Coursework Photoreport. Methods of work. What is a photo essay? Photo essay examples of works about the city

What is a photo essay? This is a shooting of an event in which the photographer himself takes part, expressing his view of everything that happens around.

Reports with photographs taken by different photographers about the same events will always be different even with the same professional performance. Photographing the most important event by a master photographer is a guarantee of careful storage of photographs both in a personal archive and among friends. The desire to preserve your memory of the past is the task of a true photographer and his main difference between a professional and an amateur. It's like a black list of employers: you can always understand where your conditions and wishes will be fulfilled in a quality manner. It is worth noting that the photo essay is a fascinating and very interesting type of photography.

There is an opinion all over the world that a photographer of even the most beginner level is able to make a high-quality report of any event. But if you want to get a quality report, then you should not take risks. In this case, job reviews are the main trump card! Yes, events are different. What is there to darken: the people taking part in these events also differ in character. In reportage photography, in addition to the personal relationship of the photographer to the existing event, the task of photography set by the customer is also very important. Of course, the personal view of the photographer is very important, this is usually the reason for inviting Peter, for example, and not Ivan to conduct a photo essay. But the support in any process of this nature is made on the idea of ​​the customer, his wishes or intentions.

A photo essay is a kind of narrative about a certain ongoing event, as if simultaneously from the inside, but at the same time, as if from the outside. Asking the participants to pose means breaking the whole sacrament, but shooting with profiles alone or from the back is also not an option. But just hiding and watching what is happening from the side, you can create a huge number of unexpected and at the same time wonderful shots.

An excellent condition for creating a fascinating photo essay is to work with a partner. Undoubtedly, the teamwork of partners is extremely important here. This, in fact, is the difference between any professional filming and amateur photography.

A photo reportage of the largest events, in which several photographers take part, is best done from an unusual angle so that the resulting shots differ significantly from those of competitors. For example, the shooting of the Victory Parade, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the victory, was carried out by several photographers from the top of the Spasskaya Tower and was the most unique! Feedback from employees of many companies was full of biting statements about the dexterity and thinking of these professionals.

With the advent of photography, that is, since the creation of the camera, nothing has changed - the light also falls through the lens, which consists of a whole set of lenses. But the evolution nevertheless took place: the film devices were replaced by a CCD with a matrix on which the image is processed, read and written to digital media. The lens has an integrated aperture with a drive and a zoom mechanism. Exposure in this case is carried out due to the difference in the change in the reading speed from the matrix. There are single-spot and multi-spot meters that determine the level of light and exposure, as well as adjust the duration of the flash. All of the above combined allows professionals to create unique photo reports that are sent to the best archives and stored for centuries. If you want someone to capture the most important event of your life - do not be stingy, use the services of professional photographers.

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time, but never got around to it. And here lately I have been periodically asked about all sorts of different reporting details, so I decided to arrange an educational program-impromptu. Although, it is loudly said, of course. Be that as it may, everything that is written below by no means claims to be the ultimate truth, however, I hope it may be useful to someone.

1. As we call it, it will float.

The title, of course, should hook the reader, make him immediately go under the cat. However, it is important not to overdo it here, otherwise it will be something in the style of "Life News" or the newspaper "Your Day". Especially "no ice" if the noisy title does not match the content of the article. Some top bloggers (we will not name names), in order to get more views, unfortunately, do this and do not even use the introductory text. But we want to make the right report, don't we?

2. Title photo.

There is no doubt that a photo essay should start with a title photo. It's like the cover of a magazine or newspaper. For me, it is better that the photo was one. Some people post two at once, and put an introductory text between them. In my opinion, when a single photo visually attracts more attention. You can also use a collage of several shots, here, as they say, the taste is yes, the color of the sample is not.

3. A post without a hat is not a post.

It seems to me that there is quite enough text for about 7-10 lines, separated by one or two paragraphs. At the same time, there must be an empty line between each of them. Computer is not paper book, the load on the eyes is greater here, and therefore such torn text will be easier to read. On the one hand, the content should reflect the essence of the photo essay, and on the other hand, it should turn out to be somewhat understated and thereby create intrigue.

4. We go under cat.

Some bloggers, such as Artemy Lebedev, do not recognize khat as such and dump the entire sheet directly into the feed. And if you weren't going to read it. So, there is no point in even considering such an extreme. The reader deserves respect. So, in my opinion, under the cut, specially titled, there should be about 35-40 photographs (I set the size to 1000x667), necessarily numbered. Do you understand, yes, why numbered?

When there are only a dozen or two photos, one gets the impression of some understatement, especially if the post is very exciting. It is also not worth experimenting with a very large number. Once I made a report about St. Patrick's Day in Moscow and, out of inexperience, scored more than a hundred pictures in the post. And then I wondered for a long time why there was no seemingly well-deserved return and such a small number of comments. The reader gets tired, annoyed and sometimes does not even finish reading the material.

Photos in the post should not be active links, this may interfere with viewing. Therefore, the source code should be trimmed accordingly. Don't forget to adapt your pictures to high-resolution displays (retina), your friends will be grateful to you. You can read about how to do this, as well as in general about photo processing with my eyes.

5. Above or below?

Among reporters, there is still no clear definition of where to put the accompanying text - above or below the photo. I believe that if there is one photo in the post, the description should be UNDER it, and if it is a large report, then exclusively ABOVE. Empirically, I found that it is more convenient to read a photo story this way. That is - the text, followed immediately by a photo without a space, then a space and everything repeats.

6. How should the story sound?

Sometimes excitement attacks me and I start to write too ornately. Well, in principle, there are such topics when it decorates the report, but, as a rule, such verbiage distracts from the visual content. Really, it’s better not to boast of wit, there is a separate genre for this. One, maximum two lines of accompanying text, simply and clearly revealing the essence of the moment.

However, too sparingly and telegraphic writing is also not good. "Yesterday there was a rally in Moscow. 100,500 people came. Everything went smoothly." The reader will start to yawn and may not finish reading the post.

An important point - if you are not a professional writer and doubt the impeccability of the text, assuming the presence of spelling and punctuation errors in it, ask a specialist or just some familiar "grammar Nazi" to edit it. Believe me, competent writing in our time causes only respect, but, unfortunately, it is less and less common.

7. And what's at the end?

Surely, if you have returned from a trip to some interesting country, you have material for more than one or two reports. I recommend at the end of the second to put a link to the first, at the end of the third to the first and second, and so on. Let it be like a serial film.

To make your story known not only to the audience of LJ, but also to other services, put a repost button at the end (in the HTML editor in the toolbar, a hand with a raised thumb). And buttons on your instagrams, twitters, facebooks. You look, and will bring future friends. And, of course, tags. It will be easier for you and your readers to find this or that record.

Like this. I would like to hear your opinion about the above, and especially the additions.

Photo essay is a free, creative genre that can include elements of portraiture, landscape, or even still life. There is no need to come up with any image and select the appropriate accessories, it is important to capture the most interesting moment that will tell the viewer a certain story. Every self-respecting photographer should have at least a few reportage-style shots in their portfolio.

What is a photo essay

FROM of English language the word "reportage" can be translated as a message or a report. The main task of the photographer when shooting a reportage is to document an event and convey it through visual images a message, a message to the viewer. Simply put, a reportage is a short story about a life or event, without any staged shots, when the photographer controls the characters, arranging them in front of the camera lens as he needs it. However, elements of staging may also be present in the reportage, but still in this case the photographer has to make greater use of the conditions that are available. When photographing a report, it is very important to notice or predict an interesting shot in time, and to do it professionally, taking into account the peculiarities of lighting and the background, not forgetting, of course, the composition.

The photographer should strive to obtain a reportage photo, which will be not only documentary, but also imbued with the atmosphere and mood of the event. For shooting a reportage, a short shutter speed is most often used, on which that very “decisive moment” is caught. The process of shooting a reportage is carried out without the intervention of the photographer in the natural course of events.

Reportage photos are a look at the emotions and relationships of people, events or architecture from the outside. Since here the photographer is limited by time and the natural scenario of events taking place around him, you must always remain alert, be ready to press the shutter button at any moment. Usually, when shooting a report, they use both close-ups to capture individual details, and general views, in particular, shots of the crowd that had gathered in the square.

Thus, the key components of high-quality photo reporting are the ability of the photographer to quickly respond to ongoing events, the ability to choose a shooting point and build the frame correctly, quickly adjust the technique and shooting parameters, taking into account the prevailing conditions. As for the choice of plot, it all depends on the photographer's powers of observation and the ability to think in plots, that is, to notice unusual details in seemingly simple, ordinary things.

Plots for reporting

You won't have to search for stories for reportage shooting for a long time. It is enough to arm yourself with a good camera and start looking for interesting shots, wherever you are. To see the frame and catch it is your main task. Plots for a photo essay can be very diverse, including a regular birthday, which can be a good help for creating interesting, memorable shots. The beauty of a photo essay lies in the credibility and sincerity of such shooting, in showing what is really there. According to its content, it is customary to distinguish two types of reporting:

- eventful

An event report involves a photo story about an event that has a clear correlation in time (date, beginning and end) and several stages (prehistory, plot, development, climax, denouement). As an event reportage, shooting of any important event, conference, incident can serve. Here the documentary essence of photography comes to the fore. Wherein key points events you have to capture in a very limited time frame.

- Thematic

Thematic reporting is a more creative direction, when the photographer tries to find interesting moments, situations in ordinary events and tell the viewer about them. It can be a report about an individual, a group of people and their relationships, a story about a particular country or vacation. Accordingly, work on a thematic report, unlike an event report, may not be limited by strict time frames. You can interrupt work and then return to shooting again, accumulating over time interesting material on a specific topic.

Returning to the subjects in reportage shooting, we can distinguish several of the most popular areas:

- Shooting a concert

This is a rather complicated type of reporting, because in concert hall lighting conditions leave much to be desired, and therefore it becomes problematic to get high-quality shots. If you have chosen concert shooting as a subject for your photo essay, think carefully about choosing the appropriate photographic equipment. Required good camera, which can effectively cope with noise, and fast optics, since shooting with flash means “killing” stage lighting. Another important point is that you should think over your location in the hall in advance and choose the optimal shooting point.

- Sport competitions

Another difficult subject for a photo story, because here you cannot predict what will happen in the next moment. Sports events are very dynamic, and if several athletes participate in the competition at once, then do not miss best moments it gets really difficult. It is recommended to take pictures in continuous shooting mode. Moreover, your camera should provide not only high speed shooting, but also a good duration of a series of shots in the appropriate resolution. Equally important is the speed of autofocus.

— Holidays, corporate parties and anniversaries

As a starting plot for mastering a photo essay, you can choose to shoot a festive feast or corporate party. Here you can learn how to correctly build a frame, taking into account the composition and lighting features, choose the best shooting points and follow the development of events, noticing interesting details. When shooting celebrations, it is very important not only to document the event, but to convey to the viewer the atmosphere and mood of the holiday.

— Photo travel

Travel, tourist trips and all sorts of “outings into nature” are a great option for shooting a photo essay. With the help of your reportage photos you can convey the beauty of nature and architecture, the unique flavor of other peoples and countries. You just need to stay alert in order to have time to photograph something that can really “hook” the viewer.

These stories in reportage photography, of course, are not limited. Shooting from exhibitions, conferences, photographing production and people's activities - all this and much more can be a great topic for a photo essay. If you decide to do photo reporting, then you need to learn not only to find interesting subjects for shooting, but also to literally think in them. Remember that the plot is revealed in the scenes of people's relationships with each other, with objects around them or nature.

When creating a report, it is required to show an event in development, that is, it is necessary to connect individual elements into a coherent and interesting photo story. Photos can follow one after another in strict chronological order, or they can reveal the plot or event in an associative way. In the latter case, individual shots should complement each other in meaning, atmosphere and artistic performance. At the same time, the content of the topic can be revealed by one photo, and all the rest will only detail the story. The more different plots, unexpected twists and details the pictures convey, the more rich and curious your photo story will look.

The stated goal of each photo essay is to convey a particular story to target audience or to as many people as possible. Reportage photography differs from other photographic genres in its striving for maximum objectivity, seriousness and authenticity. If a reportage photographer has done a good job, the consumer of information will have the opportunity to form their own opinion.

Within the genre, it is worth mentioning certain areas of photo reporting: political, environmental, sports, agricultural, industrial, criminal, scientific.

Types of photo essay

Today it is customary to single out two large groups reportage photography:

• Normal (everyday) reporting.
• Event reportage photography.

The usual photo essay captures scenes from everyday life. It can be the everyday life of people with interesting work. Or with uninteresting work, but from an unexpected angle. The objects of shooting can also be people with special talents and hobbies, people of different faiths and worldviews. Everyday reporting may reflect a specific event or its consequences. For example, how do you like this plot: “The uncleaned capital after the day of the city”?

Lipetsk after city day (2013)

Event reporting is photography of specific events - exhibitions, forums, scientific conferences, celebrations, football matches.
There are several key differences between commercial photography and photojournalism:

• In the first case, a reportage photographer works according to a clear brief from the client.
• Number of photos. At the end of the shooting day, the client should receive 300-600 processed photos from you. To put it bluntly, for 1 hour of shooting an interesting event (well-designed, beautifully branded), a reportage photographer should take about 100 photos.
• Photo quality. The client rightfully expects high-quality material from the photographer: processed photos, each of which conveys the spirit of the event, captures each speaker. Often, for some customers, a “literal” transfer of reality in a photo is not enough - the photographer may need the ability to somewhat “embellish” reality with the help of an interesting angle. How to photograph a speaker against the backdrop of a half-empty yawning hall as if he were at the Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood? If this is a mystery to you, you have a long road ahead of you to acquire the skill of a photographer, the first step to which is this article.

By definition, reportage photography is aimed at creating the most reliable picture. At the same time, the creation of objective images with the help of such a somewhat subjective medium as photography is completely impossible. Therefore, in most cases, some overly artistic techniques, as well as significant image processing in post-production, should be avoided, as this can be detrimental to the purposes of reporting.

Reportage photography: choosing a theme

For a report to be successful, it is important first of all to choose interesting topic and choose the right subject for shooting. The stated goal of each photo essay is to convey a particular story to the target audience or as many people as possible. In other words, it is about drawing the reader's attention to the topic and presenting different points of view on the issue. Thanks to this, the consumer of information gets the opportunity to form their own opinion. The goals described above are achieved through a series of complementary photographs.
It is advisable to look around and look at your surroundings. High-quality reporting is impossible without a good acquaintance with the material, location, people and context. This knowledge comes only through intensive study of the subject over a long period. This allows the photographer to know before the photo session when the situations that are best suited for photography will arise and what technical details need to be paid attention to. In addition, a reportage photographer will experience less interference when working if he knows what to expect from the local population. A significant proportion of people react negatively when they are photographed without their permission. Therefore, you will have to learn how to either establish contact with strangers (but in such a way that the photo does not lose its naturalness), or photograph unnoticed by the subject.
When searching for a topic, your first questions might be:

• What am I good at that I know better than others?
• Maybe my job or my city can provide material for an exciting photo essay?
• Whether others are interested in my hobby or my favorite sport
• What questions from my daily life might be of interest to other people?

Some large photo stories arose because the photographer had people in his family or circle of friends who suffered from illness or disabilities, and it was about their fate that he wanted to tell the world. The objects of shooting can also be people with special talents and hobbies, people of different faiths and worldviews. Many small settlements and their features can be fertile material for creating a memorable series of photographs. Moreover, if you want to develop your skills in the photo essay genre, then your vacation, the change of seasons in the forests and fields, festive events in your area, can be great subjects for training.

And finally

Finally, a couple more questions. What have you long dreamed of understanding, but you did not have enough time or perseverance? What would you like to see again and get to know better?

Reportage photography is a great way to satisfy your own curiosity. And without a sincere interest in the topic, it is hardly possible to create an inspiring report, because photography is a means of conveying not only information, but also the photographer's passion for the subject.

Professional photographer who will reportage shooting, usually arrives at the scene in advance. If possible, he will definitely get acquainted with the plan of the event, note for himself what must be filmed, what is desirable, which most likely cannot be captured. While there are few people in place, he quickly marks for himself good shooting points, the possibility of moving, takes pictures of objects to which access may be limited in the future, etc. Approximately the same action plan can be followed by a novice school reporter.

Generally speaking, if there is no predisposition to photography, you can do it simply: put your finger on the shutter button and press it from time to time. Out of 200 shots, 20 can always be selected. This method is suitable for everyone.

Another way is to try to imagine a coherent story in your head and illustrate it.. The story should include answers to the questions what, where, when. “The holiday was in such and such a year (exact date) in such and such a place. At first there was something. Then such and such appeared. Then there were the bugs." And for each sentence, take a suitable picture, such that it cannot be confused: snow (which means winter), here we see a singing teacher, and here - blind man's buff. The picture should tell the prying eye everything by itself, without words. However, small explanations will still be required when posting on the site: clarify the action, indicate the names, name of the game, etc. About this - in the final part, you can see examples.

All photography is three types of shooting: a general plan, medium plan, close-up. You definitely need a preliminary picture that will show the general atmosphere, the interior. You will also need a picture that includes a small group of people - two or three, united by a common cause. And, of course, faces: if we are talking about a holiday, they should probably have a smile on them.

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The totality of pictures will enable everyone who was unable to attend the event to make their own impression of it: was it fun, how many people came, how is the situation with the material side of the school, etc. The reportage gives a lot of information to an inquisitive eye: a photograph does not lying.

It's probably not possible to remove everything. It doesn't matter: 20 different photos are enough for a good report. This is the optimal number to tell and not to get bored.

NB
Often, some episodes of the event are so fleeting that it is not possible to capture them. And I want to talk about them. You can try to take a picture outside the time frame of the event. Didn't have time to shoot a cracker shot? Shoot the confetti on the floor and include it in your photo story.