These are the highlights of chapter six of Mark Briggs’ JournalismNext: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing.
Even if you don’t aspire to become an artist with a camera you should understand how digital photography works.
The key to understanding how to work with digital photographs is all in the pixels. Compress high resolution images for publication on a website.
Be aware of lighting when taking pictures. Take a picture when there is natural lighting or use flash as the primary light. As a last resort, use a mixture of flash and natural light.
When shooting mug shots avoid flash at all costs. Avoid high-noon sunlight and strong back light. Try to photograph when the skies are overcast or a situation similar to overcast skies. Also, pick a neutral background, stay away from walls, and beware of poles and lamps.
Don’t be in a rush; the best photos take time to capture. Do anything you have to to steady yourself when taking pictures. Pick one thing to focus on and fill the frame of the photo with the subject. Move around to ensure a beneficial angle. Shoot action photos whenever possible and avoid posing people.
When editing photos be sure to do so with a copy of the original. Steps of editing: crop, resize to accommodate publication, lower resolution if being published online, correct tone and color, and compress the image.
Photo editing software
On a computer: iPhoto, Windows Photo Gallery
Online (full-featured): Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket
Online (editing-only): Photoshop Express Live, Picnik, Snipshot
Value-Priced Software: Photoshop Elements, Paintshop Pro
Professional: Photoshop CS5
The advantages of Photoshop software are the abilities to create graphics, modify screen shots for design, and create cutouts and collages.
The New York Times utilized publication of photos online after the Inauguration in 2009. Slideshows of the event were created and published the day after. www.niemanlab.org/2009/01/nyt-sees-bigger-pageview-numbers-post-inauguration-credit-slideshows
Publish photos to your blog to make it visually appealing and create slide shows when publishing a number of photos with the same subject.
Mightier Than A Sword 