Page 12 - Cape-Camera-May-2022

May 2022 Cape Camera

Photographic Technique

THE PHOTO ESSAY

RECONSIDERING 11 CLASSIC PHOTOJOURNALISM RULES

By Amber Bracken

What moves a photo beyond the literal, beyond the surface long-term work in Prairie Hutterite communities, and Calabrese
beauty, is its power to say something with visual language. explores Canada's eastern coast. Smith says he focuses on what
It's an opportunity for authorship. So often in daily reporting, is nearby with the hope that his more intimate knowledge
photographs serve as illustration for the larger ideas covered helps him to cover a topic more fully and with better commit-
by a writer. But in a photo essay, the images are everything, ment than an outsider would. He says, "I really take the 'find a
and the photographer is the author. Crafting an essay allows story in your own backyard' advice to heart."
us to be storytellers, and the process immerses us in people's Rule 3 - Be prepared
lives, creating opportunities for human connection and pro- Research, research, research. Become an expert in the topic, and
found images you just can't get from dropping in. find a minimum of two contacts on the ground. Field time is
But how do we go about building these relationships and valuable, so don't miss opportunities by being unprepared or
crafting our ideas? How do we get people to care? Classic jour- waste time doorknocking when you could be making pictures.
nalism-school essay advice is a solid place to start. But, like all Osborne and Smith both also prepare by using a storyboard
things in the practice of photography, nothing is a perfect fit process to brainstorm scenarios that may yield photos they
for every practice. Canadian photographers and documentar- want. "I can kind of set up what events I attend or what ele-
ians Tim Smith, Jen Osborne and Darren Calabrese discussed ments of the story are photographed at what time of the day,
nuance in the traditional rules and their individual experiences based on those portraits that want or those action pictures that
finding, making and editing photo essays. I need. But the rest, that stuff I can't storyboard, that's just the
The following observations are excerpts from that conversation. magic of discovery," continues Osborne. Calabrese mentions
FIND that he likes to float the work to editors to gauge their interest
before embarking on a project. Investing in stories is expensive,
The first step is always deciding where to focus your attention and, adds the father of two, "I have daycare bills to pay."
and planning for success. Questions to consider include: How CAPTURE
will this project add to discourse on the topic? What are you
trying to accomplish, and, especially when photographing vul- So much of the process of photographing is individual and
nerable communities, what are potential risks for the people difficult to articulate, but there guidelines for how we can go
you plan to photograph? How will you stay engaged over the about the business of making images that speak to our cho-
course of the project, and how can you be prepared for the chal- sen topic.
lenges ahead? Rule 4 - Vary lenses, perspective and distance
Rule 1 - Push beyond your comfort zone "Content is the main key, and you can use whatever tools you
Journalism instructors are often pushing students to step out- like to create interesting, intimate content. The rules are just a
side their families and circle of friends for their topics. This is starting point," counters Smith. To keep visual interest and to
useful for learning how to get comfortable with the social awk- prevent getting caught in a rut, traditional advice recommends
wardness that comes with being a documentary photographer. using a range of focal lengths and perspectives. However, all of
But at the same time, "insider" stories are sometimes the best, the panelists pushed back on this as a hard rule, preferring a
lighter kit for ease of use, intimacy and being less conspicuous.
or only, way of telling a story (e.g., family life in conservative cul-
tures). "A 'stick to what you know' kind of mentality can gain you Rule 5 - Include both emotional and informational images
greater insight and access" says Jen Osborne. Emotional images help viewers connect with the people in your
Rule 2 - Find what will hold your interests story; informational images convey important details. In prac-
tice, these are rarely distinct categories, and ideally, all of your
Compelling work typically takes time, so consider a topic that informational photographs would also convey at least some
is likely to keep you engaged. Look for something that con- mood. The term "informational" sounds too clinical for Cala-
nects to your deeper interests rather than getting caught up brese, but he says these images are critical to the success of his
in the news cycle. Osborne's projects are sometimes based on work. He adds, "Finding a way to blend the two is what I aim for".
an idea she gets obsessed with. She believes that "finding an
overall area of interest helps one find smaller stories that play Rule 6 - Capture scene-setter, portrait, action and detail im-
into a bigger picture". Osborne has been researching and shoot- ages"
ing stories within the theme of escapism for the past 12 years. "No doubt, hitting those style elements are necessary, but mak-
She also highlights the need for visual potential in piece: not all ing the story and people the focus is what makes it matter" says
compelling stories are best told photographically. Being able to Calabrese. Each element adds something to a classic photojour-
recognize stories that will produce striking images to capture nalism essay, but the panelists agree it is a rule to be broken for
attention is an important part of the process. specific purposes. For instance, a portrait project can be a use-
Both Tim Smith and Darren Calabrese work in rural areas and ful technique. Details can be used effectively conceptually, and
allow the region to lead their interest. Smith is known for his certainly not all essays need to have action.

11 Cape Town Photographic Society