It has become a long tradition that all significant events, be it an event of national importance or a book exhibition, sports competition or film festival, are covered not only by journalists, but also by photographers. A series of photographs depicting individual moments, episodes of what is happening, are called the photo report or reportage shooting.
Process specifics
Sequential shooting is fundamentally different from the usual. A fundamentally different, first of all, approach to the selection and supply of material. For a photo shoot or traditional pictures, the artistic side of nature is important, i.e. of what is photographed and displayed on the card. Therefore, any photographer is to some extent an artist. He tries not only to show the distinguishing features of the object being shot, but to do it beautifully, with a twist, creating an artistic image.
The photographer carefully plans the composition of future photographs, selects the desired lighting tone, color range. He may ask his models to smile or make a sad look - depending on the plot. And even if the photos are ordered and must meet certain requirements, the photographer has many opportunities for improvisation. Sequence shooting is not like that.
The main task of the photojournalist is the objectivity and veracity of the work. Photographing the president’s visit to a foreign country or his meeting with people in a provincial hinterland, taking pictures at the scene of another accident or from an opposition rally, the reporter creates a chronicle of the country, writes its history. Sequential shooting is done impromptu, on the go, and the photographer must have time to guess the right angle, choose the most successful point of shooting, its moment. You need to act quickly so as not to miss a special facial expression, gesture or movement, a “talking” background and such details that will turn the picture into a photo document. Thus, it turns out a kind of photo story, which should be served interestingly, fascinatingly, vividly, lively. Often, for the sake of one correct shot, the reporter pushes the start button dozens of times, and then selects some of the most successful ones. He is an eyewitness, and through his pictures the viewer becomes familiar with what is happening, plunges into the thick of events, becomes their participant, feels the intensity of passions and drama, experiences unique moments in history.
It is clear that reportage shooting is a complex matter, it requires high professional skill. Learning to serve the material “simply, but with taste” is possible not in one day or a month. Hand and eye "stuff" for years. After all, selected images should be vital and convey the spirit of events. Therefore, we can say: reportage shooting -
this is a story in “pictures” about his contemporaries and his era.
Often a series of photographs accompanies the text of a newspaper article or blog post. Consequently, the content of the photo story should be textual, and often without prior agreement. Such consistency is also one of the signs of professionalism.
We are shooting a holiday!
One of the varieties of the photo report is the shooting of holidays. Like reporting, it includes almost all genres and types of
shooting: portrait, landscape, “from nature”, interior, i.e. household, static and mobile. Photographing holidays should convey the appropriate atmosphere, mood, emotions. And then the photographer turns into an artist. It captures the most vivid and colorful moments, the most touching and happy, funny and interesting. Indeed, such a report helps to preserve the memory of solemn events for many years.
The profession of a photographer is a profession by vocation. She must be loved, she must be lived, she must strive for perfection. Only then can you become a real master photojournalist.