Comparing Photography to Writing... It's all journalism

Gretchen Pressley

The first thing David LaBelle mentions as crucial for a photographer to have is curiosity. Later on, he mentions needing a story-telling ability. In this way, I think that all journalism is alike. You can’t be a good writer or reporter without being curious, or without wanting to share stories with the world. Whether it’s searching for the story by taking a picture or trying to answer questions by writing a story, journalism is about satisfying the curiosity of our audience. However, LaBelle goes on to compare photography to hunting – a semi-fathomable comparison since you should “stalk” your subjects in a way. However, I would hesitate to think of my subjects as victims, though I haven’t seen how much of a mess I, a writer not a photographer, could make of photographing someone.

I also liked LaBelle’s suggestion to stop and consider why we like the photographs that we do. Just as writers are encouraged to think about other’s stories and examine what made their articles so good, we should remember to look at photojournalism the same way. This can only improve what we take pictures of and the quality of those pictures. I only wish I’d been able to see the pictures he put in his article. They were kind of obscured and didn’t really copy very well. Luckily, we also got to browse through David Snider’s gallery.

Another point mentioned in the article was taking notes and jotting down when you have a story/photo idea. That’s a great way to preserve spur-of-the-moment creativity, but I also think that, as reporters, we need to begin building up our memory muscles as well. To write descriptive captions and stories, we need to be super observant and also clearly remember details that other probably would not.

Picture Hunting

I noticed that some called David LaBelle's points seemingly obvious... I wouldn't necessarily agree with obvious; perhaps obvious in theory but in practice-profound. I just so happened to check out the camera today to take my pictures and literally all of his pointers I could have used in my excursion today. Unfortunately for me I hadn't read it. So... instead of being prepared as LaBelle states I somehow forgot/assumed that a memory card was going to be in the camera when I checked it out. Mistake 1. Which invariably made me just a tad late for the event I was supposed to be shooting today. Like LaBelle states, I thought I was blending, until two facilitators of the event came out and asked what the pictures were being used for because they were making some people uncomfortable. Mistake 2. LaBelle mentions patience... I failed most effectively at this one. Not to say that all my shots are crap, just  a large majority. (Thank God we only have to choose 3.) Truer words have never been spoken than when he said it requires mental and physical energy. *Nods head slowly* Indeed. I also really liked what LaBelle said about making a tree, this would be great for any type of journalistic endeavor. 

Everything I did wasn't all bad. Like LaBelle's pointers I made sure to capture human interactions in the two events I attended last night, not saying those pictures were fabulous and will definitely be included in my project- they just express something else that the others don't. And also being the journalist that I am I utilized my "need-to-know" gene, my curiosity and I was satisfied overall with what I found and documented. 

Wordless

Photos are something I have always loved. Each one is unique and therefore important. While they are something I love to look at, I have to admit I am not that experienced with taking them. I think the article this week by David LaBelle gave quite a few great pointers about not just taking a picture, but really capturing a moment. After all how many times have we all heard the expression "Pictures speak louder than words."? I believe they truly are that powerful. I loved that LaBelle brought up the idea of blending in. This to me means that you are actually taking a picture of a genuine moment. If people are oblivious to the idea that you are photographing them, then I think you are more likely to end up with something really emotional. The emotion is what LaBelle says grabs people's attention, and I couldn't agree more. I would love to be able to take a picture that a person looks at and can actually feel what is going on at THAT moment and what is going on in THAT person's head. Reading this article I experienced two totally different feelings. First was anxiety. I started having all of these thoughts that I might not be able to get a great picture. I am not that experienced and what if my photos come across as dull? That feeling was later replaced with excitement. I am now excited to go out and shoot. The only way I am going to get experience is by doing it, and I believe that is the best way to learn. I think the article had some good advice, but nothing could be more motivating than David Snider's pictures. My favorite one was of the two elderly people in Orange, France, walking in the opposite direction of the arrow. It is priceless. Looking through those REALLY made me want to get out of bed at 11:30 at night and just shoot. I think photographs have the amazing ability to touch someone, and being able to capture that myself is one of my goals. I plan on putting all this advice into action and get a shot that can speak for itself.

A picture is worth a thousand words, this post probably isn't even worth half that much

Charles Austin

Like an endless field of lush, red strawberries during a season when the harvest is particularly plentiful almost to the point of overabundance, David LaBelle's writing contained an overabundance of similies. I know this is probably not the kind of thing we're supposed to be commenting on, but being more of a word guy than a picture guy, this observation struck me more severely than any other. LaBelle might say it struck me with a severity that was not unlike an entire pride of lions that snuck up upon me in the dead of night, when their thirst for blood was conveniently veiled by a foreboding darkness that engulfed the Earth, save for the crescent moon which seemed to hang so ominously in the otherwise clear night sky.

But I guess my infamiliarity with photography only goes to show how much I have to learn from these galleries and tips.

As a general rule throughout reading this assignment, I felt like there was a lot more to learn from the photos themselves than from the text that accompanied them. This did finally change almost 30 pages into LaBelle's document, when he did indeed throw in some pretty nifty (or "crunk" if you will) tips on ways to think up ideas for photos, which in reality were great ways to think up entire stories. Some seemed like they wouldn't pay off very often, such as eavesdropping, though the notion that I might one day overhear where someone hid a dead body or a pot of gold probably makes it worthwhile even if it pays off only once. The newsletter idea is increasingly antiquated as interest groups move online, but in actuality this only makes it even easier, as all you have to do is write your email address and click submit.

There was definitely at least one thing I could garner from each article. David Snider's photos were a great lesson in what to look for when doing (or attempting to do) a shoot, as they all had a clear focus and were pretty interesting. The scans made David LaBelle's photos look like a pair of jeans from Abercrombie that come pre-ruined at conception, (I really am not as good at these similes as he is) but the lessons contained in the second half of the document made it all worth the while.

Posers

Lyndey Brock

Reading about photography was actually very interesting. However, what I really enjoyed about the article was his final photo gallery he included. He included personanlity and depth in each photo, while still using a wide range of subjects. I loved how the other article compared photographers to hunters. It's so true, especially when you consider the paparazzi. It's as though people like Britney Spears is the only gazelle in a desert full of tigers. It's dangerous the amount of attention photographers, and journalists included, give to her. The point that the second article also made is to include follow ups in all your work. Good proof of this was seen in the photo of the sick woman, and then followed by a photo of her healthy and hugging her family member. I truly feel that photojournalists are an absolute necessity to every facet of journalism. Without them, our work would be blind.

Anton Berkovich

I enjoyed David Snider's article and portfolio on candid street photography. It is exactly photos like that that got me into photography. Photographers like Howard French (http://www.howardwfrench.net/gal.php?id=01) inspired me to buy my first camera last year and take pictures of the city I live in. A well-crafted photo can be as powerful as a well-written article, in my opinion. With photo sites and cheap digital cameras, it's not easier than ever for people to go out and take pictures, but I hope that people realize there is more to a photo than simply pressing the button, and while many cameras out there take more-than-satisfactory photos, it's the extra effort and commitment to your photos that make them stand out. In my opinion, the most important tool a photographer can use is not their camera, lens, or filter (though they help), it's their feet and eyes that make an amazing photo. I think getting back to basics will help improve one's photos. So while I still shoot story assignments with that digital SLR, my main (and favorite) camera is my old 35mm film camera.

But all I got is a photograph

I can see that I'm not the only one who thought that a number of LaBelle's tips were fairly obvious. Nevertheless, he did make a few unexpected suggestions that seemed to humanize and humble the role of the photojournalist. I appreciated his concession that subject matter is often enough to overshadow the formal qualities of a photograph, at least in terms of what grabs our attention and makes us like the picture. And while he occasionally pondered the differences between photographers and photojournalists, it was, perhaps above all, his emphasis on the responsibilities of and qualities in a good journalist that transcend medium.

Likewise, since I haven't been trained to formally appreciate photography on too sophisticated a level, I can't add much to the collective thoughts on David Snider's gallery. I was, though, reminded of the work of Art Shay, who similarly had a gift for capturing the simple joys of everyday life.