Images: photoPhotos from Emil Parkaklis, Iphone photography school; Andy Bull,

multimedia journalism

Light-Natural light-Flash light-A mix of ambient light and flash. • Most safe in a cloudy day. • If you are photographing in sunlight, try to position yourself so that the

sun hits your subject from the side, this will give you nice 'modeling' and help create a 3D effect in the picture.• Sunlight behind the subject can give a very pleasing 'backlight' effect but

be careful that you are not getting 'flare' in the lens, which degrades the contrast of the image.

A picture taken in the middle of the day, the overhead sun casts deep shadows into the kids' eyes, spoiling an otherwise quite nice little group portrait.

This picture was taken at the same time as the one on the left but here the sun is at the side and behind the subject.

Composition: The rule of the third• The rule of thirds is one of the most

important rules of photographic composition. Landscape photographers are particularly fond of this one, but it works well for many types of subject.

• The rule of thirds simply says that, instead of placing the main focus of interest in the center of the frame, which makes for a very static composition, that you look to position it on an intersection of the thirds. That is to say one third up and one third in or two thirds up and one third in etc.

Example

Don’t put the horizon in the middle (almost never).

The tree takes on more importance in this picture because it now sits on the intersection of the vertical and horizontal third, which is a very powerful position in the frame.

Reasons for the rule of the third1. The first is a more general feeling that a

subject in the center of the frame is 'at rest', it's not going anywhere it feels . . . And a bit boring.

2. Moving the subject, or main point of interest, away from the center of the frame shakes things up, makes the viewer work a little, it just makes the picture more dynamic.

3. The emphasis can be either horizontal, vertical or both.

4. Rule of the third for smartphone

http://iphonephotographyschool.com/the-rule-of-thirds/

Balancing the rule of the third

• The main subject of this scene is clearly the bright orange cliff on the right side of the river. But if that was the only subject, the weight of the image would be focused on the right side.• In order to balance out the scene,

the photographer the big rock on the bottom left corner.

Use DiagonalsSetting your subject matter on a diagonal will almost always make for a more dynamic picture. points. Move around the subject and look for a diagonal.

Framing images

1. Head Roomhttps://www.atomiclearning.com/video-storytelling-guide/shot-rules-Too much headroom makes the person appear to be sinking. Most novice photographers and videographers will frame shots of people with too much headroom. -Too little headroom places visual emphasis on the person's chin and neck. When framing shots of people, pay attention to where the eyes appear.

Framing images

2. Lead room-Leave extra space in the direction your subject is looking. This is also called a nose room. Leave extra space in front of a moving person or object, like a runner, bicycle, or automobile when following the action.https://www.atomiclearning.com/video-storytelling-guide/shot-ruleshttps://www.atomiclearning.com/video-storytelling-guide/shot-rules

3. Looking at the background

• Make sure there are no undesirable objects. Especially, in the corners of the frame, behind the head, bright colors• Or make he background of your

shot doesn't draw your viewer's attention from your main subject.

Photos you should look for.

Photos can tell a story that words cannotWatch how Reuter told a story about the blizzard in 2013. And how one photo claimed the front page of major news papers.

Flood in Venice Italia, what image can you think of? (from abc.com)

Photos can tell you more about people• This guy took a photo every time he saw

someone reading a book on the subway• As part of a project called “last book”, to

make a point that reading printed books is a beautiful human behavior that will not be around for long.

Types of camera shots.

1. When shooting still images, look for different camera shots. To build a complete story, or a sequence, you have to capture different aspects of an object.

2. Commonly used shots are – wide shot (WS), medium shot (MS), Close-up (CU), Reaction shot (RS), Point of view (POV).

3. There are other types of shots too. The full range of shot types are introduced by mediacollege.com.

4. Note that this typology is a convention commonly used in photo, video, film and television industries.

The five shot rule: the most common formula of stitching up different camera shots to construct a story. (Source: Poynter Institute, 5 types of photos that make for strong photo essays)

Shot 1. The scene setter• Use Wide shot (WS) or

Extreme wide shot (EWS). • Where is your story

taking place?• What does it look like?• What is the mood of the

place? (Think of audio to go with it)

Shot 2: Connect the character• Use Medium shot (MS)• The spot of your action• The character connects

with the setting. • The area of the building or

town where your subjects are. • This shot narrows your

story’s field of view and should bring you closer in

Shot 3: the portrait• Close up (CU)• Who is your main subject

and what does he or she look like? • This can be a traditional

head and shoulders shot or a wider shot that shows surroundings.• It’s always best to take a

variety of portrait shots.

Shot 4. Capturing detail. • Extreme close up shot (ECU)• Detail shots work especially well

for transitions, but can have great storytelling potential all their own. • What are the pictures on someone’s

desk? What books are they reading? What’s that post card they have tacked to the wall?• All of these things tell us a little

bit about our subject.

Shot 5: capturing action.

• Medium close up, Over the shoulder, or point of view shot.

• Action shots show your subject doing something — this shot may be your theme.

• This is the shot some photographers spend an entire shoot trying to perfect, often amounting to the same shot being taken 30 times.

• Photos of your subject in action are essential in your story.

• Let’s watch the whole story. It is an NPR project called Health care

Tips for photographers in action(Kobre, Multimedia storytelling, pp. 121-122)

• Shoot continuously• Build up an event and capture the closure (Arrive early and remain till the last guest

leaves)• Watch for transitions (entering the building…leaving the room)• Frame horizontally (especially for cell phone cameras)• Copy photos to capture history(from albums, refrigerators, or walls)• Compose the image (include some extra spaces on the edges)