Sports Assignment
Due: November 30
Specifics:
• Three of your best shots from one sporting event -- can't overlap with a News Event
• Captions for each
• Handed in via Flickr
You can shoot sports for your News Event assignments, but use your best for this one.
Ideas:
High school football
Drake, Grand View or other college football
Drake Volleyball
Soccer
Cross country
Cheerleading
Unless you have an "in" or know you can get on the sidelines at a high school game, you'll need to get a media pass:
• Call the media relations office for the team.
• Say a photojournalism student and you're interested in a media pass. They will take your name and usually just leave the pass at the ticket window.
Other tips:
• Try to figure out if there are any stars on the team and try to focus on them throughout the game. Watch for interesting interactions with the referees or the bench, or any interesting characters in the crowd.
• Put your camera in aperture priority -- if you don't have a lot of light, set it to the smallest f-stop number. This will automatically give you the fastest shutter speed available.
• If the setting is too dark and you're having trouble getting a fast shutter speed (1/500 or faster is ideal for sports), set your ISO up to 1600.
• Flashes are usually prohibited, although sometimes they are allowed (ask media relations).
• Shoot the scoreboard occasionally so you know what quarter/period the play happened in.
• Take notes during the game for your captions, especially if you know you got a great shot.
• For all games… STAY SAFE! Watch for flying players or balls!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
News event grades
News event grades will be coming to your email soon.
I noticed there was a discrepancy between the syllabus and the news event handout -- syllabus says they are worth 25 points each, the handout says 20 points. I'm going to go with the syllabus so News Event grades breakdown like this:
Newsworthiness: 10 points
Technical (focus, exposure, cropping, etc): 10 points
Captions: 5 points
I noticed there was a discrepancy between the syllabus and the news event handout -- syllabus says they are worth 25 points each, the handout says 20 points. I'm going to go with the syllabus so News Event grades breakdown like this:
Newsworthiness: 10 points
Technical (focus, exposure, cropping, etc): 10 points
Captions: 5 points
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Photo story
Photo Story assignment
Due: November 2 via Flickr
Specifics:
• Six or seven photos
• Captions for each
• We'll talk about ideas for you at our one-on-one meeting
Your task is to tell a story through photos. Much of the time, photojournalists have to try to capture the story in just one image. For this one, you can tell the story with the best six or seven photos to bring as many angles you can (literally and figuratively) to the reader.
Find someone with a story. Maybe you know someone with an unusual (and photogenic) job. Maybe it's someone who faces an everyday struggle. Maybe it's someone who is trying to make a difference. Think human interest. Conflict. Complication.Inspirational. Struggle. Unusualness. Humor.
Coordinate a shooting schedule once you find someone. Maybe you will follow them around for a day. Maybe you'll stop by over the period of a week or a couple weeks. It depends on the timeline of your subject story.
You don't have to follow a single subject, either. Your story could be a certain issue or problem that affects different people. Keep an eye out for stories about trends in the paper, maybe you shoot one person as an example of a trend.
Do whatever research you can to plan how much equipment you'll need with you (a flash? telephoto lens? tripod?)
Remember to include descriptive captions for each image. Feel free to break the typical 2-sentence length.
Each photo should be of a different "event" or "moment." For example, you wouldn't include a photo and then another one taken a few seconds later from a slightly different angle. Pick the best one to represent that moment. Think of each photograph as a different chapter of a book.
Use a mix of close-ups, medium shots and wide shots. Get different perspectives.
Arrange the shots in the sequence that makes the most sense. It's not always chronologically how they were shot.
If it's between the less perfect shot that better tells the story or a nice shot with less story, pick the one that best tells the story.
Try be as honest and objective as you can. Be a fly on the wall. Don't manipulate the subject.
Remember to title your photo story.
And remember to edit and crop all images as needed.
Due: November 2 via Flickr
Specifics:
• Six or seven photos
• Captions for each
• We'll talk about ideas for you at our one-on-one meeting
Your task is to tell a story through photos. Much of the time, photojournalists have to try to capture the story in just one image. For this one, you can tell the story with the best six or seven photos to bring as many angles you can (literally and figuratively) to the reader.
Find someone with a story. Maybe you know someone with an unusual (and photogenic) job. Maybe it's someone who faces an everyday struggle. Maybe it's someone who is trying to make a difference. Think human interest. Conflict. Complication.Inspirational. Struggle. Unusualness. Humor.
Coordinate a shooting schedule once you find someone. Maybe you will follow them around for a day. Maybe you'll stop by over the period of a week or a couple weeks. It depends on the timeline of your subject story.
You don't have to follow a single subject, either. Your story could be a certain issue or problem that affects different people. Keep an eye out for stories about trends in the paper, maybe you shoot one person as an example of a trend.
Do whatever research you can to plan how much equipment you'll need with you (a flash? telephoto lens? tripod?)
Remember to include descriptive captions for each image. Feel free to break the typical 2-sentence length.
Each photo should be of a different "event" or "moment." For example, you wouldn't include a photo and then another one taken a few seconds later from a slightly different angle. Pick the best one to represent that moment. Think of each photograph as a different chapter of a book.
Use a mix of close-ups, medium shots and wide shots. Get different perspectives.
Arrange the shots in the sequence that makes the most sense. It's not always chronologically how they were shot.
If it's between the less perfect shot that better tells the story or a nice shot with less story, pick the one that best tells the story.
Try be as honest and objective as you can. Be a fly on the wall. Don't manipulate the subject.
Remember to title your photo story.
And remember to edit and crop all images as needed.
Illustration
Photo Illustration Assignment
Due October 5 -- handed in via Flickr. Include a headline, no caption needed.
Your task is to illustrate a concept through photography, and, if you want, Photoshop.
Here are some ideas:
Crime on college campuses
College students trying to live on a small budget
Computer frustration
Avoiding the flu
Anger management
The stress of parenting
Kids playing too many video games
The challenge of dieting
Living environmentally conscious
Too much texting/Facebook on campus
Print is dead
Surviving an all-nighter
Binge drinking on campus
Rising cost of textbooks
You can take a concept and go to the next level: for example, with "Computer frustration," you could illustrate too much email spam and someone being frustrated by it (maybe someone buried under a pile of letters?). Then you could have a headline like, "How to keep from being buried in spam."
Think about these ideas from different angles and use wordplay. For example, for living on a budget, you could try to convey the concept of literally "pinching pennies." You get the idea. Use a visual metaphor (see p. 342 in the book) or an archetype (e.g., Mother Nature, knight in shining armor) as a visual shortcut.
Focus on not only your subject but also what colors and lighting you use. Does it call for high key light? Moody shadows? A backlit alley? You'll have to say a lot about an abstract concept for the reader very quickly and clearly.
Your background will also add to the mood of the scene. You can use a simple backdrop or even use a composition in Photoshop. Remember, if you use Photoshop, don't incorporate someone else's work.
Picking the right model and props will also be key. Make sure your props are accurate enough (if you need to fake it, that's fine if we don't notice!). Like a good actor in a movie, your model should make sense in the role.
See p. 345 for thinking creatively. Brainstorm with a friend or classmate. Play with words and puns. Don't rely on overdone cliches. Try to put a new spin on them.
Due October 5 -- handed in via Flickr. Include a headline, no caption needed.
Your task is to illustrate a concept through photography, and, if you want, Photoshop.
Here are some ideas:
Crime on college campuses
College students trying to live on a small budget
Computer frustration
Avoiding the flu
Anger management
The stress of parenting
Kids playing too many video games
The challenge of dieting
Living environmentally conscious
Too much texting/Facebook on campus
Print is dead
Surviving an all-nighter
Binge drinking on campus
Rising cost of textbooks
You can take a concept and go to the next level: for example, with "Computer frustration," you could illustrate too much email spam and someone being frustrated by it (maybe someone buried under a pile of letters?). Then you could have a headline like, "How to keep from being buried in spam."
Think about these ideas from different angles and use wordplay. For example, for living on a budget, you could try to convey the concept of literally "pinching pennies." You get the idea. Use a visual metaphor (see p. 342 in the book) or an archetype (e.g., Mother Nature, knight in shining armor) as a visual shortcut.
Focus on not only your subject but also what colors and lighting you use. Does it call for high key light? Moody shadows? A backlit alley? You'll have to say a lot about an abstract concept for the reader very quickly and clearly.
Your background will also add to the mood of the scene. You can use a simple backdrop or even use a composition in Photoshop. Remember, if you use Photoshop, don't incorporate someone else's work.
Picking the right model and props will also be key. Make sure your props are accurate enough (if you need to fake it, that's fine if we don't notice!). Like a good actor in a movie, your model should make sense in the role.
See p. 345 for thinking creatively. Brainstorm with a friend or classmate. Play with words and puns. Don't rely on overdone cliches. Try to put a new spin on them.
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