KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING

THE RULES OF

PHOTOJOURNALISM
by

Ping B. Peralta

BY: LIZA ALIÑO

Modified by: Jason Barrun

What is photojournalism?

Photojournalism is journalism
that uses pictures to tell a story
instead of words.
– Holly Rowsey
 © pingperalta

© pingperalta © pingperalta

Photography is simply capturing a visual

image through the proper use of light….
 © pingperalta

© pingperalta

….. while photojournalism is the use of frozen

images, a snapshot commonly used for print
in newspapers or magazines.
Functions of Pictures
or
Illustration
1. Picture attracts attention. It
catches the reader’s interest so
that he will be enticed to read
the text that go with it.

2. It beautifies the page.

3. It complements, supports and

gives visual meaning to the

news.
4. A picture also illustrates a
point in the story.
5. It tells a story itself through
the help of the caption.
6. It tells also a story in
sequence of photos or
illustration.
7. It gives visual relief to the
design or make-up of the
story.

8. It helps the readers know how

the person or place mentioned
in the story look like.
 Factors Affecting the Quality
of Pictures/Cut

1. The Taking of Pictures

-Know the workmanship of your
camera, its every part and function.
Point-and-Shoot Camera
 Factors Affecting the Quality
of Pictures/Cut

1.1 There is a need for mind-eyes

coordination when taking pictures.
 Other Factors Affecting the
Quality of Pictures/Cut

2. Picture to be set for layout

-Sharp picture
- Message-laden
-Well-cropped
CATEGORIES OF PHOTOJOURNALISM

GENERAL NEWS SPOT NEWS

FEATURE NEWS
(SINGLE)
CATEGORIES OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
FEATURE NEWS (MULTIPLE)
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
CATEGORIES OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
Sir Vicencio (NTOT 2017)

Genres of Photojournalism
1. DOCUMENTARY
- Social
- Industrial
- Street
- Environmental Portraiture
2. REPORTAGE
- War and Politics
- Daily and Breaking News
- Sports
- Celebrity and Music
3. EDITORIAL
- Illustration, food, fashion and portraits
CATEGORIES OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
FEATURE NEWS (MULTIPLE OR PHOTO STORY )
 Parts of a Photo Story
1.Opening Image – Intrigue your audience
2. Wide Shot – Over-all Scene. Where does
it take place?
3. Medium Shot- Draw in your audience
4. Portrait - Connect with an individual
5. Detail – Close –up shot of craft or
person
6. Action- Dynamic/standing in their shoes
7. Closer –Finality to the story
Sir Vicencio (NTOT 2017)
 Things to remember in
Photojournalism

1. An action photo can vividly

tell its own story that no
need of caption to go with
it.
2. Timeliness- The immediacy of the
picture can also enhance its value.

3. Action- “Action speaks louder than

words” as they say.
4. Human Interest – shows
emotion that readers can relate
to.
Tips for Better Pictures
1. Try squatting or kneeling
down or standing on your toes
or on chair when shooting
picture.
2. Taking portraits of people doing
things.

3. Candid shots and action pictures

are the best.
4. Concentrate on facial
expression.

5. Look for focal point of interest

6. Take more than one shot of
every scene to be assured of
the best angle.

7. Be always at the look out to

take unusual pictures.
Photojournalism:
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
(Commonly Used Terms)
1. Composition is the
combining of distinct parts or
elements to form a whole
2. The Rule of Thirds
It means that the frame can be
divided into three horizontal
sections and three vertical
sections and therefore, where the
horizontal and vertical lines
intersect makes an ideal location
for the more important parts of
your picture.
3. Framing is the tactic of using
natural surroundings to add
more meaning to your subject.
It could be anything such as
bushes, trees, a window or
even a doorway.
Framing in Photographs
4. Leading Lines are used to
lure the eye deeper into a
picture or to an important
subject. Straight, curved,
parallel, or diagonal lines are all
good at promoting interest.
 5. BALANCE AND
CONTRAST are two other
terms which can add
excitement to a photograph.
BALANCE IN PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTRAST IN PHOTOGRAPHY
6. Colors are what add heart
and emotion to your pictures.
Certain color configuration can
inspire sensation and
amazement in onlookers.
 Foreground Elements
In order to show the depth of a
landscape it is very important to
include some type of foreground
element. Without something in the
foreground, the viewer has no
chance to distinguish distances and
sizes; everything looks more flat
and closer to the camera.
Landscape Image
 James Nachtwey

Whether the subject matter is colorful and happy or

a grim glimpse at harsh realities, technical execution
and visual appeals always make one photograph
stand above others.
Tips in the Use of Angles
1.Angled shots make short persons
taller and make persons powerful if
taken properly.

2. When possible, take four to five

shots of a subject to discover in
what angle a subject looks at its
best.
 Low
Angle
Shot
 Low
Angle
Shot
 High
Angle
Shot
 San Sebastian Church
 in Manila
Exposure is the amount of light
collected by the sensor in your
camera during a single picture. If
the shot is exposed too long the
photograph will be washed out. If
the shot is exposed too short the
photograph will appear too dark.
The Angle of Light should be
taken into careful consideration
whenever you feel like you
want to create a specific effect.
Shadows can be very powerful
when cast over half someone’s
face.
Perspective Photographs
Silhouette
Reflection
Parts of Caption

1. Catch Line
2. Body
3. Credit
ALL HER LIFE: An 80-year old PANGTAWID GUTOM: Si Aling
woman gets a living from the busy Rose nakaupo sa silid ng kalsada,
streets of Angeles City for twenty habang namamalimos upang
years. malamnanan ang kanyang
sikmura, Angeles, Pampanga, May
23, 2014
 Tips for Writing
Captions or Cutlines
Writing Captions (AP Style)

 Captions are generally made of two

parts, each composed of one or
more sentences. The first part,
almost always written in present
tense describes the action seen in
the photo.
 Who-What-Where-When
Writing Captions (AP Style)

 The second part gives context to

the image. This part is usually
written in past tense and describes
why the action, situation or content
of the picture is important or
interesting.
A photo caption should provide the reader
basic information needed to understand a
photograph and its relevance to the news.
1. Be brief and to the point, but do
not make it too short that it
leaves readers wondering about
the situations involved.
2.Supplement and explain the
pictures, but do not state what is
obvious.
3. Name people only if they are
important.
4. Identify the people in the picture.
Identify them from the left, followed by
their full names. (Use from left not from
left to right)

In case of several rows, begin with the

front row. If the people are in a circle,
have the caption read from left,
clockwise.
5. Verb should be in the present
tense to emphasize immediacy.

6. Make sure not to misspell the

name of the subject.
7. As much as possible, give the
place and the date when the picture
is taken, especially if the picture is
for news story.

8. Human interest photos need no

lengthy caption. It can have a word,
a phrase or a short sentence.
Writing Photo Captions

© pingperalta

PANANDALIANG LUNAS. Si Danilo Duran ng Albay Emergency Rescue Unit ay binibigyan ng pangunang
lunas ang isang biktima ng aksidente na naganap sa Imelda Roces Avenue, Lungsod ng Legazpi kahapon,
ika-21 ng Hunyo, 2014. (Ping B. Peralta)
PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR THE
FOLLOWING:

• Don’t be vague. Make sure names of

people and places are correctly identified
and spelled.

• Don’t use verbs or verb phrases as “looks

on”, “poses” or “pictured above” in writing
caption.
• Don’t editorialize!

• Don’t characterize the content of the

photo as “beautiful”, “dramatic”,
“horrifying” or any descriptive terms
that should be evident in the photo.
Criteria:

Content – 50%
Technical Aspect – 40%
Ethical Standard – 10%

Total – 100%
 “REMEMBER, NOT
EVERYTHING
IS A PICTURE.
A good eye can edit before the
shutter opens.”

CRAIG COVERDALE
Photo Credits:
• Steve McCurry
• James Nachtwey
• Kevin Carter
• Eddie Adams
• Robert Capa
• Henri Cartier - Bresson
• W. Eugene Smith
• Bill Eppridge
• Don McCullins
• Stuart Franklin
• Val Rodriguez
• Jay Maisel
• Tyler Hicks
• Gary Knapp
• George Roger
• Michael Wells
• Rome Candaza
• Ping Peralta
References:
Sullivan, Robert, 100 Photographs That
Changed the World;
Lacayo, Richard & Russel, George,
Eyewitness: 150 Years of
Photojournalism;
National Photographers Association, The
Best of Photojournalism;
Jeffrey, Ian, How to Read a Photograph;
Dickie, Chris, The 50 Most Influential
Photographs of All times;
Horton, Brian, The AP Photojournalism
Handbook;
Freeman, Michael, The Photographer’s
Story: The Art of Visual Narrative;
Kenny, Isabel, Visual Literacy for
Photojournalists
Kobre, Ken, Photojournalism: The
Professional Approach
Remember:
LIGHTS…
CAMERA…
ACTION…

“ School Paper Advisers in Action”

G O O D L U C K Photojournalists!