Journalism Next:Chapter 6: Visual Storytelling with Photographs

Cindy Royal, Ph.D

Assistant Professor

Texas State University

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

croyal@txstate.edu

www.cindyroyal.com

www.onthatnote.com

tech.cindyroyal.net

twitter.com/cindyroyal

facebook.com/cindyroyal

Digital Photography

• Anyone and everyone can be a photographer• Availability of digital cameras and camera

phones, plus ease of online publishing• Stories are improved by visuals, but doing it

well takes patience, practice and preparation• Everyone needs an understanding of digital

photography• As much about relating to people as it is about

technical skills

Digital Photography

• Can shoot many photos• Immediately see the image• Upload and share photos• No film to purchase; only print images

you want• Ease of editing

Digital Photography

• Megapixel - 1 million pixels• Megapixels don't affect image quality,

just size you can print• Total Quality =

height x width x resolution• Store pixels on a memory card

Ownership and Copyright

• Easy to copy digital images• But important not represent someone

else's work as your own• Fair Use – 4 tests–Character of use–Nature of the work–How much did you use?–Effect on the market for the original

• Creative Commons

Digital Cameras

• Point and shoot & DSLR• Camera modes – different types of

shooting or video• Zoom – optical or digital• Flash• View/Delete images or files

Digital Photography Essentials

• Lighting• Mug Shots• Steady the camera – use a tripod if

necessary• Fill the frame• Focus on one thing• Get closer!• Go vertical• Shoot action• Wide, Medium, Tight shots• Take your time and shoot lots of photos

Digital Photography Editing

• Get organized• Edit your take; select the best• Editing – become familiar with a program like

Photoshop that allows you to size, crop and tone • Never edit the original; save a Web version• For journalism, maintain integrity of original – which

means no filters, Instagram.• Crop, resize, resolution, color correct• Can also create graphics, modify screenshots,

create collages• Publish photos online and share• Make a slideshow• Use captions to tell a story!• Add audio