Telling the Story in Pictures

By, Angeline Nekesa

It takes skill to produce articulate images that tell a story; pictures that capture the location, the atmosphere, the prevailing mood and tell the story that needs to be told. Experienced photojournalists set the standard for others to follow. This post talks about how to illustrate stories using pictures.

One of the basics of camerawork, involves holding the shot long enough to make it as usable as possible for clients. Camera operators are often asked to work in difficult circumstances, operators simply have to record events to the best of their ability while paying due attention to their own safety and the safety of their colleagues. Often they have little or no control over how they have to do their jobs and we appreciate whatever they can produce under those circumstances.  It’s sometimes disappointing, therefore, to see wobbly pictures and unnecessary pans and zooms. Beware of pans that begin and end in an interesting way, but draw attention to dull areas in the middle. As a photojournalist, you need to know that, you are operating in an increasingly sophisticated visual world where viewers expect high quality images. They are unlikely to make allowances for pictures that fall below this standard unless they can see an obvious reason for it. Tripods really are essential for all but the most extreme circumstances, when their use is clearly impractical. 

Many of the most effective shots are simply static, well-framed images and the camera only moves to follow the action. Using camera movement to inject pace into a story might work for music videos and certain Showbiz stories, but for news stories and features the pace should be controlled by the editing. Only move the camera is there is a good reason for it. Pans and Zooms, when used properly, are effective ways of illustrating a story. Used inappropriately, they become distracting and, in some cases, impossible to use in a broadcast edit. 

An acceptable use of the pan may be to show the relative positions of people of places, e.g. to show the scene of an explosion relative to the place where the mortar was launched or to show a line-up of a new cabinet. However, even for these types of moves, they must be shot in a way which will make them useful to clients. They should begin and end with a six second static shot and the move should not last for more than about six seconds. This gives an editor the widest range of choices of which part of the shot they need, if they don’t want all 18 seconds of it. It must be shot at a speed that is comfortable to the eye – some camera moves are capable of inducing motion sickness! 

There is often a lack of “set-up” shots of speakers or, better still, relevant alternatives. When they are done, in many instances they are predictable computer or phone set-ups and are often unusable because the hands do not leave the frame which leads to an inevitable jump to the speaker. Having earlier suggested that cameras should move to follow the action, they must also allow the action to leave the frame at times, or it becomes impossible to edit without a jump-cut. Experienced photojournalists edit in their heads as they shoot so that they can plan how their shots can go together. To avoid missing the story, they must sometimes shoot an event that they know will be a jump-cut. In these circumstances, making a mental note to shoot a cutaway later will help the editor out of the problem. 

When framing your pictures, you have to decide what to include and what to exclude. You may be eliminating distractions or holding back some information from the viewer which you will reveal in a subsequent shot. 

To summarize, use pictures effectively, the following checklist can be your guide;

• Hold shots long enough to make them as usable as possible. 
• Tripods are essential for all but the most extreme circumstances. 
• Static, well-framed images are the most effective pictures. 
• The pace of the edit should be controlled by the editing, not by the camera moves. 
• Only move the camera if there is a good reason for it. 
• Pans and zooms can become distracting if used inappropriately. 
• Shoot pans and zooms with at least a six-second static beginning and end shot and the move should not last more than about six seconds. 
• Allow the subject, or the subject’s hands, etc, to leave the frame.