Yearbook photographers have the opportunity to go to a game, try their hand at it, see what they got on the negative or memory card, and then go out and try again – all for the same yearbook spread that is awaiting five to seven nice moments of baseball action. Working hard at pursuing a variety of great baseball shots can provide staff designers with some visual variety.
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From the category archives:
Photography
A thinking photographer gets more out of each sports shooting experience.
Of all the equipment a shooter takes to a sports event, perhaps the most important and least regarded is that equipment located just above the shoulders. A thinking photographer will bring back better images – maybe even stunning images – from any sports shooting experience. A photographer whose head is in the game will be a real asset to his or her yearbook staff. Here are a few examples of some sports where a little planning and a little thinking go a long way toward capturing nice images.
As I used to tell my students, you do not do journalism for the awards. There are many paybacks for student journalists just by producing a great story, photo, design or an entire yearbook to share with readers. But an award honoring a student’s hard work, creativity and dedication certainly is icing on the cake.
When it comes to photography and photojournalism, the leap into the digital world has, perhaps, kept us from taking a hard look at the basics of good photojournalism and the need to reinforce habits that will help yearbook photographers capture good images and continue to grow. Let’s begin…
Much teaching time in photography – especially on the high school level – is spent on looking for the right moment to shoot. But examining the flip side of that concept – what not to shoot – may be just as helpful in pursing good images, so that photographers understand what does not work, what has been overused or what may put us on shaky ground legally or ethically.
One reason yearbook advisers and staffs create yearbooks is they enjoy the idea of preserving history. But the thought of archiving images for history’s sake makes even the bravest advisers tremble.
Part of that fear relates to the enormity of the project. If your school is decades old and no archive exists, there are years of images to save, protect and make accessible.
While there are several ways to tackle this project, it will never be done unless it is started. And for your efforts, you and your staff could become school heroes.
For the fourth spring in a row, this column is profiling a professional in the world of photojournalism. For this issue, John Schultz, photojournalist for the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, is sharing his story and expertise.
Much teaching time in photography – especially on the high school level – is spent on looking for the right moment to shoot. But examining the fl ip side of that concept – what not to shoot – may be just as helpful in pursing good images, so that photographers understand what does not work, what has been overused or what may put us on shaky ground legally or ethically.
It does not behoove the modern yearbook adviser to exercise extreme control over the middle school photographer. Granting permission to shoot the scenes as they see them can afford fantastic results. Better still, encouraging artistic license will ensure a yearbook that is thoughtful and exciting for the consumer.
There is a lot to learn about and assess when deciding what digital camera or scanner to buy. With any new venture, you need to learn about the product and decide what your needs are. To get you started, here is some basic digital camera and scanner information that should explain the equipment and help you determine how the equipment meets your needs. You might consider using this article to start your search online and then venture to stores.
