Photography within featured photos

Photos by Nicole Green
 As a requirement for my photojournalism class I'm currently taking this semester, the instructor encouraged me to choose a beat. We are to find interesting people, and then write about them and shoot photographs. 
   This past week I learned about feature photography. It is the fun, goofy and interesting side of photojournalism, which sometimes offers timelessness in the photos. Feature photography brings enjoyment to readers because they can identify with it. These types of featured photos can also happen unexpectedly.
   I went through the halls of Owens Community College, with permission from the lab manager David Cantor and photographed students processing their black and white negatives in the photography lab. I had a lot of fun going around the lab and taking pictures of other students learning about imagery aspects of black and white photography.
   I would like to thank the photography lab manager Mr. Cantor and the photography students at the lab for their time and patience with me doing this assignment.
   If I ever run out of ideas or need more inspiration, I can always consider the tips given to find good a feature in Photojournalism:The Professionals' Approach.

(Above: Student Sonia Rollins is being counseled by her instructor Tina Gionis on which negative would be a good black and white print from her contact sheet. Left: Ben Nassif exits out of Owens' dark room with some of his black and white images he developed).

  

  

Learning design elements in photography

A chalk quote on the steps at the Toledo Botanical Gardens on Saturday. This photo is to show a perspective image with the element of light: shaded and sunny conditions. (PHO245 photos by Nicole Green)

A plethora of pumpkins bargain priced at Sadowski's Produce in Swanton, Ohio on Saturday. This shows the element on the rule of thirds.

   This week in photojournalism class I learned the different elements in an image while maintaining the foundations of design in a photo. In all pictures there are composition rules photographers must abide by such as a extreme perspective, quality of light, depth of field and rule of thirds to make a good quality photograph.

   There are also single elements to take into consideration while capturing an image. For instance: What is the point of entry demonstrated in a photo that draws the viewer to an image? What sense of place or setting is the photograph in? And, what type of mood does a photo convey to make an emotional impact on the view?

Photo taken at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.

   I tried different locations around the vicinity of Toledo to get a fresh perspective of potential photo shots, that I could take to show just what I learned in my photojournalism assignment.While one particular day had good weather, the other day was kind of cloudy. I had a lot of fun shooting on location. And, I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with my camera.
   Even though I haven't had my light bulb moment-yet- with this whole photojournalism niche, I recognize I can take unique pictures despite any negative drawbacks or bad weather.

The process of caption writing

   This week in photojournalism class my latest assignment was on caption writing. For me, the photo is the first thing I notice when reading an article/story. Captions set an overall impression on photographs featured in articles. Here are the major components of writing captions:

• Captions should include the 5 W's: what, who, where, when and why of a picture
• If the photo is vague, in some cases, how is applied to complete it.
• Every caption needs to be concise, accurate and at least 2 full sentences
• Captions should always be written in present tense
• Well written captions will amplify the explanation of a photo without an audience knowing or reading an article beforehand

   Without captions the reader will not know the full information about the photograph taken. This can confuse the reader's misinterpretation of the picture; making them disinterested in the article altogether. Since photojournalists strive for truth, misrepresentation on a picture is something they try to avoid.