your camera at them, ask for permission before you shoot. Explain why you are taking photographs and how the photos will be used.
Emotions
Capture expressions, body language and interactions. Get in close for intimate moments and experiment with using selective focus to highlight facial expressions. People are attracted to other people. People like to talk about other people. Capture faces to make people tell their own stories. Remember, photojournalism is about visual stories.
Capture expressions, body language and interactions. Get in close for intimate moments and experiment with using selective focus to highlight facial expressions. People are attracted to other people. People like to talk about other people. Capture faces to make people tell their own stories. Remember, photojournalism is about visual stories.
Cropping
No one is perfect. Not every photo is taken perfectly. Sometimes you need to crop the image around the subject that is most important. Cropping an image helps to draw the reader’s attention to what is important. Resist any attempt to retouch, edit or photoshop the image. Photojournalism is about capturing reality and the truth. Respect that trust that readers have in you.
No one is perfect. Not every photo is taken perfectly. Sometimes you need to crop the image around the subject that is most important. Cropping an image helps to draw the reader’s attention to what is important. Resist any attempt to retouch, edit or photoshop the image. Photojournalism is about capturing reality and the truth. Respect that trust that readers have in you.
Who makes a good photojournalist?
A photojournalist tells stories using images. A photojournalist strives to convey what is happening in ONE shot. He may write or describe in a paragraph what he has taken. However, that single shot is so powerful by itself that it speaks ‘a thousand words’. A good photojournalist is not directing the scene as an artist or studio photographer would. The best photojournalist blend into the background and become a shadow figure. He is there to observe and capture the story. He does not become the story. He does not interfere with the story. He does not change the story. A good photojournalist captures photos where the emotions are often ‘raw’ or intact.