Over time the use of photos in journalism has increased drastically. The NY Times are a prime example. Traditional print in this decade has evolved to the use of photos to provide a visual component to them.
In this decade, photos have provided readers a way to grasp an idea or image to the story. Photos help readers put a face or place to a name.
The use of text alone is hard to find in the realm of print. Photos attract readers to not only view the text, but read it as well.
Stories can be seen as more attractive with a picture because the picture tells a story.
Charley Steed, professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, described the effectiveness of photos within stories. The idea of grabbing a photo is not as easy as a snap of your camera.
Steed shared the idea of how angles and lighting affect a photo. Photo composition, or framing it the right way, takes into account the foreground, middle ground and background when capturing a photo. Doing so provides depth and understanding on why something is where it is.
“Go for the shot you need,” Steed said. “Don’t go for the shot you want because the likelihood of getting the perfect shot is low.”
Steed also advised students to find the shot that their going to need in order to convey what is happening.
Knowing the story before they take their photos is something that Steed emphasized.
The different ways to set a picture up include micro and macro. Narrative perspective is another way to focus a photo.
“Think of it as telling a story through pictures,” Steed said. “Have a rising action, climax and conclusion.”
An important tip when capturing a photo is to make sure your camera or phone is charged. Bringing extra batteries is crucial in getting the best photos.
Alexa's Media Storytelling II Blog 