essential skills: digital photography in available light
The photographer’s presence
When the photographer is working at close range it is worth considering the impact this presence
has on the event or activity being photographed. Most photojournalists practice the art of working
unobtrusively to minimize the effect on their surroundings. This can be achieved in the following
ways:
~ Raise the camera to take the image not to fi nd the image.
~ Be decisive, don’t procrastinate.
~ Minimize the amount of equipment being carried - two bodies and three lenses is
suffi cient.
~ Carry the camera in the hand rather than around the neck - use a wrist strap or the
neck strap wrapped around the wrist.
~ Reduce the size of the camera bag and do not advertise the cameras that are inside.
~ Use the available light present - use a high ISO, image stabilization and fast lenses
rather than fl ash.
~ Choose appropriate clothing for the location or company that you are in.
~ Move with the activity.
~ Familiarize yourself with the location and/or the people prior to capturing the
images.
Shooting ratios
A photographer capturing images spontaneously should not expect to contribute all of the images
to the fi nal story. This will lead to undershooting and missed opportunities. The photographer
cannot hope to wait for the single most dramatic moment of the event or activity before releasing
the shutter. This would lead to a projective approach that is used when a photographer is creating
rather than capturing images. The photographer cannot control events only predict them as they
are about to happen. Recording images as an event unfolds or as the photographer changes
vantage point means that many images will be captured that will be not be used. This is called a
‘shooting ratio’. For every image used, ten may be discarded as unnecessary to the narrative of
the story (a shooting ratio of 1:10). The value of each image is not assessed as it is captured but
later during the editing process. The unused images are not to be seen as wasted or failed images
but as part of the working process of photojournalism.
ACTIVITY 5
Make a list of the ideal range of equipment you would take to record a crowded event in a foreign
country where spontaneous and decisive images are required.
List brand names and the cost of each item new or second-hand.
List the cost of insuring these items against ‘all risks’ and theft from a locked room or vehicle.
Indicate how you would review the images on location at the end of each day to monitor your
progress.