COMM 242, Advanced News Photography

Photojournalism Assignments

Processing and deadlines
You are responsible for arranging your own film processing/digitalization, so that you have images available for work in Photoshop. (Negatives may be scanned to save money on printing, or photos may be burned into a CD.) Those still relying on film need to use color negative film (Kodak Gold 100 often seems to be on sale), which is current non-digital photojournalism industry standard, but you may use any photo finishing service as long as it’s fast.

Note: These should all be new work. I can’t accept photos you took last summer, or photos pulled from your album. I’m counting on your honesty here; if something in an image makes clear that it was taken before this semester (like a football game), I can’t give you credit.

Assignment One
a. Dramatic angles. Shoot a film or so of people or scenes around campus from unusual angles. You might shoot down from the top of a stair. Or shoot up lying on your back. Or shoot someone framed by something else. Or really close in on something. Or shoot a seldom-seen view of something. Use your creativity, as long as: 1) it’s not the common viewpoint; 2) at least half your photos have people in them. Prepare for critique at least two unusual angles. I suppose I don’t need to tell you not to try anything dumb like lying on the railroad tracks or shooting down the campus smokestack? Hey, it’s been done.

b. Meeting folks. Shoot a film or so of people doing things on campus, preferably outside, but in well-lit buildings (window light recommended) if it’s too cold. Take candid (unposed) pictures of people you do not know. After taking their picture, approach at least two or three of these subjects. Explain that you are doing a class photojournalism assignment, and ask for their names, including proper spelling. Right down names on a notepad, numbered in sequence so you can later match your names to photos (you may wish to also describe surroundings to help you later match the name to the image). Prepare for critique at least two which you believe best show life on campus, and include cutlines with idents.

Assignment Two
Light fantastic. Photos relying on several common qualities of light. Include at least three different examples from these options:

• strong natural light, dramatic shadows and highlights. May be sunlight, strong window light.
• flash on camera, pointed directly at subject. If you don’t have a flash, try setting up a potlight or lamp.
• flash off camera, bounced off a ceiling or wall. If your flash won’t bounce, try a white hankie or Kleenex to diffuse the light.
• diffused light, cloudy day, classroom, filtered through window.
• colored light: incandescent, fluorescent, candle. NO FLASH--turn off flash, if automatic.

Include people in at least half your photos. Prepare at least three examples; include written cutlines describing the light.

Assignment Three
Compose yourself. Identify elements of photo composition, and compose them in a way you believe produces a more dynamic photograph. Try to emphasize a single element you think dominates more than any other. Shoot a few frames you know to be considered “composition mistakes,” to compare differences. At least half your photos must include people. Prepare at least four examples, including cutlines describing the compositional element emphasized, or the “compositional mistake.”

Requirements: from now on we will abide by minimum professional expectations in photojournalism:

• Photos each carefully adjusted in Photoshop for cropping, levels/curves, color correction, sharpness, and whatever else might be necessary. Grades will suffer if it's clear you didn't run your photos through this process.
• Complete cutlines, written as noted in a class lecture. If people are easily identifiable, they must be identified with both first and last names. If I catch you making up a name, zero for the assignment! (People have tried this, believe me. It's called "lying.")
• Number of images specified (no more than number required, please), saved as jpgs, and attached to email. Write your cutlines in the email message.
  

Assignment Four
Special topic, news and features. Choose a newsy event to cover: a speech, a press conference, a meeting, a protest, a concert, bad weather, an accident, etc. Shoot at least 20-30 pictures, trying to emphasize unusual angles, getting in close, interesting lighting, etc. Photos must contain people, and include idents, unless people are part of crowds or too far away for easy identification. Submit at least three photos with photojournalism-style cutlines for critique.

Note: Try to avoid unattractive flash on camera. Try bouncing flash using cardboard, the walls, or the ceiling. Or natural lighting, of course.

Note: If you must use flash, soften the effect using the Photoshop technique from Lesson Two. Don't forget to go through Photoshop to crop, adjust for exposure, adjust to correct color, sharpen, and improve whatever else you think necessary. Don't hand in photos directly from the camera!

Assignment Five
Special topic, travel photography. Take an opportunity over spring break to offer a “sense of place” through a photo story. Prepare at least four photos, including:

• one long or medium photo to establish the scene.
• one photo of a significant detail.
• one informal portrait of a person doing something.
• other photo you think helps tell the story, emphasizing people.

All photos must include cutlines, although you don’t have to get idents for this travel feature. Also include a paragraph or two of copy describing the place in journalism style. By the way, snaps of your friends at the beach or in the bar don’t constitute a “sense of place” for this assignment. If you’re not going anywhere, use your home town or even Fargo as a travel project.

Assignment Six
Special topic, personality portraits. Shoot at least 20-30 pictures emphasizing personality portraits: people doing things that help to tell a story of their character. You may rely on friends or relatives as subjects, but they CANNOT 1) just stand or sit there looking directly into the camera (formal mugshot); 2) be talking on the telephone, sitting at an office desk, shaking someone’s hand, typing at a computer or reading a book, unless you can find a radically new and different approach. Submit at least three photos; all photos must be of people, no more than one, two or three together, with full idents and standard cutlines. Avoid lighting with flash on camera. Try bounce flash, or preferably, natural lighting, looking for direction of light that resembles styles we discussed in class, such as "Rembrandt," "butterfly," back-lighting, or even texture (side) lighting for an interesting craggy cowboy look.

Assignment Seven
Special topic: sports. Choose any sport you like, and shoot at least 20-30 pictures of dynamic action shots emphasizing the excitement of the sport. Recommended are daytime outdoor sports, as these offer most forgiving light needed to stop fast action. Try to get as close as you can to the action; some sports are difficult to photograph without telephoto lenses. Parlor games (a chess tournament, for instance) probably don’t count for this assignment, but if you can convince me with great photos, okay. Indoor sports action photos may be taken with flash on camera, although I discourage it. Try higher ISO and available light instead.

Final portfolio
Part One: Choose five to ten of your photos to present to a (possibly hypothetical) employer. All should emphasize photojournalism principles (that is, no sunsets or spring break photos), and all should be your very best work. Try to find photos representing diversity of your abilities: news, feature, sports, portraits, illustrations. Note: these photos do not all have to be from class assignments. After adjusting in Photoshop using techniques we've discussed this semester (save as jpgs), create a PDF portfolio in Bridge, using the Quick Tip in Photoshop Lesson Nine. Attach to email message and send to me for grading.

Part Two: Write cutlines for each of your photos, and a few lines describing yourself, including an email contact. This material will be linked to your online student portfolio, so someone interested in your work can get ahold of you. Note: if you don't wish to have your portfolio online, it's not required, and won't affect your grade. But you still have to submit it to me.

Go back to photojournalism resources.